How Much Paint for a 14×16 room?
This calculator is pre-filled to estimate the paint for a 14×16 room. Change any field to match your project, and enter your local price for a precise cost.
Quick answer: A 14×16 room with 8 ft ceilings needs about 3 gallons of paint for 2 coats (480 sq ft of wall).
Interior Paint calculator
How it's calculated: Wall area = 2 × (room length + width) × ceiling height, minus 10% for doors and windows; multiply by coats and divide by about 350 sq ft per gallon.
How to estimate interior paint
- One gallon covers about 350 sq ft per coat on smooth, primed walls; rough or new drywall drinks more.
- Two coats is standard. Plan a separate primer coat over new drywall or a big color change.
- Buy all wall paint in one tinted batch so the color is consistent across the room.
- Deep or vivid colors often need a tinted primer or a third coat - budget extra for big color shifts.
- Label leftover paint by room and keep it for touch-ups; even the same color in a new batch can read slightly different.
Frequently asked questions
How Much Paint for a 14×16 room?
A 14×16 room with 8 ft ceilings needs about 3 gallons of paint for 2 coats (480 sq ft of wall).
How do I figure out how much paint I need?
Measure the room's perimeter and multiply by ceiling height for wall area, then knock off about 10% for doors and windows. Multiply by the number of coats, divide by about 350 sq ft per gallon, and round up to whole gallons.
How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?
About 350 sq ft per coat on smooth, primed surfaces.
Do I need primer?
Yes over new drywall, patches, stains and big color changes. For repainting a similar color on sound existing paint, a quality self-priming wall paint is usually enough.
How long should I wait between coats?
Most latex wall paints recoat in 2-4 hours; check the can. The surface feels dry much sooner, but recoating too early drags up the first coat.
Why is my gallon not covering 350 sq ft?
That figure assumes smooth, primed walls. Texture, bare drywall and dramatic color changes all drink more paint - on rough surfaces plan for 250-300 sq ft per gallon.