How Many Sq. Ft Does a 5 Gallon Bucket of Paint Cover?

If you are performing a painting job requiring a large amount of paint, you will have to consider the specific amount of paint to get. This is because purchasing a paint bucket of a much bigger size than your wall size can cause excessive remnant and wastage.

Since a gallon of paint will cover approximately 350 to 425 ft., five gallons of paint should cover around 1875 to 2125 square feet. Also, if you survey the paint Can for specifications, you will understand better the dimensions it can cover.

There are various factors to look out for when considering the amount of paint needed to cover your walls. We have outlined everything you need in this article if you have questions or concerns about your interior and exterior walls.

How many sq. ft. does a 5-gallon bucket of paint cover

A five-gallon bucket of paint can cover over 1875 to 2125 square feet. One gallon of paint can effectively cover 350 to 425 square feet. Additionally, a quart of paint covers over 90 to 100 square feet.

However, when it comes to deliberating the needed amount of paint for painting a dimension of a flat surface, there are some things to consider. Lets briefly consider these factors before proceeding further;

• Type of paint used.
• Height of the wall.
• Textured wall.
• Fresh wall or recoating.
• Color change.
• Quality of the paint.

Type of paint used

As a rule of thumb, some paints can effectively cover over 350 sq. ft. and even up to 400 sq. ft. These paints include latex paint, cement paint, etc. Also, you can apply them to rooms like a small kitchen or bathroom. On the contrary, on smooth and plain surfaces, painting directly on them requires a lesser amount of paint per square foot. Thus, the latter can cover a larger surface area than the first kind of walls.

Height of the wall

One major factor affecting your paint coverage is the height of the wall. To do this, stand before a selected wall region. Then, measure from the bottom to the top of the wall (or measure to the ceiling) with a measuring tape.

Painting upon a textured wall

When you paint on a textured wall, that will imply an increased surface area. A larger surface area will invariably require more paint for proper coverage. For instance, surfaces like the popcorn ceiling, brick, or stucco wall have a much larger surface area and demand more paint. If thats the case in your home, we advise you to purchase 20% extra paint for these kinds of textures.

Fresh wall or recoating.

Paint sticks faster to a fresh, unpainted wall. Thanks to its untouched surface, the wall will be able to absorb much more paint than a recoated paint will. This makes painting directly on a fresh wall an inefficient move. Thus, ensure to prime the walls with a minimum of two layers of primer before painting the wall effectively.

Color Change

Another thing to note is that you will require more paint to change a wall segment from a light to a dark color. You will need over one layer of paint most of the time to change the surface to the desired color. So, while doing this with a gallon of paint, you will only achieve a lesser surface area while having a better layering quality.

Quality of the paint.

One peculiar factor that can be easily overlooked but is pivotal is the quality of the paint. Good quality paints will give you a better outlook and more efficient work and might cost you more. However, lesser quality paints will be more affordable while providing a lesser quality and requiring additional work in the long run. Also, poor-quality paints require more coating to give you a better finish.

How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover the interior?

One gallon of paint can typically cover up to 350 to 400 square feet. If you use a primer with it, one gallon of primer will successfully cover 225 to 275 square feet. This suffices to paint a small bathroom or toilet efficiently.

A gallon of paint can cover the interior to calculate the overall square feet. First, you need to measure the interior surface area. Once youve successfully evaluated that, divide that number by 350 (or 400). If youre using a primer, after measuring the surface area in square feet, divide it by 200 square feet. Next, you must evaluate the amount of paint you need to avoid wastage.

How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover the exterior?

One gallon of paint can cover around 350 to 400 square feet of exterior surface. However, note that the dimension possible for one gallon of paint to cover an exterior surface also depends on the type of paint used.

How many gallons of paint do I need for a 1500-square-foot house?

The amount of gallons of paint needed for a 1500-square-foot house varies from interior and exterior. For the houses exterior, you will need 8 gallons for the body and 2 gallons for the trim, making it a total of 10 gallons for the exterior. On the other hand, the interior part of the house requires much more gallons of paint than the exterior. You will need 12 gallons for the walls and 3 gallons for the baseboards and trims.

This makes a total of 15 gallons needed for the interior of the walls.

How much paint do I need for 1 wall?

The amount of paint needed for 1 wall depends on the size and shape of the wall. Therefore, you should evaluate the wall area by measuring its length and height and calculating using the area of a rectangle. The height of your wall represents the width of the rectangle, while the length of the wall is the length of the rectangle.

To estimate the area, use the area of the rectangle formula (Area= Length x Breadth). For instance, the wall is a long rectangular wall of 14 ft., and the height (breadth) is 9ft. Thus, the area is 14 x 9 = 126 square feet. Therefore, you will need 0.36 gallons of paint for one layer of paint (400 square feet per gallon).

In addition, you must note the several factors that impact the paint coverage. One major determinant of the paint coverage is if the wall is dry or wet.

How much paint is needed for a 10×10 room?

For a 10×10 wall, the area is 100 square feet, and you need 0.003 gallons of paint per square foot. If we use the thumb rule, the amount of paint needed for a 100-square-foot space will be 0.003 * 100 = 0.3 gallons. You need 0.3 paint gallons to cover a 10×10 sq. ft. wall.

How do you calculate how much paint I need?

When considering the overall paint for a painting project, you must calculate the different places of application. There are different calculations for your walls, ceilings, and trim. This section outlines how you can calculate how much paint you need for each surface. Lets jump right into them.

How much paint do I need for the walls?

• At first, measure the entire length of the walls you wish to paint, then add their sizes togetherthis is the perimeter of the walls.
• After that, measure the height of the walls, from the ceiling to the floor.
• Then, multiply the perimeter by the wall height. This will give you the square foot.
• When youre done, divide the square footage by 400 (400 is the exact surface coverage in square feet per gallon). The result will show you the number of gallons required to paint one layer of walls.

How much paint do I need for the ceilings?

• To calculate the amount of paint needed to cover your ceiling, multiply your rooms length by its breadth. For instance, if the rooms length is 20ft and the breadth is 14ft, you calculate it by multiplying them. Thus, (L * B) 20 * 14 = 280 square feet.
• Once youve finished with that, divide the number by 400. In this example, we have 280 sq. ft. as our surface area. Therefore, 280 / 400 = 0.7 gallons. That said, you need a minimum of one gallon of paint to paint your ceiling. However, if you intend to cover two layers of paint on your ceiling, consider getting an extra quart of paint.

Also Read: How heavy is a 5-gallon bucket of paint

How much paint do I need for the trim?

When painting your home or office, the doors, windows, baseboards, and trims require a different calculation from your walls and ceilings.

To do this,

• Measure and add up the total length of the entire trim. Then, also do the same for the entire width of the trim. (Also, if youre using different trim types, you need to measure by the trim types you used.)
• Evaluate to get the overall square footage of the trim by multiplying the width by the length. Thus, L * W.
• When you get the square footage, divide the result by 400. That will give you the required amount of gallons you need for painting your trims. In addition, for may require fewer gallons of paint. One for a standard room or two trims will be enough for the job.

How much should I pay for painting per square foot?

Usually, most painters charge between $2 to $4 per sq. ft. for painting your home interior. However, if youre adding the homes walls, trims, and ceilings, the price will increase to over $3-$5 for each square foot.

Final Verdict

5 gallons of paint cover up to 1875 to 2125 square feet. So basically, one gallon of paint covers 350 to 450 sq. ft., and a quart of paint can cover over 90 to 100 sq. ft.

Now that youve understood the required knowledge you need before painting, you can avoid wastage by purchasing the right amount.

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