Karen Walker Chalk

If you know the measurements of the room or surface you want to paint you can use the calculator provided to give an approximate volume of paint required for your job.

However if you do not have exact measurements the following guide will give you the typical amounts of paint needed to complete your job.

Walls

The Average kiwi room will require 3-4 Litres of paint (assuming 2 coats) for the walls. As it will cost more to buy 1 x 2L & 1 X 1L cans we recommend purchasing 1 x 4L can of paint, this will also eliminate the need to intermix the two small cans for colour consistency. If it is a large room such as an open plan kitchen or living area, you will often find the actual wall areas are small, with kitchen cupboards and windows accounting for much of the space. You may need more than 4L if it is a very large room or a room with a high stud (heights of up to 3.2 metres).

Ceilings

A typical room will generally use 4 Litres of paint (2 coats); if you are painting multiple ceilings, a 10L pail should be enough to paint 3 to 4 rooms. Ceilings are much easier to estimate, simply multiply the length by width and input the metres squared (m²) into our calculator for a more accurate estimate.

Woodwork

If Painting windows, doors & trim in 1 room you will likely need at least 1 litre of paint. Painting the windows, internal doors & trim of an average home will require between 6 to 8 litres of paint, however this is very hard to estimate due to the variables involved. We recommend 500ml for small painting jobs such as some shelves or a couple of windows or a single door.