Room-by-Room Paint Estimator: How Much Paint Each Room Needs

Different rooms behave differently when it comes to paint. A bedroom and a kitchen of identical floor area can need surprisingly different quantities, because kitchens lose wall space to units and tiles, while bedrooms often have larger uninterrupted walls. This guide walks through the most common rooms and the paint each one typically needs, so you can budget an entire house in one sitting.

Bedrooms

A standard double bedroom of about 4 × 4 m with a 2.7 m ceiling, one door and one window, needs roughly 4–5 litres of emulsion for two coats on the walls. Add about a litre if you also paint the ceiling. Master bedrooms with en-suites or fitted wardrobes lose wall area to those features, so the actual paint quantity is often slightly less than the raw dimensions suggest. Kids' bedrooms tend to need a more washable satin finish, which has a similar coverage rate but better durability against scuffs and finger marks.

Living rooms

Living rooms are usually the largest single rooms in the house and often the ones with the most interruptions — fireplaces, alcoves, built-in shelving, radiators and large windows. A 5 × 4 m living room with a 2.7 m ceiling typically needs 6–7 litres for two coats on the walls. Feature walls painted in a strong colour often need a third coat, so budget an extra litre or two for those.

Kitchens

Kitchens fool people because they look big but actually have relatively little paintable wall once you account for wall units, worktops, tiles and appliances. A 4 × 3 m kitchen might only have 12–15 m² of actual paintable wall — half of what the dimensions suggest. Use a dedicated kitchen paint or a tough satin finish that resists grease and wipes clean. Expect 3–4 litres for two coats, plus primer if you are painting over grease stains.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are small but demanding. Moisture-resistant paint in a satin or semi-gloss finish is essential — ordinary emulsion will blister and grow mould within months. A typical 2.5 × 2 m bathroom needs only 2–3 litres for two coats, but spend extra on quality paint and primer here. The area directly around the shower benefits from semi-gloss for frequent wiping.

Hallways and stairs

Hallways are the hardest-working walls in any home — coats, bags, bikes and bodies all leave marks. A long hallway of 6 × 1.2 m with a 2.7 m ceiling needs about 4–5 litres for two coats, and you should always plan on a hard-wearing finish plus a spare half-litre for inevitable touch-ups. Stairwells with high walls need careful measuring; the calculator handles the tall-wall geometry automatically.

Dining rooms and studies

These medium-traffic rooms behave much like living rooms but are usually smaller and less interrupted. A 4 × 3.5 m dining room typically needs 4–5 litres for two coats. Eggshell is the natural finish choice here — forgiving, washable enough for occasional marks, and elegant under dining lighting.

Whole-house quick budget

These figures assume standard 2.4–2.7 m ceilings, one door and one window per room, and a typical matte or eggshell emulsion. For your exact rooms, enter the real measurements into the paint calculator and add as many rooms as you need — the tool totals them so you can buy paint for the whole house in one batch.