How Much Paint for a 12x16 Room?
2.27 gallons
Painting the walls of a 12 × 16 ft room with 8 ft ceilings, one door and two windows takes about 2.27 gallons for two coats (397 sq ft of wall at 350 sq ft per gallon). Buy 3 gallons. Add the ceiling in the calculator below if you are painting it too.
Paint for a 12 × 16 ft room by wall height (2 coats, 1 door, 2 windows)
| Wall height | Wall area | Paint needed | What to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 397 sq ft | 2.27 gallons | 3 gallons |
| 9 ft | 453 sq ft | 2.59 gallons | 3 gallons |
| 10 ft | 509 sq ft | 2.91 gallons | 3 gallons |
Adjust the numbers
The calculator below is pre-filled with the numbers above. Change any value to match your project.
Paint needed2.27 gallons
- What to buy
- 3 gallons
- Paintable area
- 397 sq ft
- Total coverage (all coats)
- 794 sq ft
How it is calculated
The wall area of a room is its perimeter, 2 × (length + width), multiplied by the wall height. A standard door (about 21 sq ft) and window (about 15 sq ft) are subtracted for each one you enter.
If you include the ceiling, its area (length × width) is added.
Open the full paint calculator for other shapes, a worked example and FAQs.