Learn how to calculate the right amount of paint with these handy tips to help keeps your costs down and reducing waste.

  1. First, assess the size of the area that you’re painting. Grab a friend to help measure the width and height of walls with a metal tape measure and multiply these together to calculate the overall square metre measurement.
  2. Subtract the space used by windows and doors using the same calculation method as above, and remove these from your overall square metre measurement.
  3. Multiply your new total square metre measurement by the number of coats you’ll need – we recommend factoring in at least two coats. It’s also worth including a little extra paint for touch-ups.
  4. Finally, divide this total figure by the m²/l number on your paint tin (if you can’t see it on the tin, have a look online at the product information section). For our ReColour paint, the m²/l number is 12.
  5. This will give you the total litres of paint you need for your project.

Find more advice by watching the video below or from Dr Dulux here.

Here is a handy guide of what size paint tin to buy for your project:

A diagram to show how much paint you may need for your project. It reads: A roller tester is enough paint for a small patch on a wall. 500ml of interior wood and metal paint is perfect for a door or the skirting in a small room. 1 litre of paint is ideal for painting 2.5 metre interior wall. 2.5 litres is enough for all walls in a 2 metre by 2 metre or equivalent room. 5 litres is enough to cover all walls in a 4 metre by 4 metre or equivalent room.