# Paint Cost Calculator: Gallons, Coats, and Price Canonical URL: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/paint-cost-calculator/ Plain text: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/paint-cost-calculator/llms.txt Publisher: SimplyWise, Inc. (https://www.simplywise.com) Published: September 8, 2026 Updated: October 5, 2026 Category: How to Estimate Summary: A paint cost calculator that turns room size, coats, and quality tier into gallons to buy and a sourced national price range, live on the page. --- ## Paint Cost Calculator: Gallons, Coats, and Price Paint is sold by the gallon and priced by the quality tier, so paint cost is a wall area question. Set the room below; gallons and dollars update as you type. Size the room, see the paint bill Room length (ft) Room width (ft) Ceiling height Doors 21 sq ft each, 3 by 7 ft Windows 15 sq ft each, 3 by 5 ft Coats Or total wall sq ft replaces the room math Paint quality Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams list prices 2 gallons of paint to buy Wall area to paint333 sq ft Area across all coats666 sq ft Paint cost$157.98 to $191.98 At 350 sq ft per gallon per coat. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams national list prices, updated Aug 27, 2026. Local prices vary. At a glance 1. Wall area is perimeter times ceiling height: 2 x (length + width) x height. 2. Deduct 21 sq ft per door and 15 per window, the standard basis. 3. Plan on 350 sq ft per gallon per coat, the rate Sherwin-Williams uses, and round up. 4. A gallon lists at $60.99 (ben) to $108.99 (Aura); Sherwin-Williams runs $83.49 to $101.49. 5. A 12 by 12 bedroom, two coats, mid tier: 2 gallons, $157.98 to $191.98. 6. Paint only. Labor is the bigger line and prices locally. ## How the paint cost calculator works Four moves: perimeter times ceiling height for gross wall area, subtract the openings, multiply by coats, divide by coverage and round up to whole gallons. The calculator uses the Sherwin-Williams basis for openings: a 3 by 7 ft door is 21 sq ft, a 3 by 5 ft window is 15. A door and two windows remove 51 sq ft. Coverage comes from the manufacturers. Sherwin-Williams plans at 350 sq ft per gallon and rounds up; Benjamin Moore lists 350 to 400 for Aura and 400 to 450 for Regal Select and ben. This page figures at 350, the conservative end. ## Worked example: a 12 by 12 bedroom Perimeter is 48 ft. At an 8 ft ceiling that is 384 sq ft of gross wall. One door and two windows deduct 51, leaving 333 sq ft to paint. Two coats make it 666. Divide by 350 and round up: 2 gallons. In the mid tier, Regal Select to Duration Home list prices, the paint runs $157.98 to $191.98. ## Common rooms at a glance All rows: 8 ft ceiling, one door, two windows, two coats, mid tier band. | Room | Wall area | Two coats | Gallons | Paint cost | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10 by 10 | 269 sq ft | 538 sq ft | 2 | $157.98 to $191.98 | | 12 by 12 | 333 sq ft | 666 sq ft | 2 | $157.98 to $191.98 | | 12 by 16 | 397 sq ft | 794 sq ft | 3 | $236.97 to $287.97 | | 14 by 16 | 429 sq ft | 858 sq ft | 3 | $236.97 to $287.97 | | 16 by 20 | 525 sq ft | 1,050 sq ft | 3 | $236.97 to $287.97 | | 20 by 24 | 653 sq ft | 1,306 sq ft | 4 | $315.96 to $383.96 | At 9 ft the same room carries 381 sq ft, and two coats tip in a third gallon. ## What a gallon of paint really costs Two makers publish national list prices, both captured August 27, 2026. Benjamin Moore: ben $60.99, Regal Select $78.99 to $84.99 by sheen, Aura $108.99. Sherwin-Williams: SuperPaint $83.49, Duration Home $95.99, Emerald $101.49 per gallon. Each band blends both makers: Good spans ben to SuperPaint, Better Regal Select to Duration Home, Best Emerald to Aura. Contractor accounts, sales, and big box house brands land under list; treat the bands as the walk-in ceiling. ## Turn the gallons into a quote The calculator prices the paint; the job carries prep, primer, and labor on top. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into an itemized, branded estimate in about 6 seconds. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial. ## Coats, coverage, and the labor line Two coats is the working default and doubles the area. One coat holds up only on a close color over sound paint; a drastic change or fresh drywall can push a third, plus primer. Labor is deliberately not a line here. No national source publishes an honest per square foot painting rate. For scale, BLS puts the median painter wage at $23.75 an hour, May 2025; a shop bills well above its wage. Get labor from a local bid, not a national table. ## Run the estimate in this order 1. Measure the walls, not the floor The floor plan says 144 sq ft; the walls you are painting say 384. 2. Count the openings Every door is 21 sq ft you do not paint, every window 15. Skip the deduction and you buy an extra gallon. 3. Pick the tier before you price The spread between ben and Aura is $48 a gallon. 4. Put the whole job on paper Paint is one line. Prep, patching, primer, labor, and cleanup are the rest of the estimate the customer signs. ## Keep reading - How to Measure a Room for Painting (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/how-to-measure-a-room-for-painting/) - Drywall Calculator: Room Size to Sheets and Mud (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/drywall-sheet-and-mud-calculator/) - How to Start a Painting Business (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/how-to-start-a-painting-business/) - Construction Calculators for Contractors (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/construction-calculators/) - Paint Coverage Calculator: Square Feet to Gallons (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/paint-coverage-calculator-sq-ft-to-gallons/) - Project Cost Guides (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/cost-guides/) ## Sources - Sherwin-Williams, Paint Calculator (https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-calculator) (350 sq ft per gallon planning rate; 3 by 7 ft doors, 3 by 5 ft windows; verified 2026-08-27). - Benjamin Moore, ben Interior (https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/product/ben-waterborne-interior-paint-eggshell-1-gallon/N626) ($60.99 per gallon; verified 2026-08-27). - Benjamin Moore, Regal Select Interior (https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/product/regal-select-waterborne-interior-paint-flat-1-gallon/N547) ($78.99 flat, $84.99 eggshell and semi-gloss; coverage 400 to 450 sq ft per gallon; verified 2026-08-27). - Benjamin Moore, Aura Interior (https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/product/aura-waterborne-interior-paint-matte-1-gallon/N522) ($108.99 per gallon; coverage 350 to 400 sq ft per gallon; verified 2026-08-27). - Sherwin-Williams, SuperPaint Interior (https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/superpaint-interior-acrylic-latex), Duration Home (https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/duration-home-interior-acrylic-latex), and Emerald Interior (https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/emerald-interior-acrylic-latex-paint) (gallon list prices $83.49, $95.99, and $101.49; verified 2026-08-27). - BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Painters, Construction and Maintenance (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/painters-construction-and-maintenance.htm) (median pay $49,400 a year, or $23.75 an hour, May 2025; verified 2026-08-31). - SimplyWise Cost Estimator, App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplywise-cost-estimator/id6670619664) (4.8 rating; verified 2026-08-22). ## Common questions on paint pricing **How much does the paint cost for a 12 by 12 room?** Two coats with one door and two windows take 2 gallons: $157.98 to $191.98 at the mid tier band, before prep and labor. **How many gallons of paint for a 12 by 12 room?** 2 gallons for two coats at an 8 ft ceiling, after deducting a door and two windows. A single refresh coat fits in 1 gallon. **What does a gallon of interior paint cost?** Benjamin Moore lists ben $60.99, Regal Select $78.99 to $84.99, Aura $108.99; Sherwin-Williams lists $83.49 to $101.49. Captured August 27, 2026. **Do doors and windows change how much paint I need?** Yes. Deduct 21 sq ft per 3 by 7 ft door and 15 per 3 by 5 ft window. A door and two windows remove 51 sq ft per coat. **Does the calculator include labor?** No. No national source publishes a per square foot painting labor rate, so labor belongs to a local bid. BLS lists the median painter wage at $23.75 an hour, May 2025. **Can SimplyWise price a paint job from a photo?** Yes. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Free to try, at $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr. --- ## About SimplyWise SimplyWise, Inc. (New York, NY) builds mobile apps for contractors, tradespeople, and small business owners. The SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a job site photo into an itemized estimate with labor and material costs in about 6 seconds, and the client signs the branded quote to approve it. It is rated 4.8 on the App Store. It is free to try with a 7-day free trial, then $29.99 per month or $239.99 per year (about $20 per month on the annual plan), and one subscription includes every app in the SimplyWise suite. - Download: https://www.simplywise.com/download - App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplywise-cost-estimator/id6670619664 - Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplywise.costestimator - Every SimplyWise page as plain text: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/llms.txt