Paint Guide · 2 min read
How much paint for a 10×10 room?
A 10×10 room with 8-ft walls, one door and two windows needs 2 gallons for two coats — 269 sq ft of paintable wall at 350 sq ft per gallon.
A 10×10 room is the smallest common bedroom and the size of most home offices and nurseries. The math is friendly: two coats fit inside two gallons with room to spare, and one gallon is enough for a single-coat refresh in the same color.
Gallons by ceiling height and coats
One door and two windows deducted; 350 sq ft per gallon on smooth walls; rounded up to whole gallons.
| Ceiling | 1 coat | 2 coats | 3 coats | Wall area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 1 | 2 | 3 | 269 sq ft |
| 9 ft | 1 | 2 | 3 | 309 sq ft |
| 10 ft | 1 | 2 | 3 | 349 sq ft |
Don't forget
Primer. Going light over dark, or painting new drywall, add 1 gallon of primer. Ceiling. A flat ceiling paint for this room is 1 gallon at one coat. Texture. Orange-peel walls use about 10% more paint, knockdown about 20%; the planner adjusts for it.
Small rooms are where cheap paint costs you the most time, because you notice every roller mark from close range. Buy the better can; you only need two.
Other room sizes
10×10 room · 10×12 room · 12×12 room · 12×14 room · 14×16 room · 15×20 room
Last updated 2026-09-03. Method: how we calculate.