Your next home project
Paint & drywall calculators
Measure the surfaces you are finishing. Keep paint, primer, drywall and preparation work separate.
1MeasureMeasure your wallsIn the paint calculator, with a drawing of your numbers.
2Get the list2 1-gallon paint cansand 2 more items in the example, ready to print.
3What it costsBuild your budgetAdd the quotes you get and see what is still unpriced.
4Compare quotesRoom painting quote comparisonPut two or three quotes side by side, line by line.
What to buy
Paint calculator
Add rooms, choose walls or walls and ceilings, and count paint cans for the coats you want.
Example answer: 2 1-gallon paint cansCalculate your materialsExterior paint calculator
Add rectangular elevations and triangular gables, then subtract windows and doors before counting paint.
Example answer: 2 1-gallon paint cansCalculate your materialsDrywall area calculator
Estimate drywall sheets for walls and ceilings, with the joint tape, joint compound and screws to finish them, from USG’s published figures that you can change.
Example answer: 13 drywall sheets by areaCalculate your materialsStud calculator
Studs, plates and stud length for each wall: enter the wall length and height, the doors and windows, and the corners.
Example answer: 18 2x4 studsCalculate your materialsWhat will it cost?
The Census survey of what owners paid has no category for this work, so compare written quotes line by line.
Got quotes? Put the work beside the price
Choose the tool that matches your measurements
| Your material or task | Measurements to bring | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Paint calculator | Length, Width, Wall height | Gallons of paint and primer, and the trim paint |
| Exterior paint calculator | Wall width, Wall height, Gable rise | Gallons of exterior paint for every coat |
| Drywall area calculator | Length, Width, Wall height | Drywall sheets, tape, joint compound, screws and corner bead |
| Stud calculator | Wall length, Wall height, Doors and windows in this wall, Corners and wall junctions at its ends | Studs, plate boards and the stud length |
Before you measure or order
- How many sheets of drywall do I need? Sheets, tape, mud and screws
Add up the wall area (the room’s perimeter times its height) and the ceiling if you are covering it, add about 10% for cuts and divide by the sheet size: 32 sq ft for a 4 × 8 ft sheet, 48 for a 4 × 12.
- How much paint do I need? Coverage, coats and primer
Measure the walls (perimeter times height), take out doors and windows, multiply by the number of coats and divide by the coverage on the can, often about 400 sq ft per gallon. Most rooms need two coats.
- How to paint a room: prep, coats and cleanup
Clear and protect the room, clean and patch the walls, prime what needs it, then paint the ceiling first, the walls next and the trim last, waiting the can’s recoat time between coats.
- How to hang and finish drywall, and how to repair it
Check the framing, hang the ceiling before the walls with the joints staggered, screw each sheet off at the spacing in the board maker’s guide, then tape and finish the joints in three coats, letting each dry before the next.