Estimating Paint Quantity

Ideally, you should buy just enough paint to complete the project and have enough left over for future touch ups. Each Kelly-Moore product has a recommended coverage area expressed in Ft²/G on the label and in the Technical Data Sheets (TDS) for that product. This number gives a theoretical estimate of how many square feet one gallon of paint will cover in one coat over a smooth, non-porous substrate.

When estimating paint quantity, it is also important to consider the following:

• How many coats of paint will be applied? For more vibrant colors and drastic color changes multiple coats may be required.
• What application method will be used? Airless spray application generally requires up to 35% more paint volume than brushing or rolling, as some paint will be lost due to overspray and when setting up and cleaning the spray equipment.
• How porous is the surface to be painted? Extremely porous substrates like brick, uncoated drywall, and bare wood can require significantly higher amounts of primer or paint.
• How smooth is the surface to be painted? Paint will spread much farther over extremely smooth and/or glossy surfaces than over rough, heavily textured surfaces.