How Much Paint Should I Buy?

Tell me if this has ever happened to you. Let's say it's a Saturday afternoon on a three day weekend and you spend a little bit of your extra time watching one of your favorite design or home remodeling shows on that nice HDTV in your living room. Can you imagine it? Great!

Lo and behold you feel some inspiration to paint a room in your own home. Naturally, you go to the paint store (I say, naturally because you read my blog) to go buy some paint. When you arrive, the supper-friendly-happy man at the store greets you and you tell him just how excited you are to paint that room. Now, because this man is not only friendly and happy he is super friendly and happy, he wants to make sure that you get all of the paint you need.

So he asks, "how much do you need?"

Has this ever happened to you? It has? Okay, if this has happened to you or if it may happen to you in the near future (again, because you read my blog and you are as excited about paint as I am) here are some tips to getting enough paint to put on your walls and ceilings.

Thanks to technology, I have some visual aids that will assist in describing each step of the process. Keep in mind that there are other factors involved, but in most circumstances this should help you out.

Step 1. Get a plan view sketch of your room.

I know the photos are a little rough, but it should sufficiently illustrate the concept

Above you should see a bedroom sized 14 feet by 11 feet with a door swinging into the room and a window.

Step 2. Measure your room for width, length, and height.

And remember that one gallon of paint

will provide you with anywhere between

300-400 square feet of paintable surface

Is "paintable" even a real word?

Step 3. Don't be scared about the math.

The perimeter times the height

will tell you how many square feet is in your room.

The width in this example is 11 feet

and the length is 14 feet.

Look at the image below.

The perimeter is 50 feet.

Make sure you add the width and length on both sides.

Step 4. Now that you have the math add a little extra...just in case.

The perimeter is 50 feet and the height is 8 feet

so the total wall space is 400 square feet

(50 feet X 8 feet)

Adding 10 percent extra should be enough for those oopsies

or other unexpected mishaps when you paint.

In this example, there is an entry door and a window

and you don't want to paint your window so sometimes

the window space can be included as your ten percent extra

without having to do any extra math!

The entry door can also be part of your ten percent

if you don't want to paint it; however,

if you want to paint the door

with the same paint as the walls

you need to add ten percent

Step 5. Calculate the amount of paint you need for the ceiling

if you're going to paint the ceiling.

Don't worry, this one is easy.

multiply the width by the length.

In this example, shown by the picture above,

11 X 14 equals 154 square feet

Add ten percent extra and you have 169 square feet

Step 6. Do a little bit more math.

Some folks like the walls to match the ceiling

And if you do than the math is simple

440 feet plus 169 feet equals 609 feet

Remember that anywhere between 300-400

square feet can be painted with one gallon

So, to make the math easy I have used 350 square feet

per gallon in this example.

Here's a recap of the math, it's okay if you use a calculator

After all, that's what I did

609 square feet divided by 350 feet per gallon

equals 1.74 gallons

You can't buy 1.74 gallons so you round up to 2 gallons.

Step 7. Determine how many coats of paint

you want to put on the walls & ceiling

In the image above you see that all of the math has shown us that we need 2 gallons of paint to cover the walls and ceiling. Keep in mind that the 2 gallons is just to cover the surface once.

If you want to put a second coat of paint on the walls & ceiling (and I'll explain when and why you should in a later post) you need to add more. In this example we need 2 gallons for the first coat. Depending on what type of surface you're painting and what paint you use you may need to only buy one extra gallon or you may need to buy 2 extra. When in doubt buy more...you can find a use for the extra paint later.

And if you're not going to paint the ceiling

the picture below will show you how much paint you need

So that should help you as you start on your next painting project.

It should also help you keep more money in your pocket

and prevent you from having to make multiple

trips to the paint store.

Enjoy!

Life Throws a Curveball Sometimes

Well, first of all I wish to apologize for not posting anything since August of last year. Blogging is still new to me.

I'm so sorry, will you please forgive me?

But, hey, it's a new year. We can all start new. At least, that's what they tell us, right? I mean, how many times have you heard "New Year, New You?" For me, the month of January, or at least the first week or two of January is better themed as "New Year, So What?"

So...this year might actually prove to be the beginning of a new chapter in my life. There's a saying in the world of entrepreneurship, "don't quit your day job." It's actually really good advice for anyone who wants to start a business and doesn't have a lot of extra money around to fund it.

Well, I did not quit my day job. My day job quit on me. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the curveball that life (or karma, or the universe) has thrown my way. I went into my job one morning last month and I was told to gather my things and leave my key at the desk.

No, tell me how you really feel

Shocking? You betcha. Now, I'm not here to rant about a former employer and get defensive or start pointing fingers. What happened has happened and there's no point looking back. I have often told people that the best revenge is living well. I guess it's time for the physician to heal thyself.

I didn't realize it until this morning that today marks 30 days of my, let's just call it my "extended Christmas vacation." We have made it a month and that is good reason to celebrate! Thanks again to so many people who have helped in the past 30 days.

Plans have changed. I originally planned on using my allotted vacation time from my day job to keep the household running while I was off adventuring in Thailand, searching far and wide to buy some inventory and bring it back here to sell. Since I have already bought the plane ticket I might as well use it.

I'm still going to travel this March and make connections with manufacturers and sourcing agents. I'm also going to buy some home decor items and custom artwork to begin my business, but I'm just going to have to adjust some plans and make a few sacrifices...like switching from first class to just business class for the flight. Just kidding, flying coach will be just fine.

I love it when a plan comes together

Here's what I have in mind for the meantime. I used to paint for a living. I like to paint. No, that's not right. I'm passionate about painting. I'm so passionate about painting that my wife compares me to Hank Hill (the fictional cartoon character from King of the Hill) that I love paint as much as Hank Hill loves propane and propane accessories. Look it up, it's a true story.

I'm also pretty good at painting. And the best part is that I'm cheap...compared to the other guys. If anyone out there is looking to paint a bedroom or bathroom I am the man you want to hire. If you are tired of your existing paint on the wall, or if you want to spice it up a bit, or if you want to paint but have no idea what to paint it...once again, I am the man you want to hire. Just contact me and I can give you a quote. I can also help you pick your color. After all, I am a designer, too.

And, back by popular demand, is the Sherwin Williams deal of the day. Click here for more details.

So it truly is a new start. God's delays are not His denials. We shall celebrate each success and learn from each failure. Here's to the beginning of small business ownership!