How much paint for a 16x16 room?
A 16x16 ft room has about 476 sq ft of wall after subtracting one door and one window. For two coats you need roughly 2.7 gallons.
For 2 coats, walls, 8 ft ceiling
2.7 gallons (~3 cans)
About 476 sq ft of paintable wall.
Calculate your exact amount
Adjust the height, coats, doors and windows for your room:
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Paint needed for a 16x16 room (chart)
| Ceiling height | 1 coat | 2 coats | 3 coats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 1.4 gal | 2.7 gal | 4.1 gal |
| 9 ft | 1.5 gal | 3.1 gal | 4.6 gal |
| 10 ft | 1.7 gal | 3.5 gal | 5.2 gal |
Based on ~350 sq ft per gallon per coat, minus one door and one window.
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Grab quality interior paint and a roller kit to cover this room in two coats.
Shop interior paint →How we calculated this
- Wall area = 2 × (length + width) × height = 2 × (16 + 16) × 8 = 512 sq ft.
- Minus one door (21 sq ft) and one window (15 sq ft) = 476 sq ft.
- × 2 coats ÷ 350 sq ft per gallon = 2.7 gallons.
Frequently asked questions
- How many gallons of paint for a 16x16 room?
- About 2.7 gallons for two coats of walls with 8 ft ceilings, or 1.4 gallons for a single coat.
- How much paint do I need for a 16x16 room with high ceilings?
- Use the chart above — a 10 ft ceiling raises it to about 3.5 gallons for two coats.