Paint for a 16×20 room
3 gallons (buy 3 gal)
for two coats on 525 sq ft of wall: 8 ft ceilings, one door, two windows, 350 sq ft per gallon.
Paint for a 16×20 room by ceiling height
| Ceiling height | Wall area | 1 coat | 2 coats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 525 sq ft | 1.5 gal | 3 gal |
| 9 ft | 597 sq ft | 1.7 gal | 3.4 gal |
| 10 ft | 669 sq ft | 1.9 gal | 3.8 gal |
| 12 ft | 813 sq ft | 2.3 gal | 4.6 gal |
Wall area subtracts one door (21 sq ft) and two windows (15 sq ft each). Ceiling: 320 sq ft, 0.91 gal per coat.
How it’s worked out
- Perimeter: 2 × (20 + 16) = 72 ft.
- Wall area: 72 × 8 ft = 576 sq ft, minus 21 for the door and 30 for the windows = 525 sq ft.
- Two coats: 525 × 2 ÷ 350 = 3 gallons.
Change the numbers
Other room sizes
- 15×20 room
- 16×18 room
- 14×20 room
- 18×20 room
- 13×20 room
- 16×16 room
- 16×24 room
- 12×20 room
- 15×16 room
- 20×20 room
- 14×16 room
- 11×20 room
Questions
- How much paint do I need for a 16×20 room?
- About 3 gallons for two coats on the walls of a 16×20 room with 8 ft ceilings, one door and two windows: buy 3 gal. The ceiling takes another 0.9 gallons per coat.
- How many square feet of wall is a 16×20 room?
- 576 sq ft of wall with 8 ft ceilings, or about 525 sq ft after one door and two windows.
- How much does it cost to paint a 16×20 room?
- Paint for the walls costs about $120 at $40 a gallon. Professional painters typically charge $2 to $6 per square foot of floor area, about $640 to $1,920 here.