We are going to paint the entire inside of our new house, but how do I know how much paint we should buy? I don't want to buy way too much, but don't want to have to keep going back to buy more. I've never painted before, so I would probably guess way wrong.
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If you can give the paint store a room size (for example 12x10 with 8ft ceilings) they usually can give you an idea.
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Agreed with T.H.O.U. We painted our new construction home and it takes more paint than you would think bc the walls are so porous. The builder grade white they use on the walls is pretty crappy. We always overestimate a bit so we have extra for touch ups especially after we had our nail pops repaired.
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@T.H.O.U.: @Cara M. 17: Good idea! I will make DH measure. Well it is an older house (new to us), and so it is already painted but it really needs some help. One of the rooms is blood red too so that will probably take a lot of extra paint.
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Yes you'll definitely want to use a primer on that red!
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@Cara M. 17: What about those paints with primer in them? Do those work as well?
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@Bao: I have had really good luck with those but it still typically requires 2 coats. But its still saves a step from having to do primer + 2 coats paint.
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@T.H.O.U.: Good to know! Which brand did you use?
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I used those too. We used Behr with the paint and primer from Home Depot. I would just ask them if the primer in there is sufficient to cover the red depending on what color you're using.
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@Cara M. 17: ok thank you!
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We ask the people at the paint store
I think there are also online calculators you can find to figure out the quantities you'll require.
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Asking at the paint store is easiest, because not only are they experts, but not all paints are created equal. They'll be able to tell you how much you need based on the type of paint you're looking at.
I got some samples of Valspar from Lowes once and the coverage was horrible. Would have taken me three coats to make it not look like a streaky mess. Usually I stick to the more expensive brands like Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore, because they have such better coverage. I can sometimes get away with just one coat of their paints with the primer built in, if the wall is in good shape to begin with, which makes spending a few dollars extra per gallon totally worth it.
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@hergreenapples: @Sprite: Ok I better just ask for help at the store then
I don't mind spending more to get a nicer paint.
I don't mind spending more to get a nicer paint.
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