How much paint for a 12 × 12 room?

A 12 × 12 room is typical for

Standard bedroom, dining room, small living room. With 8-ft ceilings, the walls total about 333 sq ft after subtracting 1 door and 2 windows, so a standard two-coat repaint needs roughly 1 gallon + 3 quarts of quality interior paint.

How the 12 × 12 room paint math works

Wall area is perimeter × ceiling height: (2 × 12 + 2 × 12) = 48 ft of perimeter, times a 8-ft ceiling, equals 384 sq ft of gross wall. We subtract 21 sq ft per door and 15 sq ft per window, which leaves about 333 sq ft of paintable wall. Multiply by the number of coats, divide by a coverage rate of ~388 sq ft per gallon, and round up to the nearest quart — that's the number you take to the store.

Paint needed by coats

Two coats is the right default for almost every repaint. Use one coat only for a same-color refresh, and three for dark-over-light changes or vivid reds and yellows that can't hide in two. The ceiling adds 144 sq ft (length × width) when you choose to paint it.

What it costs to paint a 12 × 12 room

Doing it yourself, the paint for two coats runs about $70–$123 (roughly 1.75 gal at $40–$70 a gallon), plus $50–$100 in supplies — rollers, brushes, tape, trays, and a drop cloth. That's your whole cost if you bring the labor.

Hiring a painter changes the math: most pros charge $2–$5 per square foot of floor area, so a 144 sq ft 12 × 12 room lands around $288–$720. Labor is 75–95% of an interior bill because prep, cutting in, and cleanup eat the hours. For a full paint-plus-labor breakdown, use the paint cost calculator.

Paint cost by brand

Coverage is similar (about 350–400 sq ft per gallon) across the major interior lines, so the price tier is what moves your bill. These are current per-gallon prices for the brands the calculator can price for you — pick one in the result panel above and it multiplies your gallons for this room into an exact paint cost:

Does ceiling height change the answer?

Ceiling height is a direct multiplier on wall area, so it matters more than people expect. This page assumes 8-ft ceilings. Bumping a 12 × 12 room from 8-ft to 9-ft ceilings adds about 48 sq ft of wall — often a full extra quart over two coats. If your ceilings are taller, or you have a vaulted or cathedral run, change the ceiling input above and the estimate updates instantly.

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