Door paint calculator
A typical interior door is 21 sq ft per face, 42 sq ft both sides, and panel doors run ~30% higher because of the panel reveal. One quart usually covers four interior doors. Use semi-gloss for cleanability and durability. The calculator returns the amount you need plus a real per-gallon price for any of 15 brands, so you see the paint cost before you shop. For the full paint-plus-labor total, use thecost calculator.
How much paint per door
A standard 30-by-80-inch door is about 21 square feet per face. The calculator starts from a per-face area for your door type, doubles it if you paint both sides, adds about 25 percent for the jamb if you include it, then multiplies by coats and divides by your paint's coverage. These are the per-face areas it uses:
- Flush slab interior: about 21 sq ft per face. One quart paints roughly six doors at two coats.
- Six-panel or shaker: about 28 sq ft per face since panel reveals add area, roughly four doors per quart.
- Exterior front door: about 25 sq ft per face, and often only the outside needs paint.
- French door: about 18 sq ft per face because the glass lights subtract area, but expect more brushwork.
- Garage, barn, or utility: about 21 sq ft per face, usually painted both sides.
Why semi-gloss for doors
Doors are touch points. They get fingerprints, scuffs, kicks, and pet scratches. Semi-gloss wipes clean and resists wear, while flat or eggshell on a door looks tired in two years. The one common exception is a barn-style sliding door painted as a feature wall, which can match the wall finish in satin or eggshell. On steel and fiberglass exterior doors, prime with a bonding primer first or the topcoat will scratch off the factory finish within a season.
Pull the door, lay it flat
Painting a hung door invites drips and visible brush marks on the panel reveals. Pull the door off its hinges, lay it flat across two sawhorses, and roll-and-tip with a foam roller or spray it. On a panel door, paint the recessed panels first, then the rails and stiles, so you can catch any runs before they set. You can usually rehang the door the same day.
Paint cost by brand
Door and trim enamels go on a little thicker than wall paint, so coverage is a touch lower — plan for about 350 to 425 sq ft per gallon. A door job is small, though: a single quart covers four to six interior doors, so the per-gallon price below matters less than buying the right size. These are current per-gallon prices for the door enamels the calculator can price:
| Brand & line | Price / gal | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Backdrop Trim, Door & Cabinet | ~$59/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Marquee | ~$52/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Dynasty | ~$65/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Ultra | ~$45/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Premium Plus | ~$33/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Cabinet & Trim Enamel | ~$50/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore Aura | ~$80/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore Regal Select | ~$64/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore ADVANCE | ~$88/gal | 425 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore Ben | ~$45/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec 500 | ~$40/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| C2 Paint LUXE | ~$82/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| C2 Paint Cabinet & Trim | ~$80/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Clare Trim & Door | ~$54/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Diamond Vogel Avalon | ~$48/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Dunn-Edwards Everest | ~$67/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Dunn-Edwards Aristoshield | ~$88/gal | 425 sq ft/gal |
| Dutch Boy Platinum Plus | ~$38/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Dutch Boy Pristine | ~$46/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Farrow & Ball Dead Flat | ~$130/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell | ~$140/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Glidden Diamond | ~$37/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Glidden Premium | ~$22/gal | 350 sq ft/gal |
| HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Infinity | ~$46/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| INSL-X Cabinet Coat | ~$55/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Kompozit ONE | ~$40/gal | 388 sq ft/gal |
| Kompozit PRO | ~$52/gal | 388 sq ft/gal |
| Kompozit NEO | ~$65/gal | 425 sq ft/gal |
| Magnolia Home Interior | ~$50/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Magnolia Home Trim, Door & Cabinet | ~$55/gal | 350 sq ft/gal |
| Portola Paints New Standard | ~$80/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| PPG Timeless | ~$45/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| PPG Manor Hall | ~$55/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| PPG Break-Through | ~$65/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Rodda Horizon Interior | ~$52/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Rodda RESIST-X | ~$58/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald | ~$74/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams Duration Home | ~$70/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams Cashmere | ~$60/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint | ~$60/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel | ~$95/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams ProClassic | ~$80/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Valspar Reserve | ~$52/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Valspar Signature | ~$40/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
Pick a brand and line in the result panel for an exact paint cost; most door jobs only need a quart or two, so buying the right size matters more than the per-gallon price.
What it costs to paint a door
Doing it yourself is cheap. A single door costs about $15 to $40 in paint and supplies, and because one quart covers four to six interior doors, a whole-house door refresh is often just $40 to $100 in materials plus a foam roller and a quart or two of enamel.
Hiring a pro is mostly labor — usually 50 to 70 percent of the bill. Expect about $75 to $150 per interior door and frame, and up to $200 to $300 for a detailed or exterior door that needs bonding primer and extra prep. A steel or fiberglass exterior door costs more because the factory finish has to be sanded and primed first. For a full labor-plus-paint estimate, use thepaint cost calculator.