Stop Guessing! The Foolproof Guide to Figuring Out Your Paint Requirements

You’ve finally decided on the perfect shade of Dulux paint for your living room. You’re excited. You go to the local paint shop, and the shopkeeper asks the dreaded question: "Kitna litre dun?" (How many litres should I give you?)

Suddenly, you freeze.

I see this happen all the time. I literally have clients texting me in a panic asking, "Eden, exactly how muchpaint do i need for a standard bedroom?"

If you guess and buy too little, you end up making frustrating back-and-forth trips to the hardware store right in the middle of your project. If you buy too much, you end up with heavy cans sitting in your balcony or storeroom for years. (Sure, they are good for touch-ups, but let's not waste money, right?)

No more guesswork. If you want to know how to calculate paint quantity without needing a math degree, just follow these three incredibly simple steps.

Step 1: Grab a Tape and Measure

First things first. You need to know the surface area of your walls. Measure the width and the height of the wall you want to paint. Multiply them together.

• Example: If your wall is 4 meters wide and 3 meters high, your total surface area is 12 square meters.

Got 4 walls? Do this for all of them and add the numbers up.

Step 2: Subtract the "Empty" Spaces

This is the step everyone forgets! You aren't going to paint over your windows and doors, so why pay for that paint? Measure your doors and windows, calculate their square meter area just like you did for the walls, and subtract that number from your total wall area.

Now you have your actual paintable area.

Step 3: Factor in the Coats

Here is a golden rule in interior design: you almost always need two coats of paint for a flawless, rich finish.

So, take your final paintable area from Step 2 and multiply it by 2. Now, simply check the back of your Dulux paint can (or the product page online). It will tell you the "coverage" rate—usually around 10 to 12 square meters per litre. Divide your total number by the coverage rate, and boom! You have the exact number of litres you need.

Still Sounds Like Too Much Work?

I get it. Sometimes you just want an expert to look at your space and handle the technical stuff.

If you are planning a makeover and want to skip the math entirely, you don't have to do it alone. You can actually book a free consultation with our experts at Dulux. We sit down with you, help you pick the perfect shade, figure out the right finish, and calculate exactly what you need for your space.

It really is that simple. Happy decorating!