Quality paint ensures high coverage rate, durability and lasts longer while looking good.
When taking a painting project, there are few paint requirements you need to put into consideration.
Surface area (this should exclude windows, ceiling and doors).
Paint spreading rate (check paint label strip for this).
Number of coats required.
When painting the interior or exterior of a room, a basic rule of thumb will be to first of all calculate the surface area of each wall and add them together. Firstly, with the aid of paint calculator, calculate the length of the wall and then the width and multiply them both. Say the each wall is 5 metres in width and 3.5 metres high, leave out 0.5 metre for each wall (this makes up the window and door) which translates to each wall being 4.5 metres of paintable surface. Now (4 walls × 4.5) × 3.5= 63 square metres.
You can find every information on the paint spreading rate on the product label. This is pivotal when trying to figure out how much paint you need for your painting project. For example a paint has a spreading rate of 11 square metres per litre, in order to answer the 'how much do I need?' question you have to divide the total surface area by the spreading rates and multiply by the number of coats to be painted. So 63 square metres ÷11=5.7 × 2 coats = 11.5 litres of paint is required for the room or you could use a paint calculator to do the math.
Number of coats will vary depending on quality of paint, colour chosen, and porosity of substrate. A general rule will be to check if the interior walls have been previously painted or a dry wall. A dry wall will require a primer and two coats of paint. And if repainting a wall, one coat of paint is required if it's a quality paint or two coats to be on the safe side. Same applies to the exterior.
A master bedroom is typically 12×12 ft is 10 feet in height. For repainting you will require 4 litres of good quality paint and for a fresh wall that hasn't been previously painted you will require one coat of primer two coats of paints making 7 litres of paint needed to paint a 12×12 ft room plus ceiling.
Paints come in different ranges and applications, a high gloss paint finish differs in terms of sheen level compared to satin paints.
These paints are more frequent in a painting project due to their ease of use. Often water based paints dry quickly, are easy to cleanup with water, have a stable hue and are best for exterior painting projects. It works well on almost any surface and doesn't fade or yellow with exposure to sunlight.
In cases where water based paints are not used the oil based paints are an alternative. It offers high durability, and great finish. Oil paints cannot be washed with water.
High gloss, semi gloss, eggshell, satin, and matte paint finishes are all terms associated with paint sheen level. Firstly, you should understand that the higher the sheen, the higher the durability.
High gloss are more light reflective and the shiniest of the paint finishes.
This is great for rooms susceptible to moisture, grease and drips. Your bathroom and trims are best for this paint finish.
Durable and ideal for bedrooms and hallways.
Like the name implies, it has no shine and great for covering up wall imperfections. Great for dining rooms.
The least of the sheen levels, with medium low durability. Great for places with less disturbance to the walls.
To estimate the number of square metres 5 litres of paint will paint you will need to first all calculate the total surface area of the room, divide it by the paint spreading rate and then multiply by the number of coats you wish to paint Let's say a room is 4 metres in width and 3.5 metres high (4 walls × 4)=16 × 3.5 = 56 square metres of paintable surface. Now the paint spreading rate is 11 square meters and you are required to paint two coats of paint after the primer. By using the paint calculator you can easily find out how much paint you need, or you you could follow the equation below, 56÷11= 5.1 × number of coats being 2 = 10.2 litres of paint to paint two coats on a 56 square metres of paintable surface. So, 5 litres of paint will cover approximately 28 square meters of paintable surface in two coats for your next project.
Before initiating a paint project it is important to first of all use a sanding paper with good abrasives to sand walls and rid then of dry wall plaques and rough edges, giving your paint job a smooth and fine finish look.
Instead of moving furniture out of the room which usually takes time, seal them with plastic bags and tape them to the bottom to avoid paint spills and splatters. This saves you time and no harm is done on the furnitures.
It is quite easy to buy the cheapest paints and paint brushes for your next painting project but is it really worth it? Quality paint ensures high coverage rate and durability. A cheap paintbrush makes your job look unprofessional - a quality 2 1/2-in.- wide sash brush with a wide angle is a great investment for an all round paint brush.