How much paint do I need for a 14×16 room?

Data checked October 2026

Short answer

A 14 × 16 ft room with 8-ft walls has 393 sq ft of wall to paint — 2.25 gallons for two coats, so buy 2 gal + 1 qt (about $138).

Wall area: 60 ft of perimeter × 8 ft = 480 sq ft, minus 2 doors (21 sq ft each) and 3 windows (15 sq ft each) = 393 sq ft.
Paint: 393 × 2 coats ÷ 350 sq ft/gal = 2.25 gal → 2 gal + 1 qt, the cheapest can mix at typical prices.
Ceiling too: 224 sq ft × 2 coats needs another 1.28 gal (1 gal + 2 qt).
Trim: 54 ft of 6-in baseboard plus door and window casing is 48 sq ft — 2 qt of semi-gloss covers two coats.
Brand calculators: Sherwin-Williams' says 2 gal (400 sq ft/gal); Benjamin Moore's says 2 gal + 2 qt (350 sq ft/gal).
Supplies (roller kit, covers, brush, tape, drop cloth) add about $75.16.

Adjust it to your exact job

Room size

Rooms

Same wall height and paint in every room.

Length

= 14' · 4.27 m

Width

= 16' · 4.88 m

Wall heightfloor to ceiling

= 8' · 2.44 m

Doors & windows

Doors

Windows

What are you painting?

Walls

Ceiling

Trim (baseboards & casings)

Trim area comes off the wall area so it isn't counted twice.

Situation & coats

What's on the walls now?

Two coats is the norm (Sherwin-Williams, Valspar Signature). Benjamin Moore and Valspar Reserve list 1 or 2 coats for a same-color refresh in a premium line.

Topcoats

Primer

Deep or bright color

Reds, yellows, navy: adds a coat unless you prime.

Paint

Wall paint

350 sq ft per gallon per coat — the low end of Sherwin-Williams' and Benjamin Moore's ranges, and the figure Benjamin Moore's calculator uses. Label: 2 coats.

Plan with coverage

sq ft/gal

Per coat. We plan at the low end of the label range so you don't run short.

Buy for the walls

2 gal + 1 qt

2.25 gal for 393 sq ft × 2 coats at 350 sq ft/gal · $138

Wall area to paint: 393sq ft480 sq ft minus 87 sq ft of openings
Ceiling: 224sq ftnot included
All paint & primer: 2.25galwalls
Paint + supplies: $213$138 paint · $75.16 supplies

What to buy for each surface
Surface	Area (sq ft)	Coats	Need	Buy	Cost
WallsTypical latex wall paint · 350 sq ft/gal	393	2	2.25 gal	2 gal + 1 qt	$138

Quarts, gallons or a pail?

Ways to buy 2.25 gal of walls paint
Option	Cans	Leftover	Cost
Cheapest mix	2 gal + 1 qt	0 gal	$138
Gallons only	3 gal	0.75 gal	$173

Why brand calculators disagree

Sherwin-Williams' calculator (400 sq ft/gal, 21 sq ft per door, 15 per window) says 2 gal for 2 coats; Benjamin Moore's (350 sq ft/gal, always 2 coats, 12 sq ft per window) says 2 gal + 2 qt. We use your product's own label rate and your actual door and window sizes.

Shopping list

2 cans Typical latex wall paint — 1-gal can (walls)$115
1 can Typical latex wall paint — 1-qt can (walls)$23.04
1 packs 9 in roller covers, 3-pack, 3/8 in napa fresh cover for each product or color$6.43
1 kit Roller frame & tray kit$21.94
1 brush 2½ in angled sash brushfor cutting in$13.94
1 rolls Painter's tape, 1.88 in × 60 yd (ScotchBlue 2090)136 ft of baseboard and casing to mask$7.88
1 cloths Canvas drop cloth, 9 × 12 ftone per room, moved along the walls$24.97
1 set Lightweight spackle & sanding spongepatch nail holes and dents first

Estimated total$213

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

Typical latex wall paint, 1-gal can (walls)
2 cans × $typical price — no verified listing
$115
Typical latex wall paint, 1-qt can (walls)
1 can × $estimated quart price (40% of the gallon)
$23.04
9 in roller covers, 3-pack, 3/8 in nap
1 packs × $
$6.43
Roller frame & tray kit
1 kit × $
$21.94
2½ in angled sash brush
1 brush × $
$13.94
Painter's tape, 1.88 in × 60 yd (ScotchBlue 2090)
1 rolls × $
$7.88
Canvas drop cloth, 9 × 12 ft
1 cloths × $
$24.97

Materials total$213

Online prices checked October 23, 2026 (Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Walmart). Tap any price to enter your store's.

Did this answer your question?

Compare

Paint for a 14×16 room by plan (typical 350 sq ft/gal paint)

Plan	Gallons	Buy	Paint cost
Walls, 1 coat (same-color refresh)	1.12	1 gal + 1 qt walls	$80.63
Walls, 2 coats	2.25	2 gal + 1 qt walls	$138
Walls + ceiling, 2 coats	3.53	2 gal + 1 qt walls + 1 gal + 2 qt ceiling	$242
Walls + ceiling + trim	3.53	2 gal walls + 1 gal + 2 qt ceiling + 2 qt trim	$265
New drywall: primer + 2 coats	3.56	2 gal + 1 qt walls + 1 gal + 2 qt primer	$182
Deep color, no primer (3 coats)	3.37	3 gal + 2 qt walls	$219

How this was worked out

14×16 is primary-bedroom or family-room territory. With three windows the openings remove about 87 sq ft of wall.

The full method, material data and tips are on the main paint calculator page.

Similar jobs

Other sizes people check

Sources

Data behind this answer

Sherwin-Williams Paint Calculator (help text and AjaxPaintCalculator responses) — results are per coat at 400 (interior), 350 (exterior) and 250 (deck) sq ft/gal; 3×7 ft doors and 3×5 ft windows; trim area = LF × height subtracted from the wall; railings × 0.6, or × 2.0 with spindles; gables = width × peak ÷ 2 · checked October 2026
Benjamin Moore Paint Calculator (calculator code) — walls only, 350 sq ft/gal × 2 coats, 21 sq ft doors and 12 sq ft windows, gallons + quarts · checked October 2026
Sherwin-Williams Emerald Interior — PDS 101.08MAB — 350–400 sq ft/gal at 4 mils wet; drywall: self-prime with 2 coats or primer + 2 coats; drastic color change: prime · checked October 2026
Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint Interior — PDS 101.02A — 350–400 sq ft/gal; primer + 2 coats on new surfaces · checked October 2026
Sherwin-Williams Duration Home Interior — PDS — 350–400 sq ft/gal · checked October 2026
Benjamin Moore Regal Select — TDS N549 — 400–450 sq ft/gal; $84.99/gal online · checked October 2026
Benjamin Moore ben — TDS N626 — 400–450 sq ft/gal, self-priming · checked October 2026
Behr Ultra Scuff Defense Interior — product label (Home Depot-hosted PDF, rev. 09/20) — 250–400 sq ft/gal; tinted primer coat for drastic color changes · checked October 2026
Valspar Signature, Ultra & Reserve interior — product pages — Signature 200–400, Ultra 300–400, Reserve 400 sq ft/gal; fully loaded roller ≈ 9 sq ft · checked October 2026
Glidden Fundamentals & High Endurance Plus — Walmart.com listings — gallon, quart and 5-gal prices, Oct 23 2026 · checked October 2026
Clark+Kensington interior & exterior — Ace Hardware listings — interior 400–450, exterior 350–450 sq ft/gal; satin $42.99/gal, $20.99/qt, $219.99/5 gal (search snapshot Oct 2026) · checked October 2026
KILZ 2 All-Purpose Primer — Walmart.com listing — 300–400 sq ft/gal; $9.97 qt, $23.97 gal, $65 3.5 gal, $94 5 gal · checked October 2026
Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 — TDS (rev. 02/07/2025) — 400–450 sq ft/gal; practical 450 non-porous / 350 porous (assumes 15% loss) · checked October 2026
Sherwin-Williams Premium Wall & Wood Primer — PDS 108.38 — 400 sq ft/gal at 4 mils wet · checked October 2026
Sherwin-Williams online prices (homeowner product pages) — quart, gallon and 5-gal guest prices, Oct 23 2026; 5-gal pails ≈1% cheaper per gallon · checked October 2026
Painting supplies — Walmart.com listings — ScotchBlue 60 yd $7.88; 9×12 canvas drop cloth $24.97; 3-pack roller covers $6.43; tray kit $21.94; 2½ in sash brush $13.94 · checked October 2026
US EPA — Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program — about three-quarters of US homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint · checked October 2026

Short answer

A 14 × 16 ft room with 8-ft walls has 393 sq ft of wall to paint — 2.25 gallons for two coats, so buy 2 gal + 1 qt (about $138).

Wall area: 60 ft of perimeter × 8 ft = 480 sq ft, minus 2 doors (21 sq ft each) and 3 windows (15 sq ft each) = 393 sq ft.

Paint: 393 × 2 coats ÷ 350 sq ft/gal = 2.25 gal → 2 gal + 1 qt, the cheapest can mix at typical prices.

Ceiling too: 224 sq ft × 2 coats needs another 1.28 gal (1 gal + 2 qt).

Trim: 54 ft of 6-in baseboard plus door and window casing is 48 sq ft — 2 qt of semi-gloss covers two coats.

Brand calculators: Sherwin-Williams' says 2 gal (400 sq ft/gal); Benjamin Moore's says 2 gal + 2 qt (350 sq ft/gal).

Supplies (roller kit, covers, brush, tape, drop cloth) add about $75.16.

Adjust it to your exact job

Room size

Rooms

Same wall height and paint in every room.

Length

= 14' · 4.27 m

Width

= 16' · 4.88 m

Wall heightfloor to ceiling

= 8' · 2.44 m

Doors & windows

Doors

Windows

What are you painting?

Walls

Ceiling

Trim (baseboards & casings)

Trim area comes off the wall area so it isn't counted twice.

Situation & coats

What's on the walls now?

Two coats is the norm (Sherwin-Williams, Valspar Signature). Benjamin Moore and Valspar Reserve list 1 or 2 coats for a same-color refresh in a premium line.

Topcoats

Primer

Deep or bright color

Reds, yellows, navy: adds a coat unless you prime.

Paint

Wall paint

350 sq ft per gallon per coat — the low end of Sherwin-Williams' and Benjamin Moore's ranges, and the figure Benjamin Moore's calculator uses. Label: 2 coats.

Plan with coverage

sq ft/gal

Per coat. We plan at the low end of the label range so you don't run short.

Buy for the walls

2 gal + 1 qt

2.25 gal for 393 sq ft × 2 coats at 350 sq ft/gal · $138

Wall area to paint: 393sq ft480 sq ft minus 87 sq ft of openings
Ceiling: 224sq ftnot included
All paint & primer: 2.25galwalls
Paint + supplies: $213$138 paint · $75.16 supplies

What to buy for each surface
Surface	Area (sq ft)	Coats	Need	Buy	Cost
WallsTypical latex wall paint · 350 sq ft/gal	393	2	2.25 gal	2 gal + 1 qt	$138

Quarts, gallons or a pail?

Ways to buy 2.25 gal of walls paint
Option	Cans	Leftover	Cost
Cheapest mix	2 gal + 1 qt	0 gal	$138
Gallons only	3 gal	0.75 gal	$173

Why brand calculators disagree

Shopping list

2 cans Typical latex wall paint — 1-gal can (walls)$115
1 can Typical latex wall paint — 1-qt can (walls)$23.04
1 packs 9 in roller covers, 3-pack, 3/8 in napa fresh cover for each product or color$6.43
1 kit Roller frame & tray kit$21.94
1 brush 2½ in angled sash brushfor cutting in$13.94
1 rolls Painter's tape, 1.88 in × 60 yd (ScotchBlue 2090)136 ft of baseboard and casing to mask$7.88
1 cloths Canvas drop cloth, 9 × 12 ftone per room, moved along the walls$24.97
1 set Lightweight spackle & sanding spongepatch nail holes and dents first

Estimated total$213

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

Typical latex wall paint, 1-gal can (walls)
2 cans × $typical price — no verified listing
$115
Typical latex wall paint, 1-qt can (walls)
1 can × $estimated quart price (40% of the gallon)
$23.04
9 in roller covers, 3-pack, 3/8 in nap
1 packs × $
$6.43
Roller frame & tray kit
1 kit × $
$21.94
2½ in angled sash brush
1 brush × $
$13.94
Painter's tape, 1.88 in × 60 yd (ScotchBlue 2090)
1 rolls × $
$7.88
Canvas drop cloth, 9 × 12 ft
1 cloths × $
$24.97

Materials total$213

Online prices checked October 23, 2026 (Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Walmart). Tap any price to enter your store's.

Plan

Gallons

Buy

Paint cost

Walls, 1 coat (same-color refresh)

1.12

1 gal + 1 qt walls

$80.63

Walls, 2 coats

2.25

2 gal + 1 qt walls

$138

Walls + ceiling, 2 coats

3.53

2 gal + 1 qt walls + 1 gal + 2 qt ceiling

$242

Walls + ceiling + trim

3.53

2 gal walls + 1 gal + 2 qt ceiling + 2 qt trim

$265

New drywall: primer + 2 coats

3.56

2 gal + 1 qt walls + 1 gal + 2 qt primer

$182

Deep color, no primer (3 coats)

3.37

3 gal + 2 qt walls

$219