Whether you’re renovating your home, sprucing up your interior, or simply giving your door a fresh look, painting can be a transformative and rewarding project.
However, one of the most common questions that arise when embarking on such a task is, “How much paint do I need?” Usually, a quart of paint is more than enough for one primed exterior door.
You should generally plan for at least two coats of paint per side and two sides per door, plus extra for the edges and door frame.
For a standard interior door, 1 quart should suffice; a more comprehensive or taller door may require 2 quarts.
An average door measures approximately 20 square feet, while one gallon of paint covers around 350 square feet.
Interior doors that are paintable come pre-primed most of the time. A bare wooden door is most likely meant to be stained and coated.
Rather than paint wood veneer and clear pine doors, stain, and clear coat them, not paint them. Ideally, you should prime these doors with two coats of interior primer before painting them.
How Much Paint Should I Get For Doors And Trim?
According to the short answer: it depends on the size and number of windows and doors in your room.
For example, let’s say you are painting a 100-square-foot room (10 feet by 10 feet).
A typical door (excluding the trim) measures about ten square feet. About four square feet of the room is covered by three-inch high baseboards covering about 40 feet. Three to five inches is the usual height of baseboards.
In general, the door trim is about 15 square feet in size, and the window trim is about five square feet in size. For all the trim, this adds up to 30 square feet.
Door area: 20 square feet
Baseboards, trim, and 30 square feet
Adding 20 and 30 will give you 50 square feet
Your average 10X10 room will require 50 square feet for doors and trim.
It covers approximately 400 square feet with one gallon of paint. If you would like a more accurate estimate, check the paint can.
In small rooms of 10 by 10 feet, one quart will cover about 100 square feet, more than enough to paint the doors and trim in one coat.
In other words, two coats of paint will cover 100 square feet. Therefore, you’ll need all of the quarts.
If spills happen or incorrect measurements are made, ordering an extra gallon is a good idea. As a result, if you run out of paint, you won’t have to go to the store.
In addition, if you don’t utilize all the extra, you can store it away and use it for future maintenance. You can often get better rates on paint if you buy by the gallon rather than multiple quarts.
Primer helps you save money on paint and get a better finish. Today’s paints can do double duty as paint and primer. As a result, your job is more manageable.
It’s possible that your walls will be dry without primer. Consequently, you’ll need a bit more paint to complete your project because they’ll absorb paint more readily.
Your walls will not be as dry if you skim-coat them first. An article about how to skim-coat a wall can be found here. This is commonly used to smooth out rough textures. If you use a roller, it will be easier for you.
Note: You won’t have to paint baseboards wherever there’s a door. Is that something to take into account when taking measurements?
Basically, no. The baseboards need so little paint that trimming is not affected. There is also the possibility that you might need to adjust your measurements if you have multiple doors. As far as everything else is concerned, it’s not that important.
Nevertheless, you must consider the location of doors when painting walls. Nonetheless, that is beyond the scope of this article. Don’t buy too much paint, or you’ll waste your money.
Other Factors To Consider When Determining How Much Paint You Need For Your Door
This will be influenced by factors such as the size and number of coats you may need. Look at this list of things to know before visiting the paint store.
The Type Of Door
It depends on what type of door you are painting and how much paint you need.
To protect exterior doors against the elements, they are usually painted with exterior door paint, while interior doors are typically painted with interior door paint to prevent chips and cracks.
The exterior and interior paint types include water-based, oil-based, and latex-based products. It is recommended that paint based on latex be used on both interior and exterior doors. It has a longer lifespan and is more environmentally friendly.
However, using something other than latex paint may sometimes be more suitable. Water-based paint is better for metal doors and wooden doors, like cedar and cypress doors, which bleed easily. Oil-based paint is better for fiberglass doors.
Your Painting Method
Paint won’t be absorbed as much if you paint it with a brush instead of a roller. Although this is not recommended, it is possible. Ideally, you should paint the door trim and cut in the door with a brush and then paint the whole door with a roller.
Painting with rollers has the disadvantage of absorbing a lot of paint, so remember when you’re painting. You can use a paint tray along with your paint roller to prevent wasting paint and evenly cover your surface.
Ensure that your brushes and rollers are covered in plastic wrap between coats to prevent paint from damaging. Washing them will result in wasted paint and letting it dry will result in having to replace the brush or roller.
Prepping The Door
As well, if you prepare the doors well before painting, you won’t need to use them as much. You’ll need to sand and scrape off any peeling sections to refinish old doors.
To begin with, use 120-grit sandpaper, then move up to 220-grit sandpaper. You should sand down the old paint as much as possible if you want to leave a smooth surface.
To smooth the surface, finish the sanding job with 320-grit sandpaper. Ensure any cracks are fixed before sanding, wear safety glasses and a mask, and do not breathe dust or get it in your eyes. Do not sand in cracks with caulk.
The Type Of Paint You Are Using
It might not seem important, but the type of paint you use when painting your door has a significant impact. Many exterior and interior paints are available in different finishes, including flat, satin, eggshell, semi-gloss, and high-gloss.
Choosing a semi-gloss or high-gloss finish is better since it is chip and crack-resistant and helps hide imperfections. People who prefer a matte finish don’t like glossy surfaces.
Avoid being flattered like an eggshell. It is more likely for satin and flat floors to scratch, chip, and stain. Furthermore, they are harder to clean and tend to get dirty more quickly.
Using semi-gloss or high-gloss paint provides better coverage, which in turn means you’ll need to use less paint.
Primer
Whether to buy paint with primer included or prime the door separately should also be considered. This primer covers a much smaller area than regular paint, only 300 square feet. Walls absorb some primers due to their absorbency.
To determine how much primer you need for the doors, follow the steps above to use your measurements. If you want to divide the square footage of your door by 300 instead of 350, then divide it by 300.
There is no need to use a primer every time. Primer may not be necessary if you are changing from light to dark colors.
Paint with primer or prime the door before applying paint is almost always a good idea.
Primer makes it easier to cover surfaces with fewer coats of paint because it improves coverage. Furthermore, it increases the longevity of the paint.
Coats
The amount of paint you should buy will depend on how many coats of paint you need.
Here are a few things you need to know about primer. The next step will be to paint two coats of paint after priming the darker-colored door and then painting it light.
For example, using more paint when painting a dark green door white than when painting a dark green, white door will be necessary.
Using a dark-colored door without priming before painting a lighter color might require five coats to get good coverage.
It should take no more than two coats to refresh your paint. If you want to be sure that you are covered, make sure to always buy a second gallon.
How Much Does A Quart Of Paint Cover?
It covers approximately 100 square feet with a quart of paint. An average gallon of paint will generally tell you how many square feet it covers.
When divided by four, a quart of paint will cover approximately four square feet. Remember that it will take two coats to determine how much paint you should purchase.
How Much Paint Do I Need For Baseboards?
To determine how much paint you will need, you’ll need to measure the square footage of your baseboards.
Due to the fact that baseboards do not add up to many square feet, they usually don’t need much paint.
There are less than 10 square feet of baseboards in a room that is 10 x 10. Approximately 400 square feet of paint are covered by a gallon of paint.
Is 750ml Enough To Paint A Door?
A 20-square-foot door requires about 400 mL to paint two coats. Using no primer on the door will make painting it more difficult.
Will A Quart Of Paint Cover A Door?
The quantity of paint needed to cover a door is more than enough. Two coats of paint covering a 20-square-foot door require little more than half a quart. There is a direct correlation between the amount of paint and the lack of primer.
How Much Trim Does A Gallon Of Paint Cover?
There are about 400 square feet of trim that can be painted with one gallon of paint. Check the label on your paint can to ensure that it covers as much as it claims. Each room has a different measurement, so you must take measures.
The following are some questions you should consider. Which are your most common doors? Is there several windows in your house?
As you install more doors and windows, you’ll need more trim. You should also check the ceiling and baseboards to see if they are trimmed.
How Much Paint Do I Need For An Interior Door?
In general, interior doors are about 20 square feet in size. You will need approximately 200 milliliters of paint for a 20-square-foot door.
How Many Doors Can 1 Gallon Of Paint Cover?
The average door measures 20 square feet, while most gallons of paint cover about 400 square feet. Using one gallon of paint as an example, 20 doors can be painted with one gallon.
Final Words
Whenever you determine how much paint you need for your door, keep the following factors in mind, and always order extra to be on the safe side. The last thing you want to do is have to stop your project in the middle of the painting.
