Cost to Paint a 12 × 14 room

Gallons and cost for a 12 × 14 room living room, two coats on the walls.

Paint for two coats

3 gal

Wall area
468 sq ft
Less 45 sq ft of openings
423 sq ft
Painted area, two coats
846 sq ft
Cans to buy
2.42 gal → 3 cans
Paint cost
$135.00
With a painter
$1,086.75
Walls and ceiling
3.38 gal → 4 cans

At 350 sq ft per gallon and $45 a gallon. Cans round up.

Different ceiling height, more windows, three coats → open the full paint calculator

Walls only versus walls and ceiling

ScopeAreaGallonsCansPaint cost
Walls only423 sq ft2.423$135.00
Walls and ceiling591 sq ft3.384$180.00

What this assumes

room           12 ft × 14 ft
ceiling        9 ft
openings       45 sq ft (one window, one door)
coats          2
coverage       350 sq ft per gallon
paint          $45 per gallon
labor          $2.25 per sq ft

wall area      468 sq ft
net            423 sq ft

Coverage drops on rough, porous or bare surfaces — 275 square feet per gallon on wood, 200 on brick, 175 on stucco. Going light over a dark color often needs a third coat regardless of how good the paint is.

Other room sizes

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to paint a 12 × 14 room?

In paint alone, about $135.00 — 3 gallons for two coats at $45 a gallon. With a painter, expect roughly $1,086.75 for the walls, since labor is the large majority of any painting quote. Prep, patching and trim add to that.

How much paint does a 12 × 14 room need?

About 2.42 gallons for two coats on the walls, so you buy 3. That comes from 468 square feet of wall, less 45 square feet for a window and a door, at 350 square feet per gallon.

What if I paint the ceiling too?

Adding the 168 square foot ceiling takes it to 3.38 gallons, so 4 cans. Ceilings are usually a different paint — flat white — so that is normally a separate can rather than more of the wall color.

Estimates only. Painting quotes move with surface condition, color change, trim and access, and are not comparable between contractors without a written scope.