A living room is often the biggest room to paint – and high ceilings or big windows tend to surprise you one way or the other. Here's the simple method.
A typical 25 m² living room with a 2.5 m ceiling has 45–55 m² of wall. With 2 coats at 10 m²/L coverage that's 9–11 L of paint – plan on two 5 L tins.
Wall area = room perimeter × ceiling height. For a 5 × 5 m living room: 20 m × 2.5 m = 50 m² of wall – before subtracting windows and doors.
Subtract big windows (usually 2–4 m² each). A living room often has 1–2 large windows or a patio door.
Total litres = (wall area ÷ coverage) × number of coats. Add 5 % so you have something for touch-ups.
Wall area: 50 m² gross, minus 4 m² patio door and windows = 46 m² net. 46 ÷ 10 × 2 coats = 9.2 L. Buy two 5 L tins – that gives 0.8 L spare for touch-ups.
Enter your room dimensions and ceiling height – the calculator rounds to standard tin sizes.
If you've got the time and the room is empty, it's worth it. A clean ceiling is the first thing the eye picks up.
8–12 m² per litre on a smooth wall. Dark colours cover less and often want a third coat.
Usually no, if the wall is clean and dry. Patches and repairs do need a quick prime.
Measure that wall separately (width × height) and run the litres just for that. Grab a 1 L tester first.
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