Paint Calculator
Litres of paint and cost for walls, by coat.
Estimate how many litres of paint a job needs and what it costs, from the wall area and number of coats, using SA painting benchmark rates.
- Paint required17.1 L60 m² × 2 coats ÷ 7 m²/L
- Buy (round up)in 5 L units20 L
- Estimated applied costR 50/m² for 2 coatsR 3 000
Assumes ~7 m²/litre/coat spreading rate (typical for emulsion on plaster). Applied-cost rate from NNAQS benchmark data (labour + material, 2 coats).
Questions
- How much wall does a litre of paint cover?
- About 6–8 m² per litre per coat on smooth plastered walls. Rough or porous surfaces and first coats on new plaster use more — allow the lower end.
- How many coats do I need?
- Two coats is standard over an existing painted surface. New plaster usually needs a primer/undercoat plus two topcoats — set coats to 3 for that case.
- Does the cost include labour?
- The applied-cost figure covers labour and material for a two-coat system. Surface preparation, filling, and priming bare substrates are additional.
Compiled by Setout. Figures are planning-stage estimates, not quotes.