How Much Paint Do I Need?

Estimating how much to buy before a project can be straightforward once you know all of the important bits. There are a number of things to consider, including how many coats are required, the coverage and the surface you are decorating. Here's a handy guide which breaks down everything you need to know, so you can accurately calculate how much you will need of your chosen Emperor Paint product.

Preparation

Estimating how much you will need of our preparation products is just as important as our other products. The coverage you will achieve with Emperor Exterior Cleaner and Emperor Exterior Primer can vary slightly depending on the porosity of the surface.

PRODUCT COVERAGE GUIDE

Coverage - m2 per litreNumber of coats required
Emperor Exterior Cleaner4-6m21
Emperor Exterior Primer5-8m21
Emperor Textured Basecoat1.4-2m2 (per kg)1

When estimating how much of our preparation products you will need, there are a few things to bear in mind. Firstly, Emperor Exterior Cleaner is only a requirement on areas showing organic growth and discolouration. This said, we recommend applying it to the full area you intend to decorate to be sure there is no fungal growth on the surface that could cause problems in the future. Furthermore, primer is only required on bare surfaces where you intend to apply Emperor Masonry Paint. The table below is based off applying to a full property. If you have just isolated areas where you are applying the product, use the coverage guide above.

EMPEROR EXTERIOR PRIMER

Approx area m2No. of 10L tubs for the required one-coat
Mid Terrace401
3 Bed Semi902
4 Bed Detached1203

EMPEROR EXTERIOR CLEANER

Approx Area m2No. of 5L tubs for the required one-coat
Mid Terrace401
3 Bed Semi802
4 Bed Detached1203

Emperor Textured Basecoat is a product that is ideal for covering cracks and other imperfections on exterior walls, helping to create a blemish-free surface. Whether you have small isolated areas or you want to create a texture across a full wall, Emperor Textured Basecoat can be used. The below estimations are based on applying the product to a full property, if you wish to apply the product to small, isolated areas simply use the coverage of 1.4-2m2 per kg as a guide. Please note the coverage will vary depending on the level of texture you create - the rougher the texture, the lower the coverage will be.

EMPEROR TEXTURED BASECOAT

Approx area m2No. of 8kg tubs for the required one-coat
Mid Terrace403
3 Bed Semi906
4 Bed Detached1208

Masonry

The important thing to remember when calculating how much paint you will need is that the roughness of the surface will cause a variation in coverage rate. All of the little nooks and crannies on rough, textured surfaces such as pebbledash mean the coverage of Emperor Masonry Paint will be half what you would expect on a smooth surface. If you are applying Emperor Masonry Creme then don't worry about this, it is not impacted by the roughness of the surface it is applied to.

PRODUCT COVERAGE GUIDE

Coverage - m2 per litreNumber of coats required
Emperor Masonry Paint (Smooth surfaces)5-6m22
Emperor Masonry Paint (Rough surfaces)3m22

The tables below have put together by our experts to help give an approximate guide on how much you will need depending on the size of your house. For an exact estimation, we recommend measuring your property and using the coverage guide above to estimate the amount you will need. Remember to subtract roughy 1m2 for any doors and windows from your total square metres for the property.

EMPEROR MASONRY PAINT - SMOOTH SURFACES

Coverage - m2 per litreNo. of 10L tubs for the required two-coats
Mid Terrace402
3 Bed Semi904
4 Bed Detached1205

EMPEROR MASONRY PAINT - ROUGH SURFACES

Coverage - m2 per litreNo. of 10L tubs for the required two-coats
Mid Terrace404
3 Bed Semi909
4 Bed Detached12012

EMPEROR MASONRY CREME

Coverage - m2 per litreNo. of 10L tubs for the required one-coat
Mid Terrace401
3 Bed Semi902 + 1x5L
4 Bed Detached1203

Wood

Calculating how much Emperor Wood Waterproofer for you will need to treat exterior wood is a simple process. The general coverage rate you can expect will remain the same, you may find the coverage rate is slightly reduced in some circumstances if treating highly porous wood.

PRODUCT COVERAGE GUIDE

Coverage - m2 per litreNumber of coats required
Emperor Wood Waterproofer5m21

We're here to help


Our dedicated team are on hand to help you no matter what the problem is.

You can get in touch with us by emailing info@emperorpaint.co.uk, calling 0161 509 9009 
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