Just read that a gallon of paint covers way less than I thought

I was looking at a can of Behr paint in the store and the label said it covers 400 square feet. My living room walls are about 450 square feet, so I would have needed more than one can for a single coat. Has anyone else had to buy extra paint for a room they thought would be fine?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_drew7d ago

Yeah, I read somewhere that the coverage numbers are for a perfect, smooth surface. Real walls always soak up more!

garcia.cameron6d ago

Totally, that "perfect smooth surface" thing explains my last paint job. I had the math down perfect, but my walls drank that first coat like it was nothing. Ended up having to run back to the store looking like a weirdo with roller fuzz in my hair. I'm convinced they test those numbers on some kind of non stick wall we don't have access to.

shane_wilson7d ago

Ugh, that makes so much sense. I mean, the math never works out in real life, does it? So are those paint can labels basically just a best case scenario for a lab wall? Because if that's true, it feels like they're setting us up to buy more paint than we should need. I always end up with way too much or not enough, no in between.