Paint & Wallpaper Diagrams
9 diagrams · 3 calculators
Paintable-area takeoffs, coverage by surface and texture, primer-and-coats logic, roll-vs-spray, and wallpaper bolt-vs-single-roll and pattern-match yield — buying the right amount of finish.
Calculators in this category
Paint & Wallpaper · 9 diagrams
- Paint & Wallpaper
How paint coverage changes by surface — one gallon covers ~375 sq ft on smooth siding but only ~175 on rough stucco
One gallon spreads ~375 sq ft on smooth siding but only ~175 on rough stucco — nearly 2× difference. The surface’s texture and porosity, not the gallon math, is what throws off most paint estimates.
- Paint & Wallpaper
Why primer and why two coats — the exterior paint film from the substrate up
Skip primer on bare wood and the topcoat wicks into the pores — blotchy, paint-hungry, and stains bleed through. Primer seals the pores, blocks stains, and bonds to slick surfaces; then two thin coats hide far better than one thick one.
- Paint & Wallpaper
How to measure exterior paintable area — wall rectangle plus gable triangle, minus the big openings
Measure a gabled wall in two pieces: the rectangle (width × wall height) plus the gable triangle (½ × width × rise), then subtract the large openings. Net area ÷ coverage × coats = gallons. Add every wall and gable for the whole house.
- Paint & Wallpaper
Wallpaper match types — random, straight, and half-drop set the waste factor
How the repeat lines up at the seam is the match type, and it sets the default waste: random ≈10%, straight ≈15%, half-drop ≈20%. A bigger drop means more paper trimmed at the ceiling and floor to align the design.
- Paint & Wallpaper
Wallpaper strip yield — every strip rounds up to a whole pattern repeat
Each strip is cut to a whole number of repeats: strip length = ⌈(ceiling + 4″ trim) ÷ repeat⌉ × repeat. A 9-ft ceiling with an 18″ repeat needs a 10.5-ft strip, so a 33-ft bolt yields just 3 usable strips — that repeat rounding is why you buy more than the bare wall area.
- Paint & Wallpaper
Wallpaper bolt vs single roll — one bolt is two single rolls
Wallpaper ships as bolts (double rolls) but is priced per single roll: 1 bolt = 2 single rolls. Order in bolts and convert only to compare prices — ask for 6 bolts (12 single rolls), not 6 single rolls, or you receive half what you need.
- Paint & Wallpaper
Rolling vs spraying interior paint — spraying buys about 45% more paint
Spraying the same wall with the same coats buys ~45% more paint: a sprayer loses a third of the paint to overspray and bounce-back (×1.33 material × 1.20 waste ≈ ×1.60) where a roller is ×1.0 × 1.10. Spray wins on doors, trim, and cabinets; rolling a few walls buys less and needs no masking.
- Paint & Wallpaper
How wall texture and paint grade change interior-paint coverage
Texture is hidden surface area: smooth drywall ≈375 sq ft/gal, light/orange-peel ≈325, heavy/knockdown ≈275, stucco/popcorn ≈250. Paint grade matters too — on smooth drywall, economy 350 vs standard 375 vs premium 400 sq ft/gal.
- Paint & Wallpaper
Interior paint take-off — walls and ceiling are figured separately
Walls and ceiling are two separate surfaces: Walls = 2 × (L + W) × H − doors − windows; Ceiling = L × W. A standard door deducts 20 sq ft and a window 15 sq ft — you paint the trim, not the slab or the glass. Each surface gets its own paint, sheen, and coats.