Short answer: a 10×10 room with 8 ft walls needs about 1.6 gallons of paint for two coats. Buy 2 gallons (or 1 gallon plus 3 quarts) so texture and touch-ups do not leave you short. One coat takes a single gallon.
The breakdown
Four walls at 10 ft wide and 8 ft high give 320 sq ft of wall. Subtract a standard door (21 sq ft) and one average window (15 sq ft) and you have 284 sq ft of paintable surface.
| Coats | Paint to buy |
|---|---|
| 1 coat | About 0.8 gallons — buy 1 gallon |
| 2 coats (recommended) | About 1.6 gallons — buy 2 gallons |
| 3 coats | About 2.4 gallons — buy 2 gallons + 3 quarts |
| Ceiling added (2 coats) | About 2.2 gallons total — buy 2.5 gallons |
Primer and when you need it
New drywall, bare wood, or a big color change (dark to light) needs a primer coat first — for this room, 1 gallon of primer is enough. Skipping primer on thirsty new drywall usually costs you an extra coat of the more expensive paint, so it rarely saves money.
Quick buying tips
Buy everything in one trip from the same batch to avoid shade differences. A 10×10 bedroom is also the perfect size to try a color first with a sample pot — paint looks two shades darker on a full wall than on the swatch.
Bigger room, or extra doors and windows? Run your exact numbers in our free paint calculator.