How Much Does a Gallon of Paint Weigh?

Are you curious how much a gallon of paint weighs? Stick around as we will share the answer in this article.

Planning to freshen up your walls by repainting them? Eyeing to conduct a creative art project that will demonstrate your artistic skills?

Before you start any of these, buying gallons of paint is the first thing you’ll need to do.

However, this is also where the problem starts. While it’s easy to choose what color you’ll be using and what brand you’ll be purchasing, knowing how much paint you’ll be needing could present a challenge.

You must also take the weight of the paint into account, depending on how you plan to transport the paint you need.

In this article, we will look at both sides of the equation: how to determine how much paint you need, and how much that paint will weigh.

Estimating How many areas a Gallon Can Cover

In general, one gallon of paint can cover about 350 to 400 square feet, which is normally enough for a small room like a bathroom.

Meanwhile, if you need to paint a larger room, you can opt to use two gallons, which is equal to 800 square feet or the size of an average room.

However, this will still vary depending on the type of surface you will be painting.

Usually, when you paint uncovered drywall, you will need more than a gallon to ensure that the paint comes out evenly.

On top of that, you will also need to consider whether you will paint the surface with more than one coat. If the surface is unfinished or heavily patched, the best bet is to apply two coats of paint in order to achieve a more pleasing finish.

Coming from this, you will need to double the number of gallons you will be used to complete your project.

Estimating How Much a Gallon of Paint Weighs 

Normally, paint is measured in gallons. In local stores, you can usually purchase them in varying sizes, with one-gallon and five gallons being the most common you are likely to see.

However, the weight of the paint depends entirely on what type of paint it is.

In order to determine the weight of paint, you need to know the specific gravity of that particular type of paint. Specific gravity is a comparison of material to water. Some paint manufacturers list the specific gravity of their paint on the label.

If they’ve done so, you can then find the weight by multiplying by 8.345 to find pounds per gallon.

If you don’t feel like doing the math, though, here are some of the most common paint types and their weights:

• Latex Paint: 11.3 pounds per gallon
• Acrylic Paint: 11-12 pounds per gallon
• Oil-Based Paint: 6.7 pounds per gallon
• Enamel Paint: 11 pounds per gallon

Of course, all of these measurements still depend on the brand, these are simply estimates.

The Bottom Line

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Ready to start your painting mission? Whether you simply want to give life to your interior or plan to express yourself through massive wall art, knowing how much paint you should be purchasing and how much that paint will weigh will help prevent suspending your work just to go back to the nearest hardware to buy more paint, or making multiple trips for all the paint you need.

Skip the possible mishaps and give a good guess on the number of gallons you need for the job. Rely on the calculations mentioned above! I hope you enjoyed our explanation of how much a gallon of paint weighs. Cheers!