How do I estimate how much paint I need for exterior woodwork?

[LaTrucha]

The title says it all! I want to buy some paint for the exterior woodwork of my house tomorrow and I don't know how much to get.

And just in case you can give me a guestimate:
We've got a small two-up two-down semi-detached house, four large windows (approx 175cm wide), two doors and a very small window plus small porch.

And if you can guess wood preserver for my shed too, all I can say is it's fairly big!

I just asked my Dad, who painted his own house periodically until very recently, and he said, 'No idea.'

You too?

The tins usually say on them how many metres squared they are likely to cover... so if you can do a rough estimate of your meterage you should be able to work it out from there. Sorry not to be able to help more... (gloss goes a long way though, much further than emulsion).

It's working out the square meterage of a window frame that's got me!

Mabe I'm just too lazy to do the maths...

Erm, if your windows are 1.75m wide, and guessing that the frame is about 6 cm deep, then the top cross piece will be 0.105 square metres. Times that by 8 (for the tops and bottoms of the 4 large windows) and you get 0.84 sq metres. I don't know how high your windows are or how many up and downy bits they have, and whether they have fan lights, or how deep the frames are (in 3D if you see what I mean) etc, but there's a start.

Say your doors are roughly 2 metres by three quarters of a metre, then you've got 3 metres squared in your 2 doors.

I'm now estimating you need enough paint for about 6 square metres and a litre of dulux exterior gloss will do up to 18 square metres (that's going to be on a very good surface in warm weather).

So you could probably get away with a 750ml tin, or perhaps even a half litre?

It does go a surprisinly long way.

I am rather number blind and that calculation, to me, is absolutely phenomenal.

A deeply-felt thankyou.

I used 60 liters.

But that was one coat of primer, 30 liters, and then top coat, another 30 liters.

QS - was that your whole house? I just want to do window and door frames.

Wow, how big is your house? Or do you have Georgian windows or something?

sorry yes, the whole house. I see now you only meant frames....

Thanks for clarifying Quintessential I was really starting to wonder what I did wrong when I painted my windows! (I also painted the rough cast on the top half of our house, and that just took gallons, I swear the house drank it, and I have never done anything so demoralising in my whole life, you'd stand back after 2 hours and realise you'd done, ooh, half a square metre. Windows are infinitely more satisfying).
Have fun tomorrow LaTrucha - I was also going to say I doubt you'll manage all that in one day (if you're going to give it all a rub down before hand), so you'll have time to top up on paint if it looks like you don't have enough.

You should be glad then, that you havent just painted your entire house. Twice. Like I have.

Yep, I am glad. Very very glad. Painting half a house was quite bad enough - was yours rough cast too? I am full of admiration for painting two storeys. Next you're going to tell me it is detached and you had 4 walls to do...

Yup. Two storey, detatched. 18 by 12 meters.

I am, sadly, still interested to know what finish you were painting - was it smooth, or pebble dash, or terylene. I just need to know exactly how much respect you deserve.

Timber. Vertically laid rough timber boards.

I am looking forward to the house looking spruce! We moved in 18 months ago after it had been empty for a year. We couldn't paint it last year because it just did not stop raining here. It is looking a bit shabby now. Not for long!

Thankyou biccy - you have saved me about £15!

Well quint, you are getting much respect from me...

And, LaTrucha please don't thank me now... you may be cursing me tomorrow when you're half way through your last door and you run out of paint...

(Oh, also, I'd avoid painting glosswork if it's in direct sun and it's hot where you are tomorrow. It'll dry too quickly.)

Biccy. Have to repeat every 3 years, though next time only one coat!

1 tin 750ml should be enough esp if well prepared

Good tip abou tthe sun. Thanks.

Noddy - do you mean sanding and primer coat by well prepared, or am I missing something?

Yes if its primed and well filled you don't need as much!Trade dulux is brilliant as well if you can afford it and want a long lasting finish

Well, that's good news as I did buy the dulux today even though it was more expensive.