Find the paint, putty and primer for a wall or ceiling, or the tiles, grout and fixing for a floor or wall. Enter the area and pick the finish; the quantities, and how they change from one finish to the next, follow.
Quick answer · How much paint and how many tiles does a surface need?
Per square metre of wall, the Standard system takes about 0.60 kg of cement putty, 0.075 L of primer and 0.090 L of emulsion for two coats, plus 5% wastage. A 600 × 600 mm tile with a 2 mm joint takes 2.76 tiles a square metre, plus 5% for cutting.
The surface
Walls and ceiling together. For a room: the distance around it times the height, plus the floor area, less doors and windows over half a square metre.
Cement putty (about 1 mm), one coat of primer, two coats of emulsion
Interior emulsion, 2 coats, to buy8.8litres1,000 sq ft = 92.9 m²
Primer
7.3L
Wall putty, cement based
58.5kg
The working
Area
1,000 sq ft × 0.0929
92.9 m²
Putty
0.60 kg a m², +5%
58.5 kg
Primer
0.075 L a m², +5%
7.3 L
Interior emulsion, 2 coats
0.090 L a m², +5%
8.8 L
Standard: putty, primer and emulsion. Cement putty (about 1 mm), one coat of primer, two coats of emulsion. Maker sheets: 0.083 to 0.100 L a m² for two coats. All figures include 5% for paint left in the tin and the brush; no sheet gives that allowance, so it is an assumption.
The three paint systems side by side
For 1,000 sq ft of wall and ceiling. Each figure includes 5% wastage.
System
Putty (kg)
Primer (L)
Paint (L)
Economy
none
6.8
15.1
Standard
58.5
7.3
8.8
Premium
37.1
7.3
13.5
Economy is distemper over primer. Standard adds cement putty and uses an emulsion. Premium uses a finer acrylic putty, which goes on thinner, and a luxury emulsion that spreads less far, so it takes more paint but less putty.
How much paint a wall takes
Paint, putty and primer are counted from the area and the spread: how many square metres a litre or a kilogram covers over all its coats. The calculator uses the spread of each system from the makers’ data sheets, and 0.070 litres of primer a m² from the CPWD analysis of rates (2016). Add 5% for what is left in the tin and the brush.
1,000 sq ft = 92.9 m² · Standard: 58.5 kg putty, 7.3 L primer, 8.8 L emulsion
The area is measured the way IS 1200 (Part 13) measures paint: openings up to half a square metre are not taken out, and openings from half to three square metres have one face taken out. The ceiling counts as paint too. Plaster is not counted here; it belongs to MasonryPro.
Three systems, three amounts
Economy is acrylic distemper over a coat of primer, with no putty. Standard adds a cement putty, about 1 mm thick, one coat of primer and two coats of emulsion. Premium uses an acrylic putty in two coats and a luxury emulsion. For 1,000 sq ft of wall and ceiling that is 15.1, 8.8 and 13.5 litres of finish coat.
How many tiles an area takes
One tile and its joint cover (length + joint) × (width + joint). For a 600 × 600 mm tile with a 2 mm joint that is 0.602 × 0.602 m, so 2.76 tiles cover a square metre. The tiles to buy are the area plus the allowance for cutting, times that figure, rounded up.
100 m² + 5% = 105 m² · × 2.76 = 290 tiles · 73 boxes of 4
Floor tiles for bathrooms, balconies and kitchens should be vitrified or porcelain (water absorption up to 0.08%, group BIa of IS 15622:2006); glazed ceramic is for walls. The calculator counts the size you pick; the group is your choice at the shop.
Grout, mortar and adhesive
Grout is worked from the joints: the length of joint in a square metre, times its width and the tile thickness, times a grout density of 1.6 kg a litre (an assumption; 1.4 to 1.6), with 10% for waste. A cement mortar bed takes about 11.0 kg of cement and 22 litres of sand a m² under a floor tile, and 9.2 kg and 12.5 litres under a wall tile, from the CPWD item text. Tile adhesive takes 5.25 kg a m² for tiles up to 900 cm², 10.5 kg up to 3,600 cm² and 12 kg above that, from a maker’s sheet; the largest figure is an assumption.
Adhesive needs a level, cured floor. A levelling screed under it is not counted here.
Frequently asked questions
How much paint is needed for 1,000 sq ft of wall and ceiling?
1,000 sq ft is 92.9 m². With the Standard system that is about 58.5 kg of putty, 7.3 L of primer and 8.8 L of emulsion. Economy takes 6.8 L of primer and 15.1 L of distemper and no putty; Premium takes 37.1 kg of putty, 7.3 L of primer and 13.5 L of luxury emulsion. All include 5% wastage.
How many 600 × 600 mm tiles do I need for 100 m²?
About 290 tiles, or 73 boxes of 4. A 600 × 600 mm tile with a 2 mm joint covers 0.362 m², so 2.76 tiles cover a square metre. Add 5% for cutting when the tiles are laid straight: 105 m² × 2.76 is 290 tiles.
How much extra tile should I buy for cutting?
The calculator adds 5% for a small tile laid straight; 10% for a large tile (800 × 800 mm or 600 × 1200 mm), a diagonal lay of a small tile, or a small room or bathroom; and 15% for a large tile laid diagonally. No standard fixes these; they are allowances the calculator assumes.
Is putty needed under paint?
Not with the Economy system: distemper goes over a coat of primer on the plaster. The Standard system adds about 1 mm of cement putty, and the Premium system an acrylic putty in two coats. Putty smooths the plaster for an even emulsion finish.
How is grout worked out?
From the joints: the length of joint in a square metre, times the joint width and the tile thickness, times a grout density of 1.6 kg a litre (an assumption; 1.4 to 1.6), plus 10% for waste. A larger tile has less joint, so it takes less grout.
How much cement and sand goes under floor tiles, and how much adhesive instead?
A mortar bed takes about 11.0 kg of cement and 22 litres of sand a m² under a floor tile, and 9.2 kg and 12.5 litres under a wall tile, from the CPWD item text. Tile adhesive takes 5.25 kg a m² for tiles up to 900 cm², 10.5 kg up to 3,600 cm² and 12 kg above that, from a maker’s sheet.
Does the calculator count plaster, or the paint on doors?
No. It counts one surface at a time: the paint, putty and primer for the area you enter, or the tiles, grout and fixing. Plaster belongs to MasonryPro, and InteriorPro measures every wall, ceiling, floor and door of a house from its plan.
Is the paint and tile calculator free?
Yes. It is permanently free and needs no sign-in.
IS 1200 (Part 11, 13)
IS 15622:2006
CPWD DAR 2016
For planning. The spread of paint and the coverage of adhesive differ from maker to maker, and the wastage depends on the room and the tiler, so check the maker’s sheet and let the tiler confirm the count. The quantities cover one surface; a house is measured from its plan. Not a substitute for that.
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Paint and Tile Calculator: paint, putty, tiles and grout | NirmanShastra
