Interior Paint Project: Materials Checklist

Do the math before you buy

Paint coverage is roughly 350–400 sq ft per gallon on a smooth wall with one coat. Textured, dark, or previously-untreated surfaces need more. Matly's material list assumes two coats and adds 10% for touch-ups. If you're going lighter over darker, add a primer coat.

Paint choices by room

• Living room / bedroom: eggshell or matte — hides wall imperfections
• Kitchen / bath: satin or semi-gloss — scrubbable, moisture-resistant
• Trim, doors, cabinets: semi-gloss or urethane enamel
• Ceilings: flat white ceiling paint

Match sheen across a room. Mixing eggshell on walls with matte on the ceiling is fine; mixing eggshell and satin on adjoining walls is visible.

Materials list

• Paint (walls + ceiling + trim, separate cans)
• Primer if going lighter or over patches
• 9" roller frames + covers (3/8" nap smooth walls, ½" for texture)
• 2.5" angled sash brush + a smaller detail brush
• Extension pole
• 5-gallon bucket + grid (better than a tray for whole-house work)
• Painter's tape (2" for baseboards, 1" for detail)
• Drop cloths — canvas beats plastic for slip resistance
• Spackle + putty knife
• 220-grit sanding sponges
• Rags, TSP or degreaser
• Caulk (paintable acrylic) for gaps at trim

What people forget

• Primer — most projects need it more than a single 'paint-and-primer-in-one' can deliver
• Extra roller covers — plan on 1 per room minimum, more for texture
• Caulk gun and paintable caulk
• A dedicated brush for oil-based trim if you're not going water-based