Whether you're refurbishing or moving into a new home, a fresh lick of paint is the perfect way to transform any property – painting is quick, cheap and easy. Before you get started though, make sure you choose the right colour paint to suit your home and that you buy the right amount for your project.

It can be difficult to figure out how much paint you'll need. There's nothing worse than starting to redecorate and realising half way through that you haven't got enough paint, then having to rush out and buy more. Equally, while having an extra tin of paint is a good idea for touch-ups and as a colour reference; you don't want to waste money buying litres of excess paint. So how can you find out how much paint you really need? Well our handy paint calculator can provide the answer – simply type in the dimensions of the rooms you want to paint to find out how much you need to buy.

Once you've got your paint, why not consider hiring a professional to do the hard work? Hiring a painter can save you time as well as stress and will ensure that your painting project is a success.

Tips on Measuring for Paint
Before you begin, take the room measurements in the list below to the nearest centimeter. If you have cathedral ceilings that create sloping walls, follow the special case instructions on how to calculate the square metre measurement.

To ensure you have enough paint, don't worry about excluding unpainted areas, such as windows and doors. Additionally, a 10 percent waste allowance is automatically added to the total.

1. Wall Height
   Measure from floor to ceiling.
2. Wall perimeter for areas you plan to paint
   Measure the length of each wall. Add all length figures together to obtain the total horizontal distance, or perimeter.
3. Ceiling width and length
   Omit if you do not plan to paint your ceiling.
4. Sloping walls
   Sloping walls form a triangular wall space. To calculate a triangle's square meter, multiply the length of the wall at the base of the triangle by its height and divide by 2.