Garden and DIY, cost per square metre
Paint cost per square metre, and per room
Paint is priced by the tin and used by the square metre, and the conversion between the two is coverage, which varies by nearly a factor of two across the range. That is why the cheap tin is not always the cheap paint.
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Per square metre, at two coats
Own brand works out at 66.7p a square metre, trade emulsion at 89.4p, and premium paint at £3.87. That is a factor of 5.8 between the top and the bottom for a job that takes exactly the same weekend.
| Option | Running | Cost per square metre | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own brand matt emulsion£20 for 5L, 12 m² a litre | 66.7p | 66.7p | |
| Trade vinyl matt£38 for 5L, 17 m² a litre | 89.4p | 89.4p | |
| Premium designer paint£58 for 2.5L, 12 m² a litre | £3.87 | £3.87 |
The gap between own brand and trade is much smaller than the tin prices suggest, because the trade tin covers 17 square metres a litre against 12. You pay 90% more per litre and get 42% more wall out of it.
What that means for an actual room
A typical 4m by 3m room with a 2.4m ceiling has roughly 30 square metres of wall once you take out a door and a window. At two coats that is about £20 of own brand paint, £27 of trade, or £116 of premium. The labour is identical and the preparation is the overwhelming majority of the work in every case.
Manufacturer coverage figures assume a smooth, sealed, previously painted surface and a roller in competent hands. Bare plaster, a strong colour change, or textured walls will all take more. Add about 20% to any of these figures for a real room, and add a mist coat on top if the plaster is new.
Where premium paint earns its money, and where it does not
It earns it on colour, on the depth of a matt finish, and on the fact that a specific shade may simply not exist anywhere else. It does not earn it on coverage, which is ordinary, or on durability, where trade paint generally does better in a hallway. Paying six times as much per litre for the colour you want is a defensible decision. Paying it because you expect it to go further is not, because it will not.
The false economy at the bottom
The very cheapest contract matt is thin, and a strong colour change under it can take three coats rather than two. Three coats of cheap paint costs more than two coats of decent paint and takes an extra day. If you are covering a dark colour, or painting over anything patchy, the extra coverage is worth buying rather than discovering.
The verdict
For most rooms, trade vinyl matt in white or a standard colour is the sensible default: it costs a few pounds more than own brand for the room and it goes on better. Buy premium paint when you want a colour only they make, and know that you are buying the colour rather than the performance. And measure your walls before you buy anything, because the commonest mistake here is buying five litres for a job that needed two.
Put your own numbers in
The consumable field is the paint for one square metre at two coats. Put your own tin price and coverage in.
Cost per meal
Set the purchase price to zero for the running cost alone.
Questions
How much paint do I need for a room?
A 4m by 3m room with a 2.4m ceiling is roughly 30 square metres of wall after a door and window. At 12 to 17 square metres per litre per coat, that is about 4 to 5 litres for two coats.
How much does it cost to paint a room in the UK?
In paint alone, about £20 with own brand emulsion, £27 with trade, or £116 with premium designer paint, for roughly 30 square metres at two coats.
Is trade paint better value than own brand?
Usually. Trade vinyl matt covers about 17 square metres a litre against 12 for own brand, so the 90% higher price per litre only works out about a third more per square metre, and it goes on better.
Is expensive paint worth it?
For the colour and the finish, sometimes. For coverage, no. Premium paint here covers 12 square metres a litre, the same as own brand, at roughly six times the price per litre.
How many coats of emulsion do I need?
Two on a previously painted wall of a similar colour. Three if you are covering a strong or dark colour with a thin paint, which is where the cheapest tins stop being cheap.
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More garden and diy costs, or read how we work these out.
Prices used on this page
- Electricity, 26.11p per kWh. Ofgem price cap, direct debit, average of England, Scotland and Wales, including 5% VAT.. Ofgem energy price cap unit rates and standing charges. Checked 22 August 2026.