Work out how many litres — and how many tins — of garage floor paint you need before you buy. Defaults below are set for our Industrial Garage Floor Paint, but you can adjust them for any product.
Calculate how much garage floor paint you need
Advanced options (coverage rate, coats, wastage)
Estimated cost: £0 ex VAT
How this calculator works
We take your floor area, multiply it by the number of coats you're applying, then divide by the paint's coverage rate to get the litres required — with a wastage allowance added on top for cutting-in, roller loss, and touch-ups. The formula:
Litres needed = (floor area × coats ÷ coverage rate) × (1 + wastage%)
Industrial Garage Floor Paint covers 7m² per litre per coat and is sold in 5 litre tins, with two coats recommended for full protection. For a typical 6m × 3m single garage (18m²), that works out to roughly 5.7 litres for two coats — so two 5L tins, with a little left over for touch-ups.
Getting the best result from your floor paint
Preparation matters more than the paint
Around 90% of floor coating failures come down to poor surface preparation rather than the paint itself. Make sure the concrete is dry, free of oil and grease, and has a slightly textured "key" for the paint to grip — sand or etch overly smooth concrete first.
Porous or new concrete
Rougher, more porous, or newly laid concrete will drink up more paint than the stated coverage rate. If in doubt, increase the coverage rate field above (lower number = more paint) or add a larger wastage allowance.
Temperature and drying time
Apply at a minimum of 5°C (7°C recommended) for proper curing. The paint is typically touch dry in 2–4 hours, with a full cure in 24–48 hours, and the second coat can usually go on 12–24 hours after the first.
Frequently asked questions
How much garage floor paint do I need?
To calculate how much paint you need, measure your garage's length and width in meters to find its total area. Garage floor paint typically covers 7m² per litre per coat and is sold in 5 litre tins.
Do I really need two coats?
One coat gives some protection, but two coats is the recommended system for long-lasting results in a garage or workshop that sees regular vehicle and foot traffic.
What if I'm painting a different colour on each coat, or a border in a second colour?
Run the calculator once for the main area and coat count, then run it again for just the border area to get a separate total.
Do I need a primer?
Usually not on standard concrete, but a primer is worth using on very porous surfaces, weak or friable concrete, latex screeds, or where rising damp has previously been an issue (address any damp problem first).
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