Cabinet Paint Calculator

How it works

Each door and drawer front is treated as a flat rectangle: width × height, converted from square inches to square feet, times the number of sides painted. Face frames are their total length times their width, and end panels are added at the area you give per panel. The sum is the area covered by one coat.

Enamel is that area times the number of enamel coats, divided by the enamel's coverage per gallon; primer is the same with the primer coats and the primer's coverage. Both are rounded up to whole quarts, and enamel also to whole gallons, since cabinet jobs often need less than a gallon of each.

The default coverages are the low ends of two Benjamin Moore data sheets: 400–500 sq ft per gallon for Advance Waterborne Interior Alkyd Semi-Gloss 793 (793 US 041023, 2023), which the sheet lists as ideal for doors, trim and cabinets, and 400–450 sq ft per gallon for Fresh Start High-Hiding All Purpose Primer 046 (046 US 030325, 2025), the primer that sheet names for cabinetry over MDF, thermofoil and laminate. At 400 sq ft per gallon a quart covers 100 sq ft per coat.

Formula

door area     = doors × sides × (width × height ÷ 144)
drawer area   = drawer fronts × sides × (width × height ÷ 144)
frame area    = frame length × (frame width ÷ 12) + end panels × panel area
area per coat = door area + drawer area + frame area
enamel (gal)  = area per coat × enamel coats ÷ enamel coverage
primer (gal)  = area per coat × primer coats ÷ primer coverage
whole quarts  = gallons × 4, rounded up

Example

16 doors of 15 × 30 in painted on both sides are 16 × 2 × 3.125 = 100 sq ft. Eight 18 × 8 in drawer fronts painted on the face are 8 sq ft. 40 ft of 1.5 in face frame is 5 sq ft, and two 5 sq ft end panels add 10 sq ft, for 123 sq ft per coat.

Two enamel coats at 400 sq ft per gallon need 246 ÷ 400 = 0.615 gallon, or 2.46 quarts: 3 whole quarts, or 1 gallon. One primer coat at 400 sq ft per gallon needs 123 ÷ 400 = 0.3075 gallon, or 1.23 quarts: 2 whole quarts.

Assumptions and limitations

• Doors and drawer fronts are flat rectangles. Raised or recessed panels, profiled edges and the edges of each door add surface that this count leaves out.
• Cabinet boxes, shelves and interiors are not included unless their area is added as end panels.
• Coverage figures come from the two data sheets named above and are editable; Benjamin Moore states the actual rate depends on surface texture and porosity. Other products have other rates.
• Door and drawer sizes and the 1.5 in face-frame width are typical figures, not standards. Measuring one of each gives a better result.
• The result is an estimate. It is not a substitute for the paint and primer manufacturers' instructions, including the sanding, priming and recoat times their data sheets specify.

Frequently asked questions