Farrow & Ball, measured in its own tins
Here, Estate Emulsion is already chosen in the paint calculator: 14 m² a litre at most for each coat, with Farrow & Ball’s 2.5 and 5 litre tins as the only can sizes. Modern Emulsion covers up to 12 m² per litre; the same room takes a little more of it. The 100 ml sample pots aren’t counted as tins to buy. These are the UK sizes; Farrow & Ball’s US advice sheets sell by the US gallon and give Estate Emulsion up to 570 sq ft per gallon.
Add your rooms and their openings; you get the litres and the tins that waste least. Further down, a table shows how much the default room needs in each of these paints.
Colour decides the coats
Farrow & Ball recommends two coats and notes that darker or stronger colours may need more. It also puts weight on the undercoat: the right Primer & Undercoat colour tone for your chosen colour gives the best coverage, and a significant colour change may call for a second coat of it. Tick Primer first to add it as its own line with its own tins.
On new plaster, the advice sheet asks for a mist coat of thinned topcoat before the two full coats. Set Coats to 3 to leave room for it.
Outside walls
In House exterior mode the picker moves to Exterior Masonry, up to 8 m² per litre depending on the surface and sold in 5 litre tins. Farrow & Ball says it is unsuitable for highly alkaline or very porous surfaces.
Farrow & Ball paints in the calculator: the range sold in the UK
| Paint | For | Coverage, as stated | Tins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estate Emulsion | Walls | up to 14 m² per litre | 5 L, 2.5 L |
| Modern Emulsion | Walls | up to 12 m² per litre | 5 L, 2.5 L |
| Exterior Masonry | Outside walls | up to 8 m² per litre | 5 L |
What one room takes in each
Two coats. Rooms: 4 × 3.5 m room with 2.5 m walls, one door, one window, walls and ceiling (ceiling only for a ceiling paint). Outside: 8 × 10 m house with 5.2 m walls and two gables.
| Paint | Area | Paint, 2 coats | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estate Emulsion (room, 14 m²/L) | 48.6 m² | 6.9 L | 1 × 5 L + 1 × 2.5 L |
| Modern Emulsion (room, 12 m²/L) | 48.6 m² | 8.1 L | 2 × 5 L |
| Exterior Masonry (house, 8 m²/L) | 189.8 m² | 47 L | 10 × 5 L |
Coverage per coat for the Farrow & Ball range sold in the UK, from the maker's pages linked above, checked September 2026. Farrow & Ball and its product names are its owner's trademarks, used only to describe the products; Meadow Tools is not affiliated with or endorsed by Farrow & Ball.