A 1 Kanal plot is the largest residential plot most families in Rawalpindi and Islamabad actually build on, and the paint quantity for it is one of the questions our team is asked most often. The short answer is that a 1 Kanal plot is 20 Marla, so the quantity follows the same method as any other house — with one important correction.
A 1 Kanal plot does not mean a 1 Kanal house. A house that covers only part of the plot needs far less paint than the plot size suggests, and a double-storey house on the same plot needs substantially more than a single-storey one. This guide works through both cases, and then shows the same calculation applied to multi-storey houses of any size.
1 Kanal in Marla, and in square feet
In Pakistan, 1 Kanal equals 20 Marla. One Marla is a standard plot of 272.25 square feet, so:
| Measurement | Size |
|---|---|
| 1 Kanal | 20 Marla |
| 1 Marla | 272.25 sq ft |
| 1 Kanal | 5,445 sq ft |
| 10 Marla | 2,722.5 sq ft |
| 5 Marla | 1,361.25 sq ft |
Plot area is not paintable area. The paint quantity comes from the walls, ceilings and exposed exterior surfaces of the building, not from the land. A 1 Kanal plot with a 5 Marla covered footprint uses roughly a quarter of the land to build on, and the rest may be courtyard, driveway or garden.
So the first question is not "how big is the plot" but "how big is the house on it, and how many storeys is it?"
Planning figures for a 1 Kanal house
The table below is a planning illustration based on the same assumptions our paint calculator uses: illustrative paintable areas per Marla, two finish coats, 120 sq ft per litre per coat for interior walls and ceilings, 100 sq ft per litre per coat for exterior walls, and one primer coat at 130 sq ft per litre. The paint figures cover interior walls, ceilings and exterior walls — enamel for doors, windows, grills and railings is a separate product and is listed separately below.
These are illustrations, not measurements of your house. Every real house differs.
| House | Interior walls | Ceilings | Exterior walls | Paint (2 coats) | Primer (1 coat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Story – 1 Kanal House (20 Marla) | 11,200 sq ft | 4,000 sq ft | 3,600 sq ft | ≈ 325 L | ≈ 114 L |
| Double Story – 1 Kanal House (20 Marla) | 19,200 sq ft | 6,800 sq ft | 6,000 sq ft | ≈ 553 L | ≈ 194 L |
The double-storey figure is not simply double. A second floor adds wall and ceiling area, but the footprint, the staircase void and the roof overhang change the arithmetic, and the exterior area does not grow in proportion to the interior.
What this means in gallons
Many people buy paint by the gallon rather than the litre, and the numbers are not the same. A US gallon is 3.79 litres, and a 5-litre tin is the usual pack size in Pakistan.
| House | Litres | 5 L tins | Imperial gallons (4.55 L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Story – 1 Kanal House | ≈ 325 L | ≈ 66 tins | ≈ 71 gallons |
| Double Story – 1 Kanal House | ≈ 553 L | ≈ 111 tins | ≈ 122 gallons |
Pack sizes matter more than the unit. Interior emulsion usually comes in 14.56 L buckets and 5 L tins, exterior coatings in 16 L and 5 L tins, and synthetic enamel in 3.64 L gallons. Buy the pack that suits the volume you actually need rather than converting units and guessing.
Interior and exterior paint calculation for a double-storey house
The single most common mistake in a large-house estimate is mixing interior and exterior into one number. They are different products, they have different coverage rates, and they are prepared differently.
Measuring a double-storey house
Work floor by floor.
Ground floor. Measure each room, the hall, the staircase and any other space being painted. For each rectangular room, gross wall area is 2 × (length + width) × height. Deduct the doors and windows from that figure.
First floor. Repeat the same process for every bedroom, corridor and landing. First-floor ceilings are usually the same area as the floor plate, so length × width per room is a fair starting point.
Staircase. Stairwells have taller walls and sloping soffits. Measure the actual surface rather than estimating it from the floor area, and count it once.
Exterior. Measure the front elevation, the two side walls and the rear wall separately, as width × height. A double-storey house has a taller wall set, so the exterior area rises even where the footprint does not. Deduct windows and doors.
Boundary walls. If the boundary wall is part of the project, measure it as a separate surface. It usually needs an exterior coating, and it is the surface most often forgotten.
Keeping the surfaces separate
| Surface | Product family | Planning coverage | Two coats on 11,200 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior walls | Interior emulsion | 120 sq ft/L | ≈ 187 L |
| Ceilings | Interior emulsion | 120 sq ft/L | ≈ 67 L |
| Exterior walls | Exterior coating | 100 sq ft/L | ≈ 72 L |
Add them together only after each has been calculated with its own coverage rate. This is exactly what the Triangle Paints paint calculator does when you choose Double storey and 1 Kanal.
Wall paint estimation for multi-storey houses in Pakistan
Multi-storey houses in Rawalpindi and Islamabad have a few features that change the estimate compared with a single-storey home.
Ceiling height. Many double-storey homes use a 10 to 12 foot ceiling on the ground floor and a 9 foot ceiling above. Check the actual height rather than assuming 10 feet — every extra foot of wall height adds a full perimeter of wall area.
The staircase. A dog-leg staircase in a 1 Kanal house can add 300 to 500 sq ft of paintable surface, and it is frequently left out of estimates. It also needs a separate approach to access.
The void. A double-height living room or an open stairwell means the wall is painted as one tall surface, and the plaster behind it is often uneven. Budget for more putty and filler than a normal wall.
Second-floor water and power. Bathrooms and kitchens upstairs usually have more services penetrating the walls, so there are more cut-outs and more local repairs. This is preparation work, not paint, but it is part of the project cost.
The exterior elevation. A double-storey front elevation has more render, more ledges and more edges to detail. Those edges are where a wall painter spends the most time per square foot.
How many coats does a multi-storey house need?
Two finish coats over a suitable primer is the normal specification for interior repainting, and the same applies to exterior walls. Three situations justify more:
- A strong colour change. Going from a light colour to a dark one usually needs an extra coat, and from dark to light as well if the dark colour is deep.
- New or repaired plaster. Fresh plaster is porous and uneven. It needs a primer, and often a third coat to even out the patching.
- Previously painted walls in poor condition. Where the old finish is failing, the surface has to be prepared before the new system will hold.
Primer and putty are not optional extras on a project this size. On a single-storey 1 Kanal house the planning figures are about 114 litres of primer; on a double-storey house it is closer to 194 litres. Skipping the primer to save money is the most common reason a large project looks worse than a small one.
What the estimate actually costs
The material figure and the labour figure are separate, and it is worth seeing both.
For a single-storey 1 Kanal house, using the planning assumptions above and the calculator's default rates:
| Item | Planning figure |
|---|---|
| Finish paint (2 coats) | ≈ 325 L |
| Primer (1 coat) | ≈ 114 L |
| Wall putty and preparation | depends on wall condition |
| Enamel for doors, grills and railings | ≈ 1,000 sq ft of surface |
| Painter labour | quoted per sq ft of paintable area |
Material cost is a straightforward calculation: litres × rate per litre, plus primer, plus putty, plus enamel. Labour is quoted per square foot of paintable area, and it moves with city, wall height, surface condition and how much preparation is included. Our calculator starts from an editable Rs 20 per sq ft planning rate for labour so you can replace it with a quote you have actually been given.
For the current best rates on these products, and a project rate if you are ordering in volume, ask our Rawalpindi team directly.
Use the calculator for your own house
Our paint calculator has a house-size table at the top of the page that covers every size from 3 Marla to 1 Kanal, in both single-storey and double-storey versions. Select any row and it loads straight into the calculator.
You can also estimate a single room, or just a part of your home, if you are not painting everything at once. The calculator lets you enter your own measured areas, coats, coverage and rates, and it shows the litres, the suggested packs, the material total, the labour total and your approximate saving with Triangle Paints.
If your home is smaller, the 5 Marla paint quantity guide works through the same method for a 5 Marla plot, and how much paint one room needs covers a single room in detail.
The rates in the calculator are editable planning assumptions, not product data. Replace them with the figures for your chosen product and treat every result as a rough guide rather than a quotation.
If you need a painter for the work
Triangle Paints manufactures the paint; it does not employ a painting crew. We do, however, work with local painters and painting contractors and can arrange them for your project. On a house this size the sequencing matters — the exterior is normally done before the interior, and the wet trades are finished first. See how we arrange painters and contractors for what to send us and what to expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much paint is required for a single-storey 1 Kanal house?
On the planning assumptions above, a single-storey 1 Kanal (20 Marla) house is estimated at about 11,200 sq ft of interior walls, 4,000 sq ft of ceilings and 3,600 sq ft of exterior walls. At two finish coats that is roughly 325 litres of paint, plus about 114 litres of primer for one coat. The real quantity depends on your covered area, wall heights, openings and wall condition, so measure your own surfaces before ordering.
2. How much paint is required for a double-storey 1 Kanal house?
A double-storey house on the same 1 Kanal plot is planned at about 19,200 sq ft of interior walls, 6,800 sq ft of ceilings and 6,000 sq ft of exterior walls — roughly 556 litres of paint at two coats, and about 194 litres of primer. It is a substantial quantity, and buying it in 16 L and 5 L packs rather than one large order usually works out better in practice.
3. How many gallons of paint for a double-storey 5 Marla house?
A double-storey 5 Marla house is planned at about 4,800 sq ft of interior walls, 1,700 sq ft of ceilings and 1,500 sq ft of exterior walls, which comes to roughly 138 litres of finish paint at two coats — about 30 imperial gallons, or 28 five-litre tins. A single-storey house on the same plot comes to about 81 litres, so the second floor adds roughly 70% rather than double. Select the 5 Marla row in the calculator table to load the figures.
4. How much paint does a 3 Marla house need?
A single-storey 3 Marla house is planned at roughly 1,680 sq ft of interior walls, 600 sq ft of ceilings and 540 sq ft of exterior walls, which is about 49 litres of paint at two coats and about 17 litres of primer. The 3 Marla row in the calculator table loads these figures directly.
5. How many coats of paint are required for a single-storey house?
Two finish coats over a suitable primer is the usual specification. A third coat is justified where there is a strong colour change, new or patched plaster, or an old finish that is failing. A single-storey house does not need fewer coats than a double-storey one — the number of coats depends on the surface, not the size of the house.
6. Does a bigger house need a different paint?
Not for the same surfaces. A larger house needs more of the same system. What does change is the risk of running out mid-project: a 1 Kanal house needs primer, putty, emulsion and enamel in volumes that are easier to order in one planned delivery than in several small ones. Ask about project rates before you order.
7. Can I get a wall paint quotation for my house?
Yes. Run the figures in the calculator, then send the estimate to our Rawalpindi team on WhatsApp. We will confirm the suitable products, the exact quantity, the current pack sizes and rates, and whether we can arrange painters for the work.
Final Thoughts
A 1 Kanal house is a big paint job whichever way you cut it, but the method is the same one you would use for a 3 Marla house: measure each surface, keep interior and exterior separate, multiply by the number of coats, and divide by the coverage rate of the product you are actually buying.
The planning figures in this guide will get you close. Your own measurements will get you closer. And our team in Rawalpindi will confirm the quantity and the price before you spend anything.
Review the Triangle Paints interior paints, exterior paints, enamels, primers and wall preparation products to plan the full system.
Plan your 1 Kanal paint project with Triangle Paints, made in Rawat, Rawalpindi.
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