How to Calculate Ceiling Pitch for Paint

The pitch of a ceiling is simply the angle at which the ceiling meets the wall. A normal cube room will have a pitch of 90 degrees, which is a right angle turn. A room with a cathedral ceiling will have a much higher pitch, which will require more paint to cover a larger ceiling. Estimating the correct amount of paint for a pitched ceiling allows you to save money by not purchasing more paint than you need.

Measuring tape
24- to 36-inch bubble level
12-inch ruler

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the length and width of the room and determine the square footage by multiplying the width times the length. For example, if the room is 14 feet wide and 20 feet long, the square footage of a standard flat ceiling would be 240 feet.
- 2
  Hold the bubble level to the ceiling so that the top edge of the level at the zero inch mark touches the ceiling and the bubble measure reads level. Move the ruler to the 12 inch mark of the bubble level and measure the distance from the top edge of the bubble level to the ceiling.
- 3
  Use a chart such as the ones on Hytech.com, RoofingCalculator.org or Solec.org to determine the multiplier effect for the pitched ceiling. For example, if the distance from the bubble level at the 12-inch mark is 7, then you would multiply the example of the 240 foot flat ceiling by 1.16 to find the square footage of 278 feet for painting purposes.

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