Question

A gallon of latex paint can cover 500 square feet. Maria has a rectangular room whose dimensions are 12 feet by 16 feet, with 8-foot ceilings. How many gallon containers of paint does she need to buy to paint two coats on each wall

Answer 1

Explanation:

if we ignore minor details like windows and doors, then the painting areas are

2× 12×8 ft

2× 16×8 ft

and she needs to paint 2 coats, so, all of that has to be doubled.

so, she needs to paint

2×2×12×8 = 384 ft²

2×2×16×8 = 512 ft²

in total

384 + 512 = 896 ft²

1 gallon covers 500 ft².

since she cannot buy a part container, she will have to buy 2 paint containers, that will be enough to cover 1000 ft². so, she will have some paint left.

but she cannot buy less.