Fence stain calculator
Fence stain calculator:
gallons for both sides and the posts
A fence has two faces and a row of posts, and weathered boards drink stain a new fence never would. Pick stain or paint, say what the wood is like, and get the gallons for the sides you mean to do. This fence stain estimator works as a fence paint calculator too: switch the finish to paint.
Enter the fenceOptional
What will it cost?
Every material the calculator worked out gets its own price. Each field starts at a typical US figure so you have something to work from — change any of them to what your own supplier charges.
These prices are approximate. They are national US retail figures, and what you actually pay varies with your region, your supplier, the season and how much you buy at once. Treat them as a starting point, not a quote — always price the job from your own supplier's current figures before you order.
Your prices
More in this series
The rest of the paint job
Each surface is bought as a different product. Work out the ones you are doing before the trip to the store.
- Paint Calculator Wall and ceiling paint, primer, rollers and tape
- Ceiling Paint Calculator Ceiling paint, stain-blocking primer, roller covers and tape
- Exterior Paint Calculator Gallons of exterior paint and primer by siding type, trim paint, rollers, brushes and tape
- Siding Calculator Squares of siding, panels and boxes of vinyl or planks of fiber cement, J-channel, starter strip, corner posts and nails
- Trim Paint Calculator Quarts of trim enamel and primer for baseboards, casing and crown by the linear foot, brushes, tape and caulk
- Cabinet Paint Calculator Quarts of cabinet enamel and primer for doors, drawers and frames, foam rollers, brushes and degreaser
- Primer Calculator Gallons of primer by surface and primer type, with the coats each surface needs, rollers and brushes
- Door Paint Calculator Quarts of enamel and primer for interior and front doors, one or both sides, with frames, brushes and foam rollers
- Paint Coverage per Gallon What a gallon covers on each surface, and gallons for common rooms
- Paint Sheen Chart Flat to gloss: durability, where each finish belongs, and the comparisons
- Paint Drying and Recoat Times Dry to the touch, recoat and cure times for latex, oil-based, primer, polyurethane and stain, and how weather changes them
- Spray Paint Drying Times Dry, handle, recoat and cure times for spray paint by type and surface, and how many cans a job takes
- How Many Coats of Paint and Primer Coats by color change and surface, how long to wait between coats, and coats of polyurethane and stain
- Primer Coats and Coverage How many coats of primer each surface needs, coverage per gallon by primer type, and how long each takes to dry
- Vinyl Siding Sizes and Squares What a square of siding is, vinyl panel lengths and pieces per box, Hardie and LP plank sizes, and trim per square
- Paint Can Sizes and Weights What a quart, gallon and 5 gallon bucket of paint weigh and how many square feet each one covers
Tools for the job
What makes this job easier
Tools and materials that suit this kind of job. These are affiliate links: if you buy through one, Renovimo may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes the figures on this page.
Garvee
Airless paint sprayer, 2900 PSI
Coats whole rooms, fences and siding far faster than a roller.
Check price
Garvee
Handheld paint sprayer
Small and cheap — right for furniture, railings, fences and deck stain.
Check price
Garvee
Cordless pressure washer
Cleans a deck or patio before stain or sealer goes on.
Check price
Garvee
Pro paint roller kit, 32 pieces
9 in and 4 in rollers on a telescoping pole, for walls and ceilings without a ladder.
Check price
Garvee
6 in random orbital sander
Smooths stair treads, rails and trim before finishing.
Check price
Garvee
Clear PVC tarp, 8 × 10 ft
Covers a fresh slab to cure, or keeps a lumber or drywall stack dry.
Check price
Not the tool you were after? Browse the whole range at Garvee — the store these picks come from.
Based on your result
What you'll need
Quantities update after every calculation. A sprayer saves a day on a long privacy fence, but a brush works the finish into the grain.
- Stain or paint
- Gallons for every coat, posts included
- Calculate above
- Sprayer or 4 in brush
- A sprayer for long runs, a brush for back-brushing
- 1
- Brushes Amazon
- For posts, caps and the tight spots a sprayer misses
- —
- Deck and fence cleaner Amazon
- Clean and let the wood dry before the first coat
- 1 bottle
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The maths
How much stain for a fence?
Length times height gives one face; multiply by the sides you are finishing, then by how much of the panel is actually board. Posts are added by the foot, and weathered wood changes the coverage, not the area.
posts = posts × 4 faces × post width ÷ 12 × height
gallons = ⌈ (boards + posts) × coats ÷ coverage ⌉
- ×1.00
- privacy
- ×0.85
- shadowbox
- ×0.60
- picket
- ×0.35
- split rail
- 01
Measure the run
Walk the fence line and add up every straight section, gates included. Height is the board height, not the post height. Posts at 8 ft spacing on 100 ft come to 14: one more than the bays.
- 02
Decide on both sides or one
A neighbor-facing side is often left to them; doing both doubles the board area.
- 03
Let the type set how much is board
Privacy boards run edge to edge, shadowbox faces are mostly board, pickets are about 60% board and split rail is two or three rails.
- 04
Add the posts by the foot
A 4×4 post has four faces of 3½ in, so each one adds about seven square feet at six feet tall.
- 05
Allow for weathered wood
Gray, rough boards drink about half as much again, so coverage drops from 300 to 200 sq ft a gallon.
Coverage
Fence stain coverage per gallon
| Finish | Wood | One gallon covers, one coat |
|---|---|---|
| Stain | New and smooth | 300 sq ft |
| Stain | Weathered and rough | 200 sq ft |
| Exterior paint | New and smooth | 350 sq ft |
| Exterior paint | Weathered and rough | 250 sq ft |
Stain soaks in, so rough wood takes more of it; paint sits on the surface and covers a little further. The deck stain calculator uses the same coverage for the floor and the railing. Waiting between coats? See paint drying and recoat times.
Good to know
Fence stain calculator questions, answered
About 9 gallons for both sides of a 6 ft privacy fence with two coats on new wood, posts included. One side takes roughly half of that for the boards. Weathered wood pushes it to about 13 gallons.
Both, if you can. Bare wood on the back face takes up moisture and weathers faster than the finished side, and the boards cup unevenly. If the back is a neighbor’s, finish at least the edges and tops, or agree it with them.
Two on weathered wood, one to two on new wood. For a transparent stain put the second coat on while the first is still wet, because a coat that dries first will not soak in.
Stain soaks into the grain and weathers away gradually, so it is re-coated rather than stripped. Paint builds a film that looks uniform but cracks and peels as the boards move. Paint covers slightly more per gallon, which the calculator allows for when you switch.
Water-based fence stain is dry to the touch in 1–2 hours and ready for a second coat after 4 hours. Oil-based is dry to the touch in 6–8 hours, but a penetrating oil stain takes its second coat wet-on-wet, before the first dries, because a dried coat will not soak in; only solid oil stain waits 24 hours between coats. Allow 48–72 hours before use for water-based stain and 72 hours before use for oil-based, depending on temperature and humidity. Our paint drying and recoat times guide has the full chart.
A sprayer is quicker on a long privacy fence, but back-brush the stain right after spraying to push it into the grain. Expect to use 20–40% more product with a sprayer because of overspray. A 4 in brush is slower but wastes less. Tick “Renting a sprayer” and the cost panel adds a day’s rental.
New pressure-treated lumber is too wet to take stain. Wait until it passes the water test: sprinkle water on a board, and if it soaks in within about ten minutes the wood is ready. That usually takes a few weeks to a few months; kiln-dried-after-treatment (KDAT) lumber can be stained sooner.