Find out how many gallons of stain your fence needs. Enter length, height, sides, and coverage rate to get square footage, gallons to buy, and cost.
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The calculator multiplies fence length by fence height to get the square footage of one side, then multiplies by the number of sides and coats for the total area to stain. Dividing that area by your stain's coverage rate (square feet per gallon) gives the exact gallons needed. Since stain is sold in whole cans and wood absorbs unevenly, the result is rounded up to the next whole gallon, and cost is that rounded amount times the price per gallon. It also shows how many 5-gallon pails the job needs, usually the cheaper buy on long fences. Results are estimates, not professional advice.
The math behind every fence stain estimate is simple and has three steps. First, find the square footage of one side: multiply the fence length in feet by the fence height in feet. A 100-foot fence that is 6 feet tall is 600 square feet per side. Second, multiply by the number of sides you are staining. Most people stain both sides for full protection, which doubles the area to 1,200 square feet in this example. Third, divide the total square footage by the coverage rate printed on your stain can (square feet per gallon). That division gives you the gallons needed. This calculator then rounds the result up to the next whole gallon, because stain is sold in whole cans and running short mid-project ruins the finish where the wet edge dies.
Coverage rates vary a lot between stain types, so always start with the number on the can. Conservative, field-tested defaults when the label is vague: transparent and semi-transparent oil-based stains cover about 175 square feet per gallon on the first coat, while solid stains cover about 250 square feet per gallon. Rough-sawn or weathered boards drink more stain, pushing coverage toward the low end of the label range. A second coat goes up to 50 percent farther than the first because the wood is already partly saturated, and new wood under a year old usually takes only one coat. If your stain label gives a range like 200 to 350 square feet per gallon, estimate toward the bottom end so you buy enough for a full, even coat.
Take a standard 100-foot privacy fence that is 6 feet tall. Staining both sides gives 100 × 6 × 2 = 1,200 square feet. With a semi-transparent stain rated at 175 square feet per gallon, you need 1,200 / 175 = 6.86 gallons, which rounds up to 7 gallons to buy. At $40 per gallon the stain costs 7 × $40 = $280. If the same fence were smooth pine instead of rough cedar, coverage might reach 250 square feet per gallon, needing only 1,200 / 250 = 4.8 gallons, rounded up to 5 gallons at $200. This is why the coverage input matters more than any other number in the calculation.
Wood species, age, and texture change how much stain a fence absorbs. Cedar is light and porous, so a cedar fence needs more stain per square foot than pine. Older fences soak up more than new ones because the pores between wood cells open over time, and rough-sawn boards absorb more than smooth, planed boards. Application method matters too: sprayers lose roughly 10 percent to overspray, while brushes and rollers put more stain into the tool itself. Cut tops and board bottoms (end grain) drink several times what the faces do, so add about 10 percent for end grain. Because of all these variables, treat the calculator result as a baseline and buy one extra gallon as a buffer for touch-ups rather than a second trip to the store.
Measure the total length of every section you plan to stain, including gates, with a tape measure. A quick shortcut is counting the sections between posts: posts are usually spaced 8 feet apart, so 12 sections means roughly 96 feet of fence. Measure the height from the ground to the top of the pickets; common privacy fence heights are 6 and 8 feet. Decide up front whether you are staining one side or both. Staining only the side facing your yard is common, but stain protects wood, so both sides last longer. If your fence has sections of different heights, use the average height across all sections.
Stain itself typically costs $30 to $50 per gallon. A 100-foot, 6-foot privacy fence stained on both sides needs roughly 5 to 8 gallons, putting material cost around $150 to $400. A 150-foot fence needs roughly 8 to 12 gallons, or about $250 to $600 in stain. Doing it yourself adds equipment: a pressure washer rental runs about $80 to $120 for a weekend, and a sprayer rental about $40 to $80 per day. Hiring a professional roughly doubles the total compared with DIY, since labor is the biggest line item. These are rough estimates for budgeting and planning, not professional advice; actual costs depend on your stain choice, fence condition, and local prices.
The coverage rate is the heart of any fence stain estimator. Smooth planed wood typically covers 350 to 450 square feet per gallon; rough-sawn lumber covers only 150 to 250 square feet per gallon. A 5 gallon pail therefore covers about 1,750 to 2,250 square feet on smooth wood. To express that in linear feet, divide by the fence height: one pail on a 6 foot smooth fence covers roughly 290 to 375 linear feet (both sides of a single run). The fence stain cost per linear foot is simply the total cost divided by the total linear feet of fence, so a $210 job on 200 linear feet is $1.05 per linear foot. Coverage drops about 25 percent on a second coat and on weathered, thirsty boards, which is why this calculator asks for coats separately.
Multiply fence length by fence height to get the square footage of one side, double it if staining both sides, multiply by the number of coats, then divide by your stain's coverage rate (square feet per gallon). Round the result up to the next whole gallon. For example, a 100-foot fence at 6 feet tall on both sides is 1,200 square feet; at 175 square feet per gallon you need 7 gallons.
Most fence stains cover 150 to 300 square feet per gallon on the first coat, depending on stain type and wood condition. Transparent and semi-transparent oil-based stains cover about 175 square feet per gallon, while solid stains cover about 250 square feet per gallon. Always check the number printed on the can, since it reflects the actual product formula.
Staining both sides is recommended because stain protects wood from moisture and UV on both faces, which extends the life of the fence. It doubles the square footage and therefore doubles the gallons needed. Staining only the inside or the visible side cuts material cost in half but leaves the other side unprotected.
Measure the total length of all sections you plan to stain, including gates, with a tape measure. A shortcut is counting the sections between posts, which are usually 8 feet apart. Measure the height from the ground to the top of the pickets. If sections differ in height, use the average.
Yes. Cedar absorbs more stain than pine, so coverage per gallon is lower on cedar. Older fences absorb more than new ones because the wood pores open with age, and rough-sawn boards absorb more than smooth, planed boards. When your fence is old, rough, or cedar, estimate toward the low end of the stain's coverage range.
Yes, always round up to the next whole gallon. Wood absorbs stain unevenly, sprayers lose some to overspray, and end grain drinks extra. Buying the rounded-up amount plus one extra gallon for touch-ups is cheaper than a second trip, and a different batch of the same stain color can look slightly different on the fence.
Most fence projects use one or two coats. Penetrating oil stains on weathered wood usually take one heavy coat plus a second where the wood is thirsty; solid stains often need two coats for full coverage. New wood under a year old should get only one coat, since dense new wood will not absorb a second coat properly. Second coats go up to 50 percent farther than the first.
Stain typically costs $30 to $50 per gallon. A 100-foot, 6-foot fence stained on both sides needs roughly 5 to 8 gallons, so budget $150 to $400 for stain. A 150-foot fence needs roughly 8 to 12 gallons, or $250 to $600. Add equipment rentals (pressure washer $80 to $120, sprayer $40 to $80) for DIY, or roughly double the total for professional labor. These are estimates for planning, not quotes.
Yes. The same math works for fence paint: total square footage divided by the paint's coverage rate per gallon. Just use the coverage number printed on the paint can instead of a stain coverage rate, and keep the same rounding-up rule when buying cans.
Plan to restain a fence every 2 to 4 years in most climates, and every 1 to 2 years in harsh sun or heavy rain. Signs it is time: water no longer beads on the surface, the color has turned gray or blotchy, and splintering has started.
Usually no. Solid-color and semi-solid stains already contain waterproofing sealers, so a separate sealer is redundant and can interfere with adhesion. A clear water-repellent sealer makes sense only over bare wood or over a penetrating stain that offers no waterproofing of its own.