Fence stain calculator

Enter the length, the height and the style of the fence. We work out the wood to stain on one side or both, frame included, and turn it into gallons at the spread rate on the can.

Fence length, feetFence height, feetFence styleSides to stainRails per sectionThree on a 6 ft fence, two on a short one.StainWood surfaceMost fence boards are rough-sawn and soak up more stain.CoatsOlympic: one spread rate is given, so a second coat is figured at the same rate.

Buy 7 gallons, or 2 five-gallon pails. That covers 1,556 sq ft of fence, 1 coat: the first at 250 sq ft per gallon, 6.2 gallons before rounding.

Boards: 1,200 sq ft, both sides
Edges and tops: 120 sq ft
Posts and rails: 236 sq ft: 14 posts, 3 rails a section
Price: $324.96: 1 x 5 gal at $229.00 + 2 x 1 gal at $47.98, Home Depot Hamilton Mill, read Nov 6, 2026, before tax

Spread rates are from the maker's product page; rough wood takes the low end of the range, smooth wood the high end, which is our reading, so check your can. A sprayer uses more than a brush or a roller; back-brush what you spray.

Building the fence first? Fence calculator

Posts, rails, pickets and concrete for a wood fence.

Planning figures. Spread rates vary with the wood, the weather and how you apply it; follow the label on the can.

How the fence stain calculator works

Enter the length and height of the fence, the style and whether you stain one side or both. The fence stain calculator works out the board area, takes the gaps out of a picket fence, adds 10% for edges and tops, adds the posts and rails when you stain the frame side, and divides by the spread rate of the stain you pick, coat by coat.

The wood to cover

A 100 ft privacy fence 6 ft tall is 600 sq ft a side, 1,200 sq ft for both. The edges add 120 sq ft, and the 14 posts and 3 rails on the back add 236 sq ft: 1,556 sq ft in all. A picket fence with 3.5 in boards and 2.5 in gaps is 58% wood, so it takes far less.

Gallons and price

At 250 sq ft per gallon the example is 6.2 gallons; buy 7, or 2 five-gallon pails, $324.96 in Olympic Maximum at the shelf price. A solid color stain in two coats, Behr's label, needs 11.7 gallons for the same fence.

Fence stain by fence size

Fence	Sq ft to stain	Gallons, 1 coat at 250	Buy
50 ft privacy, 6 ft, one side	330	1.3	2 gal
50 ft privacy, 6 ft, both sides	783	3.1	4 gal
100 ft privacy, 6 ft, one side	660	2.6	3 gal
100 ft privacy, 6 ft, both sides	1,556	6.2	7 gal
150 ft privacy, 6 ft, both sides	2,329	9.3	10 gal
100 ft picket, 4 ft, both sides	671	2.7	3 gal

The same fence, stain by stain

Stain	Coats	Gallons for 100 ft, both sides
Olympic Maximum Semi-Transparent Stain and Sealant in One	1	6.2
Behr Premium Transparent Waterproofing Wood Finish	2	7.8
Behr Premium Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Stain & Sealer	2	9.3
Behr Premium Solid Color Waterproofing Stain & Sealer	2	11.7
Cabot Australian Timber Oil	1	6.2
Cabot Semi-Transparent Deck & Siding Acrylic Stain	1	15.6

Staining a new fence

New pressure-treated boards are often too wet to take stain; the maker's label says how long to wait and how to test. Cedar and redwood can usually be stained sooner. Plan the fence with the fence calculator and price it with the fence cost calculator.

Where the numbers come from

Spread rates and coat counts are from each maker's product page, read Nov 6, 2026, the same figures as our deck stain calculator. Shelf prices are the Home Depot Hamilton Mill store (ZIP 30011), before tax, read on the date shown in the calculator. The frame (8 ft post spacing, 4x4 posts, 2x4 rails), the picket default (3.5 in boards, 2.5 in gaps), the 10% for edges and the rough or smooth reading of each range are editorial.

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Questions

Anything else? Write to us or see every calculator.

Questions people ask

Multiply the length by the height for one side, double it for both, and add the posts, rails and edges; then divide by the spread rate on the can. A 100 ft privacy fence 6 ft tall, both sides, is about 1,556 sq ft of wood. At 250 sq ft per gallon, one coat of a semi-transparent stain on rough boards, that is 6.2 gallons: buy 7.

Whatever the can says, and it is a range. Olympic Maximum semi-transparent gives 250 to 350 sq ft per gallon; Behr's solid color gives 200 to 400 for the first coat. Rough-sawn fence boards drink stain, so we start at the low end for them.

Per 8 ft section, about 129.1 sq ft both sides with the posts and rails, or 52.8 sq ft for the good side only. For 100 ft that is 7 gallons both sides or 3 one side, in one coat at 250 sq ft per gallon.

Wood moves and weathers on both faces, so staining both protects it best, and it takes about 2.4 times the stain of one side because the frame side has posts and rails. If the back faces a neighbor, ask before you stain it, and do not let spray drift onto their side.