How the fence stain calculator works
Both faces, plus the waste
Board area = run × height × 2 sides, minus small gaps between pickets (typically ~10% for spaced picket, ~0% for solid board-on-board). Rough-sawn wood drinks stain at the low end of coverage ratings; plan at the label's pessimistic number and round up to whole gallons.
Stain vs paint on fences
Penetrating stain soaks in, never peels, and re-stains without scraping — the low-lifetime-labor choice. Film-forming paint looks crisp and fails by peeling on horizontal weather faces — budget for scraping every re-coat. For fences, stain wins the lifetime math in most climates.
Application economics
- Pump sprayer + back-brush covers 3–4× faster than brush alone and pushes stain into the grain.
- Stain the day it's dry: new pressure-treated lumber needs 4–8 weeks to dry enough to absorb — test with a few drops of water; absorption means ready.
- Work two rails at a time, full length — stopping mid-board leaves lap marks that last as long as the stain.