Fence staining, priced by the linear foot and by both sides

What is fence staining?

Fence staining is the cleaning and coating of fence boards, rails and posts with an exterior wood stain. Unlike a deck, a fence is vertical - it sheds water and is never walked on - which makes it a far more forgiving surface and opens up product choices that would peel on a deck floor. The two things that actually drive the price are the enormous surface area per linear foot and whether you are coating one face or both.

Signs you need fence staining

• The wood has greyed and the original colour is gone
• Water soaks straight into the boards instead of beading
• Green or black growth is spreading on the shaded, north-facing side
• Boards are starting to check and split at the surface but are still sound
• A new fence has dried out and is ready for its first coat
• The existing coating has faded unevenly or is flaking on the sun-facing side
• You are selling, and a grey fence is dragging down an otherwise tidy yard

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How fence staining actually works

1. 1

   Measuring, and settling the both-sides question

   Fences are quoted by linear foot and height, then multiplied by faces. Coating both sides is close to double the work, and on a boundary fence the far side may not be yours to coat.

   Watch forA quote that does not say how many faces. It is the single largest variable in the price and the most common source of a disagreement at the end of the job.

2. 2

   Checking the posts and the ground line

   Posts are checked at ground level, which is where fences fail. A post that gives when pushed, or that has soft wood at the soil line, is a replacement, not a staining candidate.

   Watch forStaining a fence with failing posts. It is money spent on a structure that is coming down, and the fresh coating makes the failure look sudden when it arrives.

3. 3

   Cleaning

   The fence is washed with a wood cleaner to remove dirt, mildew and the degraded grey surface fibres. Growth on the shaded side needs a treatment that kills it rather than pressure alone.

   Watch forHigh-pressure washing on soft cedar or pine fence boards. It erodes the grain and leaves a furry surface that drinks stain unevenly and looks worse than what you started with.

4. 4

   Brightening and drying

   A brightener neutralises the cleaner and restores wood colour, then the fence dries. Vertical boards dry considerably faster than deck boards, but they still need real time.

   Watch forSame-day cleaning and staining. The wood may feel dry on the surface within hours and still be wet enough underneath to reject the stain.

5. 5

   Protecting everything nearby

   Fences run alongside lawns, planting beds, patios, cars and neighbours' property. Ground, plants and hard surfaces along the whole run are protected before any product is opened.

   Watch forSpray application with minimal masking on a windy day. Overspray onto a neighbour's car or a patio is the most common expensive incident on this job, and drift travels further than people expect.

6. 6

   Choosing product and opacity

   Because a fence sheds water and takes no foot traffic, semi-transparent, semi-solid and solid stains all perform reasonably. More pigment means more UV protection and longer intervals; less pigment shows more grain.

   Watch forA very light or clear finish specified for a fence in full sun. Clear products offer the least UV protection, and the fence will grey again quickly. Some pigment is doing real work.

7. 7

   Application - spray, back-brush or brush

   Most contractors spray for speed and then back-brush to work the product into the grain. Brushing alone gives the best penetration and takes far longer, which is directly reflected in the price.

   Watch forSpray-only application with no back-brushing on rough-sawn boards. The stain bridges the surface texture rather than soaking in, and it wears off early and patchily.

8. 8

   End grain, tops and the bottom rail

   Board tops, cut ends and the bottom rail take up far more water than the faces do. A thorough job deliberately loads product into those areas.

   Watch forBoard tops left uncoated because they are not visible from standing height. Water enters end grain first, and that is where rot starts.

What does fence staining cost?

Fence staining is priced per linear foot by height, and roughly doubles if both faces are coated. Brushing costs considerably more than spraying. Stripping a failed solid coating, or replacing rotted boards, are separate line items. See the Cost Guide for ranges.

See the full fence staining cost guide - by material, size and region →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →