Work out how much stain a deck, fence or piece of furniture needs, using the coverage the manufacturer prints for the product you are actually buying — or the number on your own can.
Coverage Calculator
How much does a gallon of stain cover?
It depends on the product far more than most guides admit. On the makers’ own pages, Olympic Maximum exterior stains list 250 to 350 square feet per gallon, while Minwax Wood Finish, an interior oil stain, lists 500 to 600. Gel and water-based interior stains are sold by the quart: Minwax lists 200 and 100 square feet per quart.
Those are the figures the calculator above uses, each linked to its source:
| Product | Use | Coverage (maker) | Coats (maker) | Recoat / dry (maker) |
|---|
Treat them as planning figures, not promises. Both Olympic pages say coverage varies with application, wood texture and porosity, so the calculator takes the low end of the range for rough or weathered wood and the high end for smooth wood. If you are buying to finish a job in one trip, size for the lower end.
Popular Stain Colors
Color swatches are approximations. Actual stain color varies by wood species, grain pattern, and application technique. Always test on scrap wood first.
How much stain does a fence need?
Measure a fence as length × height for each side you are staining. A 100 ft run at 6 ft high is 600 square feet on one face and 1,200 square feet if you do both. That is the number to put into the calculator above — it is the same area arithmetic as a deck, just turned on its side.
Spaced pickets do not reduce it as much as the gaps suggest, because every picket has two edges and the back face of the rail shows through. Measuring the fence as a solid rectangle per side is the usual approximation, and the edges are what the spare coverage goes to. Board-on-board and shadowbox fences overlap, so they have more surface than their footprint implies.
Gallons for a 100 ft × 6 ft fence, rough or weathered boards
| Product | sq ft / gal (low end) | Coats | One side (600 sq ft) | Both sides (1,200 sq ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Maximum Semi-Transparent | 250 | 1 | 2.4 gal | 4.8 gal |
| Olympic Maximum Solid Color | 250 | 2 (required) | 4.8 gal | 9.6 gal |
Most fences are softwood — pine, cedar or spruce — and outdoors they weather, which is why the table uses the rough end of the range. The Olympic semi-transparent page does not state a coat count, so the table shows one; the solid-color page says solid stains require two. Set the coat count in the calculator rather than doubling the gallons by hand.
Stain Type Comparison
| Property | Oil-Based | Water-Based | Gel Stain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Minwax Wood Finish: 500–600 sq ft/gal (interior) | Minwax Water-Based Semi-Transparent: 100 sq ft/quart | Minwax Gel Stain: 200 sq ft/quart |
| Recoat (maker) | 2–3 hours | 1 hour | 6 hours (8–10 to darken) |
| Coats (maker) | 1, recoat to darken | 2 | 1 |
| Odor | Strong (use ventilation) | Low | Moderate |
| Cleanup | Mineral spirits | Soap and water | Mineral spirits |
| Penetration | Deep | Moderate | Surface (minimal) |
| Grain Raising | No | Yes | No |
| Best For | Most projects, deep color | Quick projects, low odor | Blotch-prone woods, vertical surfaces |
Coverage, recoat and coat rows are from the Minwax product pages linked in the sources below. The earlier version of this table gave generic ranges for each stain type; we replaced them with the figures for named products because generic ranges could not be traced to a source — and Minwax’s gel stain covers far more per gallon-equivalent than the old range said.
Application Tips
- Sand before staining. Very fine grits can close pores and reduce how much stain the wood takes — follow the grit on your product’s label.
- Use pre-stain conditioner on blotch-prone woods like pine, cherry, birch, and maple.
- Apply with the grain using a brush, rag, or foam applicator, then wipe away the excess. Minwax’s directions note that the longer you wait before wiping, the darker the color.
- Wipe consistently - leaving stain on longer makes it darker, so maintain even timing across the piece.
- Temperature matters - Olympic gives 50–85°F (10–29°C) as the optimal range for its exterior stains to dry in 24 hours. Cold slows drying; heat causes lap marks.
- Test first - always test on scrap wood or an inconspicuous area. Stain looks different on every species.
- Between coats - follow the label: Minwax says not to sand between coats of its water-based and gel stains.
- Topcoat required - interior stain adds color but not protection. Apply a clear finish (polyurethane, lacquer, etc.) over it.
Stain Needed by Area and Number of Coats
Every figure comes from the calculator above with an exterior product on rough or weathered wood: Olympic Maximum at the low end of its printed range, 250 square feet per gallon. Find your surface area on the left; a 12 by 16 foot deck is 192 square feet, so read the 200 row. On smooth new boards the same product reaches 350 square feet per gallon and every figure here drops to about seven-tenths.
| Surface area | 1 coat | 2 coats | 3 coats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 sq ft | 0.20 gal | 0.40 gal | 0.60 gal |
| 100 sq ft | 0.40 gal | 0.80 gal | 1.20 gal |
| 150 sq ft | 0.60 gal | 1.20 gal | 1.80 gal |
| 200 sq ft | 0.80 gal | 1.60 gal | 2.40 gal |
| 300 sq ft | 1.20 gal | 2.40 gal | 3.60 gal |
| 400 sq ft | 1.60 gal | 3.20 gal | 4.80 gal |
| 500 sq ft | 2.00 gal | 4.00 gal | 6.00 gal |
| 650 sq ft | 2.60 gal | 5.20 gal | 7.80 gal |
| 800 sq ft | 3.20 gal | 6.40 gal | 9.60 gal |
Every value in this table is the calculator’s own output · 250 sq ft per gallon, the low end of the Olympic Maximum label range · smooth wood at 350 needs about seven-tenths as much · buy a little over and keep the leftover for touch-ups
Further reading
Calculate wood stain coverage for your project. Estimate quantity needed by area, coats, and wood type. Compare oil-based, water-based, and gel stain with color previews.
Related tools
Sources
Every coverage, coat and timing figure on this page is copied from the manufacturer’s product page for a named product. We are not affiliated with either brand.
- Olympic Maximum Semi-Transparent Low VOC — approximately 250 to 350 sq ft per gallon.
- Olympic Maximum Solid Color Low VOC — approximately 250 to 350 sq ft per gallon depending on application, wood texture and porosity; solid color stains require two coats; dries in 24 hours at 50–85°F.
- Minwax Wood Finish (oil-based, interior) — 500–600 sq ft per gallon, 1 coat, recoat 2–3 hours.
- Minwax Wood Finish Water-Based Semi-Transparent — 100 sq ft per quart, 2 coats, recoat 1 hour, do not sand between coats.
- Minwax Gel Stain — 200 sq ft per quart, 1 coat, recoat 6 hours (8–10 hours to darken), dry 24–48 hours.
Checked 2026-10-09. Makers change formulas and labels; the can in your hand wins — use the “Other” option to enter its figure.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the wood type change how much stain I need?
Because rough or weathered wood drinks more of it. Olympic’s exterior stain pages give 250 to 350 square feet per gallon “depending on application, wood texture and porosity”. The calculator uses the low end, 250, for rough-sawn or weathered boards and the high end, 350, for smooth wood — a 40 percent spread, so getting the surface right matters as much as getting the area exactly right.
Does a second coat need as much as the first?
In this calculator, yes — it multiplies the area by the number of coats at the same rate, because none of the product pages it uses gives a separate second-coat figure. In practice a second coat on a sealed surface often goes further, so treat two coats as an upper estimate. Follow the maker’s coat count: Olympic says solid-color stains need two, and Minwax lists two for its water-based semi-transparent stain and one for Wood Finish and Gel Stain.
How does stain type change the numbers?
A lot, and not always the way generic guides say. Minwax Wood Finish, an interior oil stain, lists 500 to 600 square feet per gallon; Minwax Gel Stain lists 200 square feet per quart, which is 800 per gallon-equivalent; the water-based semi-transparent lists 100 per quart. Exterior Olympic Maximum stains list 250 to 350 per gallon. Pick the product you are buying, or type the coverage from your own can.
Should I buy exactly what the calculator says?
Round up. The tool already tells you which cans to buy, and a part-used can is far cheaper than stopping mid-job to find a second one — stain from a different batch can dry to a slightly different shade. Keep the leftover for touch-ups.