Enter your Deck Length and Deck Width, then toggle on Include Railing or Include Steps to add those surfaces — the Deck Stain Calculator adds up your Total Area (broken out into Deck Surface, Railing, and Steps Area) and tells you exactly how much Stain you need to buy.
Stain Needed
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Total Area
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Deck Surface Area
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Railing Area
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Steps Area
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For a 400 sq ft deck with semi-transparent stain (175 sq ft coverage per gallon), you would need approximately 2.3 gallons. It's recommended to round up to 3 gallons to ensure complete coverage.
Coverage depends on stain type: solid stains cover about 150 sq ft per gallon, semi-transparent stains cover 175 sq ft per gallon, and clear stains cover up to 225 sq ft per gallon.
Yes, railings add significant surface area to your project. Measure the total linear feet of railing and multiply by the height to get the square footage that needs staining.
Absolutely. Steps have both treads and risers that need staining. Each step adds the width times the depth plus the width times the rise height to your total area.
Solid stains are thicker and provide less coverage per gallon than transparent stains. The opacity and thickness of the stain directly affects how much surface area one gallon can cover.
Yes, it's recommended to purchase 10-15% extra stain to account for wood porosity, application method variations, and future touch-ups. Wood age and condition also affect absorption rates.
Measure the length and width of the main deck surface. For railings, measure the total linear feet and height. For steps, count the number of steps and measure width and depth of each tread.
While this calculator is optimized for decks, you can use it for fences by treating the fence panels as deck area and measuring the total length times height of the fence sections.