How to Calculate Deck Stain Coverage

Staining your deck is a great way of restoring the original color of the wood, emphasizing the natural wood grain while at the same time protecting the deck from weather damage. For your deck to look its best, though, you have to apply the stain in a single clear run, without a single stopping point. A common reason for stopping is running out of stain. By the time you get more, the first bit will begin drying, causing a line of discoloration at the stopping point due to differing drying times. You can avoid this problem by calculating the deck stain coverage of your particular brand of stain. The calculations are simple and quick, and after you're done, you’ll know precisely how much stain to buy for a complete job.

Tape measure
Calculator

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the length and width of the deck, and round each measurement upward to the nearest foot. Multiply the two measurements together to calculate the area in square feet of the deck surface that requires staining.
- 2
  Calculate the area of irregularly shaped decks by taking your measurements and making calculations in deck sections. Break up the irregular shapes into smaller regular geometric shapes that you can measure and calculate more easily. Calculate the area for each of the smaller shapes, and then add each of the results together to get the total deck area.
- 3
  Read the manufacturer's instructions printed on the wood stain you wish to use for the deck. Each will provide a coverage amount in square feet, which gives the amount of deck area the stain will cover under normal circumstances.
- 4
  Take the area of the deck in square feet and divide it by the coverage amount listed on the wood stain. The result is the number of bottles needed to cover your particular deck in a single layer of stain. If the manufacturer's instructions call for multiple layers, then multiply the bottle number by the number of coats you need to apply. Add 10 percent to the result when purchasing the stain to ensure that you have enough to account for spillage or other mishaps.

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