Ask three Austin staining companies what a fence costs and you will get a per-linear-foot number from each, and they will not agree. That is not because one of them is lying. It is because "per foot" hides the things that actually set the price: whether the fence is 6 or 8 feet tall, whether you want one face or both, and whether the cedar is still tan or has gone gray and needs to be brought back before stain will hold. A per-foot price given without seeing the fence is a guess dressed up as a rate.
So instead of a rate, here is the whole picture: the range, the seven factors that move a fence inside it, three example fences, what a job includes, and what doing it yourself really costs. If you would rather skip the reading, send us the address and two photos and we will text you a firm number.
The range, and why a per-foot number is a guess
For most privacy fences in Austin and the suburbs, staining runs $700 to $2,000. A short, new, one-sided fence sits near the bottom. A long, gray, two-sided fence on a corner lot pushes the top, and some go past it, which we say in the quote rather than on the day.
Per-linear-foot pricing sounds precise, but a 6-foot fence has a quarter less surface than an 8-foot fence at the same footage, and both sides doubles the surface again. Condition changes the labor more than the footage does. Two fences with the same length can sit at opposite ends of the range, so we do not quote a rate. We quote the fence.
What moves the price
| Factor | What it does to the price |
|---|---|
| Linear feet | The base. We measure it from satellite imagery, so you do not need to walk it with a tape. |
| Height, 6 ft vs 8 ft | An 8-foot fence carries a third more surface than a 6-foot fence of the same length, and needs more stain and more masking time. |
| One side or both | Both sides is close to double the surface. It is the better outcome for the wood; one side is the better budget outcome and still a real improvement. |
| Condition | New cedar is the cheapest to stain. Faded-but-tan needs a clean. Gray needs a brightener soak, a rinse, and a full dry before stain will penetrate. |
| Gates and sections | Every gate, step-down, and corner is hand work: hardware masked, both faces brushed, edges cut in. |
| Access and masking | Pools, limestone, stucco, and planting beds along the fence line all get covered before the sprayer starts. A bare grass run needs almost none. |
| Tone | Semi-transparent is the standard. Solid stain costs more in product and in coats, and is usually the choice for older wood you want to hide rather than show. |
Three fences, three places in the range
These are described by where they land rather than a dollar figure, because the figure depends on the photos.
A 100-foot new cedar fence, one side
Builder fence on a small lot, went up a couple of months ago, still tan. No brightener, little masking, one pass with the sprayer and a back-brush behind it. This is the lower half of the range, near the bottom of it, and the cheapest coat this fence will ever get.
A 160-foot faded fence, both sides
A typical Austin lot, six or seven years old, stained once and now blond on the south run. Both neighbors are in, so both faces get done. The clean is light but the surface has doubled, and there are two gates. This is the middle of the range, moving toward the upper half if there is a pool or a lot of stone to mask.
A 280-foot corner-lot gray fence
Corner lots in Circle C, Steiner Ranch, or Teravista often carry 250 feet or more, and a fence that has never been stained is silver all the way around. That is a full brightener treatment, a two-day dry, and a lot of stain. One side lands in the upper half; both sides goes past the top of the range, and the quote will say so plainly.
What is included, and what is not
Every fence job includes:
- A low-pressure clean and, where the wood has grayed, a wood brightener to bring it back to tan.
- A minimum 48-hour dry after cleaning and after any rain, because stain on damp cedar does not penetrate.
- Masking of plants, stone, pool decks, and the neighbor's side if they are not in.
- An airless spray of oil-based stain, back-brushed so it goes into the grain instead of sitting on top.
- Photos in your text thread when we finish.
What is not included: replacing posts, replacing whole runs of boards, or stripping paint. We will swap a rotten picket so the stain has something to hold. A fence that is leaning or has soft posts needs a fence company before it needs us, and we say so in the quote. See fence restoration for the line between what we fix and what we do not.
Doing it yourself versus hiring it out
Plain terms. A DIY fence stain for an average lot commonly runs a few hundred dollars in materials: stain, brightener, a sprayer rental or a lot of brushes, drop cloths, and plastic. Add a weekend: a cleaning day, a dry day you cannot skip, then a spray day that runs long because cutting in at gates and posts is slow.
The step most people skip is the back-brush. Sprayed stain that is not brushed in sits on the surface, looks fine for a season, and fades or flakes in months. If you do it yourself, brush behind the sprayer, work in the shade, and do not spray on a day over 90°F. The difference between the DIY number and ours is mostly labor, and it comes with someone else cleaning the sprayer.
How our quote works
You send the address and a couple of photos through the quote form. We measure the fence from satellite imagery, read the condition from your photos, and text you a firm price, usually within the hour. Firm means the number does not change when the truck arrives, unless you add something on the day, and then we price it before we do it. Nobody comes out to look first.
Choosing between the semi-transparent tones does not move the price; solid stain does. Pick from the six tones we use most or send a photo of a neighbor's fence to match. For how the work itself goes, see Austin fence staining. Ready for the number? Get your firm price.
Straight answers
How much does it cost to stain a fence in Austin?
Most privacy fences run $700 to $2,000. Length, height, one side or both, and whether the wood has gone gray are what put a fence in the lower or upper half. We text a firm price from satellite footage and your photos.
What is the fence staining price per linear foot?
We do not quote by the foot, because a 6-foot one-sided new fence and an 8-foot two-sided gray fence of the same length cost very different amounts. Any per-foot number given without seeing the fence is a guess. Send photos and we will quote the actual fence.
Does staining both sides cost twice as much?
Close to it. The surface doubles, and so do the stain and the brush time. The cleaning and masking are shared, which is why it is a little less than double. Many people stain their side and offer to split the other with the neighbor.
Is a gray fence more expensive to stain?
Yes. Gray cedar needs a brightener soak and a second rinse to bring it back to tan, plus a full dry, before stain will penetrate. It is still far cheaper than replacing the fence, and the color comes back. See fence restoration for what that involves.
Is there a fee for the quote or a visit first?
No. The quote is free and there is no visit before it. We measure from satellite imagery and your photos, and the price we text is firm before we come out.