# Fence painting vs staining: cost, looks and how long each lasts

URL: https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/fence-painting-vs-staining/  
Updated: 2026-10-13  
By: Hotiv Landscaping, Markham, Ontario. Call or text (437) 684-2535.

**Short answer:** Paint and solid-colour stain form a film on a wood fence and last longest: about 6 to 10 years on smooth pine with a primer and two top coats, according to the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Oil-based semi-transparent stain soaks in, shows the grain and fades instead of peeling, but one coat lasts 2 to 4 years on smooth new wood. Most latex paint needs nights above 10°C, so in Markham and the GTA, June to early September is safest.

Paint lasts longer on a wood fence, and stain is easier to live with. Paint and solid-colour stain sit on the wood as a film, hide the grain and can go 6–10 years on smooth pine boards before they need redoing.

An oil-based semi-transparent stain soaks in, lets the grain show and fades rather than peeling. On smooth new boards, one coat is good for about 2–4 years.

If you'd rather not do the fence painting yourself, see our [fence painting and staining service](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/fence-painting-staining/).

## Key numbers

- Paint on smooth pine boards: 6–10 years
- Semi-transparent stain, smooth wood: 2–4 years
- Latex paint needs: 10°C or warmer for 24 hours
- Safest months in the GTA: June to early September
- Wait on new pressure-treated wood: About 60 days

## What's the difference between paint and stain on a fence?

The difference is whether the finish forms a film on top of the wood or soaks into it. You're choosing between three products:

- Paint is the most heavily pigmented film. It hides the grain completely, gives you any colour you like and offers the most protection from sun.
- Solid-colour stain (also sold as opaque or full-body stain) behaves much like a thin paint. It hides the grain but often leaves a little of the board texture showing.
- Semi-transparent stain is a penetrating finish. The colour soaks in, the grain stays visible, and oil-based versions fade and erode as they weather instead of flaking.

One catch on that last point: water-based (latex) semi-transparent stains form a thin film instead. The Wood Handbook says they tend to crack and flake.

*Image: Two fence board cross-sections: paint drawn as a film on top of the board with one end peeling up, and oil-based stain drawn soaked into the top of the wood. Paint and solid-colour stain sit on the wood as a film; semi-transparent stain soaks in*

The U.S. General Services Administration's guidance on wood stains says penetrating stains "will not peel, flake or blister". Opaque stains, it says, form a film and are subject to peeling "just as paint is".

So a painted fence that has started to peel needs scraping and sanding. A tired oil-stained fence mostly needs a wash and another coat.

## How long does each finish last on a fence?

Paint lasts longest, solid-colour stain comes close, and semi-transparent stain needs redoing soonest. A 14-year outdoor study by the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, on cedar siding in Wisconsin and Mississippi, found the same order, with water repellents shortest of all.

The laboratory's Wood Handbook gives these expected service lives for siding, the closest match in its tables to vertical fence boards:

| Wood and surface | Semi-transparent stain | Solid-colour stain | Paint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine, fir or spruce, smooth boards | 2–3 years | 6–8 years | 6–10 years |
| Pine, fir or spruce, rough-sawn | 4–7 years | 8–10 years | 8–12 years |
| Cedar, smooth flat-grain boards | 2–4 years | 6–10 years | 8–12 years |
| Cedar, rough-sawn | 4–8 years | 10–15 years | 15–20 years |

Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook (2010), Table 16–4.

The paint figures assume one primer and two top coats. The handbook says a primer and a single top coat lasts about half as long.

They're also U.S. averages, and the handbook says climate and exposure change them. A fence with its bottom boards buried in mulch or snow all winter is unlikely to get there.

> **Good to know:** Sun matters as much as the product. The Wood Handbook says paint on the north side of a building lasts about twice as long as paint on the south side. On a GTA fence, expect to recoat the sunny south-facing side more often than the shady side.

## What does fence painting cost compared with staining?

Fence painting costs more up front, and staining costs more often. A first paint job needs a primer plus two top coats, which is more product and more labour than one or two coats of stain. Sherwin-Williams notes that stain usually costs less per gallon and generally doesn't need a primer.

In return, paint lasts roughly three times as long on smooth boards. A stained fence needs fresh coats more often, but each one is quicker because there's nothing to scrape.

We haven't found a reliable GTA price survey for fence painting, so there's no dollar figure here. You can work out how much product the job takes, though.

Here's a worked example using the coverage figures in the Wood Handbook, for a board fence 100 ft long and 6 ft tall (about 30 m by 1.8 m):

1. One side is 600 sq ft, or about 56 m². Both sides come to about 1,200 sq ft.
2. Semi-transparent stain covers about 200–400 sq ft per US gallon (3.78 L) on smooth wood and 100–200 sq ft on rough or weathered wood. That's 3 to 6 gallons per coat for both sides of a new smooth fence, or 6 to 12 gallons for an old grey one.
3. Primer covers about 250–300 sq ft per gallon on smooth bare wood, so the first paint job needs 4 to 5 gallons of primer before any top coat.
4. For a later repaint, the handbook puts top-coat coverage at about 400 sq ft per gallon, or 3 gallons per top coat.

Add a little for posts and rails.

On a hired job, labour is usually the bigger cost. Fixr's cost guide says it's typically the bulk of a fence painting bill, so prep time, hand-brushed lattice and repairs move the price more than the product does.

## Can you switch from stain to paint, or from paint to stain?

Going from stain to paint is usually workable, and going from paint back to stain is a big job.

A fence finished in semi-transparent stain can be washed, scuff-sanded where the wood has gone grey, primed and painted or coated with solid-colour stain. Solid-colour stain can also go over sound paint.

> **Watch out:** The other direction doesn't work without stripping. The Wood Handbook says not to put oil-based semi-transparent stain over solid-colour stain or paint, because it can't soak in through the film.

Sherwin-Williams also says sticking with the same finish is usually easier. If your fence is painted now, plan on painting it again.

## When can you paint or stain a fence in Ontario?

In the GTA, the safest window for latex paint and stain is June to early September. The Wood Handbook says latex paint needs 10°C or warmer for 24 hours (while it goes on and for the day after), because most latex paints don't form a proper film below 10°C.

Oil-based paint can go on at 4°C or warmer. Some products are rated colder, so check the can.

Climate normals for Toronto Buttonville, the Environment Canada station in Markham, show how that plays out:

| Month | Average daytime high | Average overnight low |
|---|---|---|
| May | 19.1°C | 6.8°C |
| June | 24.6°C | 12.6°C |
| July | 27.1°C | 15.2°C |
| August | 26.0°C | 14.3°C |
| September | 21.5°C | 9.9°C |
| October | 14.1°C | 3.6°C |

*Image: Bar chart of average overnight lows at Toronto Buttonville from May to October, with June, July and August above a dashed 10°C line. Average overnight lows at Toronto Buttonville against the 10°C most latex paint needs*

May and September are workable when you pick a warm stretch. By October the average low is 3.6°C and about 7 nights a month dip to freezing or below, which is too cold for most latex coatings even after a sunny afternoon.

Each of those months also averages about 10 to 13 days with at least a trace of rain, so watch the forecast. Before you open the can, check the conditions the GSA's stain guidance and the Wood Handbook ask for:

1. No rain or mist in the forecast.
2. Humidity under 85%.
3. No direct sun on the surface you're coating.
4. Enough time to finish before evening, since the handbook warns against painting late in the day when heavy dew is expected.

A new pressure-treated fence needs time first. Viance, which makes the preservatives used in pressure-treated lumber, says treated wood is typically ready for a finish about 60 days after installation, though sun and weather change that.

> **Good to know:** Viance suggests a quick readiness test: sprinkle a few drops of water on a board. If they soak in readily, it's ready. If they bead up, wait.

## Mistakes that make a fence finish fail early

1. Painting grey, weathered boards without sanding. The Wood Handbook says paint on weathered wood often fails over large areas, and even two weeks outdoors weakens how well smooth wood holds paint.
2. Coating pressure-treated wood before it has dried out.
3. Putting a single coat of solid-colour stain on smooth boards. The handbook says it tends to crack and flake, because one coat leaves too weak a film.
4. Brushing on more semi-transparent stain than the wood can absorb. The excess dries as a shiny film that flakes, so wipe off what hasn't soaked in after about an hour.
5. Skipping the ends of boards. The handbook warns that film finishes on fences trap moisture when the end grain isn't sealed, so brush the cut ends and the bottom edges too.
6. Painting over mildew and dirt. Our guide on [pressure washing decks, fences and interlock](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/pressure-washing-wood-pavers/) covers washing wood without furring it up.

*Image: Lower half of a grey-green painted board fence with paint curling off in strips, bare grey wood showing near the grass. Paint peeling from weathered fence boards, the kind of failure that needs scraping and sanding*

## How to choose for your fence

Start with what's on the fence now:

| Your fence now | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Painted, paint mostly sound | Paint again or use solid-colour stain |
| Bare, grey or weathered | Semi-transparent stain |
| Had a penetrating stain before | Semi-transparent stain again |
| Mix of new and old boards | Paint or solid-colour stain to even it out |
| Cedar you want to keep looking like cedar | Semi-transparent stain |

Semi-transparent stain is the low-fuss option and suits old weathered wood well. Paint or solid-colour stain is the way to match a fence to the house trim.

Decks take a beating that fences don't, and our [deck staining guide](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/deck-staining-guide/) covers the finishes that suit them. If the deck is next on the list, [what deck staining costs](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/deck-staining-cost/) has the published price ranges.

If you're building a new fence first, check the [fence height rules in Markham and Toronto](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/fence-rules-markham-toronto/).

## When it's worth getting help

A short board fence on a dry summer weekend is a fair DIY job. It's worth calling someone when the fence is long or tall, both sides need doing, the old paint is peeling in strips, there's lattice to brush by hand, or boards and posts need fixing first.

We wash, prep and paint or coat fences across [Markham](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/areas/markham/) and nearby. Loose boards and rails can be fixed first through our [deck and fence repair](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/deck-fence-repair/) work.

Our [fence restoration project](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/projects/fence-restoration/) shows faded, peeling screens after a wash and a fresh coat of paint.

For a free quote, [text a photo of your fence](sms:+14376842535?&body=Hi%20Hotiv%2C%20I%27d%20like%20a%20quote.%20Here%20are%20some%20photos%20of%20the%20area%3A) to [(437) 684-2535](tel:+14376842535) or ask through our [fence painting and staining page](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/services/fence-painting-staining/).

## Other questions people ask

### Is it good to stain a fence?

Yes, as long as you're happy to recoat it every few years. A penetrating stain soaks into the wood, keeps the grain visible and wears away gradually instead of peeling, so the next coat is mostly a wash and reapply. The trade-off is service life: the USDA Forest Products Laboratory puts one coat on smooth new wood at 2 to 4 years. Rough-sawn or weathered boards hold more stain and last longer.

### What month is best to paint a fence?

In the GTA, June, July and August are the safest months. Unless the can says otherwise, latex paints and stains need at least 10°C during application and for the next 24 hours, and at Toronto Buttonville the average overnight low is about 12.6°C in June but only 6.8°C in May and 3.6°C in October. May and September work on warm spells. Pick a dry stretch and finish early enough that evening dew doesn't land on wet paint.

### Can I paint over my stained fence?

Usually, yes. A fence finished with semi-transparent stain can be cleaned, scuff-sanded where the wood has gone grey, primed and painted, or coated with solid-colour stain. The Forest Products Laboratory says film-forming finishes don't bond to weathered wood, so the prep matters more than the paint. Going the other way is harder: a penetrating stain can't soak through old paint, so switching from paint to stain means stripping it.

### Can you stain a 20 year old fence?

Often, if the boards and posts are still sound. Old, weathered wood is quite absorbent, and the Forest Products Laboratory calls semi-transparent stain an excellent finish for weathered wood. Brush or wash off the loose grey fibres and mildew first, let it dry, and check for soft or rotten spots at the bottom of boards and posts. Paint is the riskier choice on a fence like this, because paint applied to weathered wood tends to fail over large areas.

### How much does it cost to paint a wooden fence?

It depends on the length and height, one side or both, how much old paint has to come off, and how many coats the product needs. We haven't found a reliable published price survey for fence painting in the GTA, so we don't quote a number here. Material is the easy part to estimate: measure the area and divide by the coverage on the can. Cost guides such as Fixr say labour is usually the bulk of the bill.

## Sources

1. [USDA Forest Products Laboratory: Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-190), chapter 16, Finishing of Wood](https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/37440.pdf)
2. [Williams and Feist (USDA Forest Products Laboratory): Service life of finishes on smooth-planed and saw-textured western redcedar bevel siding (JCT CoatingsTech, 2007)](https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/36613.pdf)
3. [U.S. General Services Administration: Applying a semitransparent or opaque stain to wood](https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/historic-preservation/historic-preservation-policy-tools/preservation-tools-resources/technical-procedures/applying-a-semitransparent-or-opaque-stain-to-wood)
4. [Sherwin-Williams: When to stain vs. paint wood](https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/project-center/stain/stain-vs-paint-wood)
5. [Viance (TreatedWood.com): Staining decks and fences](https://www.treatedwood.com/news/staining-decks-and-fences)
6. [Fixr: Cost to paint or stain a fence](https://www.fixr.com/costs/paint-fence)
7. [Environment and Climate Change Canada: Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010, Toronto Buttonville A](https://api.weather.gc.ca/collections/climate-normals/items?CLIMATE_IDENTIFIER=615HMAK&f=html)

## Related guides

- [Pressure washing decks, fences and interlock without damage](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/pressure-washing-wood-pavers/)
- [Deck staining in Ontario: when to stain, when not to, and which stain](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/deck-staining-guide/)
- [Fence permits and height rules in Markham and Toronto](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/fence-rules-markham-toronto/)
- [How to fix a leaning or rotten fence post (and when the whole section needs replacing)](https://hotivlandscaping.ca/guides/fix-leaning-fence-post/)