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Stain chart
Put your area, coverage per gallon and waste allowance in: 400 sq ft at 10% waste needs 1.76 gallons exact, order 2.
★ CONSTRUCTION · STAIN · COVERAGE CHART
Stain Coverage Chart: 2 Gallons for 400 Sq Ft at 10% Waste
On the defaults — 400 square feet at 10% waste with 250 square feet per gallon coverage — you need 440.00 square feet of stain, 1.76 gallons exact, so order 2 gallons. This is the STAIN version — area times waste divided by coverage, with a lookup table for every common area and coverage — the paint-chart page is the PAINT version — the same divide-and-round-up model counted in topcoat gallons; the primer-chart page is the PRIMER version — the same model counted in primer gallons; the drywall-chart page is the SHEET version — the same model counted in sheets; and the stain-coverage-chart page is the COVERAGE version — stain coverage figures on their own.
What does 1.76 gallons, order 2, mean?
It means that 400 square feet of surface, with a 10% waste allowance, need 440.00 square feet of stain, and at 250 square feet per gallon that is 1.76 gallons — one full gallon plus three quarters of a second — and because stain is sold by the gallon, you order 2. The rounding is the whole story in miniature: a partial gallon cannot be bought in the quantity needed, so any fraction, however small, becomes a whole gallon. The part people get wrong is rounding to the nearest gallon instead of up: 1.76 rounded to the nearest is 2 here, but the same mistake on a 1.26-gallon job rounds to 1, and 1 gallon covers only 250 square feet, leaving 190.00 square feet unstained. The other part people get wrong is the exact fit: 440 square feet of coverage need exactly 1.00 gallon, and order exactly 1, because the rounding is up to the next whole gallon, not up plus one — an exact fit needs no spare gallon from the rounding, though a spare for touch-ups is a separate decision.
Three things to check before you trust the number
Is 250 square feet per gallon right for your stain? Two hundred and fifty square feet per gallon is a typical stain figure used on this page, and published stain coverage varies with product and wood, roughly from 150 to 400 square feet per gallon. If your stain is thinner or your wood thirstier, one gallon covers fewer feet: the 300-square-feet branch needs 1.47 gallons exact, order 2, for the same 400 square feet, so the order is unchanged there — but on a larger job the coverage figure decides whole gallons. Enter your own figure if your product differs, rather than trusting the default for a thirsty wood.
Did you measure every surface? The area entered here must be the total of all surfaces, not the largest single board or panel: a deck with 400 square feet of boards plus rails and steps has more than 400 square feet to stain. The 200-square-foot branch needs 0.88 gallons, order 1, against the 1.76-gallon headline, so missing one section understates the order by a whole gallon on a bigger job. Measure every board, rail and panel, add the surfaces before dividing, and do not subtract small gaps unless your stain maker says to.
Are you counting waste, or a second coat? This page adds 10% for waste — absorption, spills and touch-ups — and that is not a second coat. A second coat doubles the area first: 400 square feet twice-coated is 800 square feet before waste, which is 880.00 square feet with waste and 3.52 gallons, order 4. Treating a second coat as waste, or waste as a second coat, misstates the order by whole gallons either way, so decide the coats first and let the waste percentage stay at waste.
Worked example
On the defaults: 400 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 10% waste.
- Needed area: 400 × 1.10 is 440.00 square feet.
- Exact gallons: 440.00 ÷ 250 is 1.76 gallons.
- Order: 1.76 rounded up is 2 gallons — the 0.76 is three quarters of a gallon that must be bought whole.
- Check: 2 gallons cover 500 square feet, which is more than the 440.00 needed; 1 gallon covers only 250, which is not enough.
And the other way: the area behind 1.76 gallons is 400 square feet, the coverage behind 1.76 gallons is 250 square feet per gallon, and the waste behind 1.76 gallons is 10%. A job at 440 square feet per gallon orders exactly 1 gallon, and the 800-square-foot, 200-square-feet-per-gallon lookup row lands exactly on 4.40 gallons, order 5.
Every branch, checked
- 200 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 10% waste: 200 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 10% waste: 0.88 gallons exact — order 1 gallons.
- 800 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 10% waste: 800 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 10% waste: 3.52 gallons exact — order 4 gallons.
- 400 square feet, 300 square feet per gallon, 10% waste: 400 square feet, 300 square feet per gallon, 10% waste: 1.47 gallons exact — order 2 gallons.
- 400 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 20% waste: 400 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 20% waste: 1.92 gallons exact — order 2 gallons.
The reverses, worked backwards
- Area behind 1.76 gallons: 400 sq ft — at 400 sq ft the figures are 1.76 gallons exact — order 2 gallons.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 1.54 gallons exact — order 2 gallons.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 1.98 gallons exact — order 2 gallons..
- Coverage behind 1.76 gallons: 250 sq ft per gallon — at 250 sq ft per gallon the figures are 1.76 gallons exact — order 2 gallons.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 2.20 gallons exact — order 3 gallons.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 1.47 gallons exact — order 2 gallons..
- Waste behind 1.76 gallons: 10% waste — at 10% waste the figures are 1.76 gallons exact — order 2 gallons.; at the lower neighbor the figures are 1.68 gallons exact — order 2 gallons.; at the upper neighbor the figures are 1.84 gallons exact — order 2 gallons..
What the defaults assume
The defaults are 400 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon and 10% waste, so the headline is one coat of a typical stain over a small deck or fence run. The model is a multiplication, a division and a ceiling: needed area is area times one plus the waste percentage, exact gallons are needed area divided by coverage per gallon, and the order rounds exact gallons up to the next whole gallon, with a 1e-12 epsilon so an exact whole number orders exactly that many. The area reverse is checked at 50 square feet either side, because 50 square feet at 10% waste is 55 square feet, about 0.22 gallons; the coverage reverse is checked at 50 square feet either side, because 440.00 over 200 is 2.20 gallons and over 300 is 1.47; the waste reverse is checked at 5% either side, because 5% of 400 is 20 square feet, about 0.08 gallons. The model does not include second coats, stain type differences beyond the coverage figure, wood porosity beyond the waste allowance, or tools — count those separately.
Lookup table: gallons by area and coverage
Each row already includes the 10% waste allowance: needed area is the area times 1.10, exact gallons are needed area divided by the coverage in that row, and the order column rounds up. A row that lands exactly on a whole number orders exactly that many — no extra gallon is added for an exact fit. For a different stain, enter your own coverage in the calculator above: a lower-coverage stain covers fewer feet per gallon, so the order rises.
| Area | Coverage per gallon | Needed area | Exact gallons | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 200 sq ft per gallon | 110.00 sq ft | 0.55 | 1 gallons |
| 100 sq ft | 250 sq ft per gallon | 110.00 sq ft | 0.44 | 1 gallons |
| 100 sq ft | 300 sq ft per gallon | 110.00 sq ft | 0.37 | 1 gallons |
| 100 sq ft | 400 sq ft per gallon | 110.00 sq ft | 0.28 | 1 gallons |
| 200 sq ft | 200 sq ft per gallon | 220.00 sq ft | 1.10 | 2 gallons |
| 200 sq ft | 250 sq ft per gallon | 220.00 sq ft | 0.88 | 1 gallons |
| 200 sq ft | 300 sq ft per gallon | 220.00 sq ft | 0.73 | 1 gallons |
| 200 sq ft | 400 sq ft per gallon | 220.00 sq ft | 0.55 | 1 gallons |
| 400 sq ft | 200 sq ft per gallon | 440.00 sq ft | 2.20 | 3 gallons |
| 400 sq ft | 250 sq ft per gallon | 440.00 sq ft | 1.76 | 2 gallons |
| 400 sq ft | 300 sq ft per gallon | 440.00 sq ft | 1.47 | 2 gallons |
| 400 sq ft | 400 sq ft per gallon | 440.00 sq ft | 1.10 | 2 gallons |
| 800 sq ft | 200 sq ft per gallon | 880.00 sq ft | 4.40 | 5 gallons |
| 800 sq ft | 250 sq ft per gallon | 880.00 sq ft | 3.52 | 4 gallons |
| 800 sq ft | 300 sq ft per gallon | 880.00 sq ft | 2.93 | 3 gallons |
| 800 sq ft | 400 sq ft per gallon | 880.00 sq ft | 2.20 | 3 gallons |
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Needed area | area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 440.00 sq ft — 400 × 1.10. |
| Exact gallons | needed area ÷ coverage per gallon | 1.76 gallons — 440.00 ÷ 250. |
| Order | exact gallons rounded up | 2 gallons — 1.76 rounds up. |
| Area behind a target exact figure | exact gallons × coverage per gallon ÷ (1 + waste ÷ 100) | 400 sq ft — 1.76 × 250 ÷ 1.10. |
| Coverage behind a target exact figure | needed area ÷ exact gallons | 250 sq ft per gallon — 440.00 ÷ 1.76. |
| Gallons covered by the order | order × coverage per gallon | 500 sq ft — 2 × 250, more than the 440.00 needed. |
| Square feet short on one fewer gallon | needed area − (order − 1) × coverage per gallon | 190.00 sq ft — 440.00 − 1 × 250, which is why rounding down fails. |
| 200 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 10% waste | same model | 0.88 gallons exact — order 1 gallons. |
| 800 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 10% waste | same model | 3.52 gallons exact — order 4 gallons. |
| 400 square feet, 300 square feet per gallon, 10% waste | same model | 1.47 gallons exact — order 2 gallons. |
| 400 square feet, 250 square feet per gallon, 20% waste | same model | 1.92 gallons exact — order 2 gallons. |
| Area behind 1.76 gallons | reverse | 400 sq ft: 1.76 gallons exact — order 2 gallons. |
| Coverage behind 1.76 gallons | reverse | 250 sq ft per gallon: 1.76 gallons exact — order 2 gallons. |
| Waste behind 1.76 gallons | reverse | 10% waste: 1.76 gallons exact — order 2 gallons. |
| 0 square feet | same model | 0.00 gallons exact — order 0 gallons. |
| Negative area | same model | Area — 0 or more. |
| Zero coverage | same model | Coverage — more than 0. |
| 440 square feet per gallon | same model | 1.00 gallons exact — order 1 gallons. |
Who uses this
- A DIYer staining a deck — 400 square feet at 10% waste is 2 gallons, with the lookup table covering every other area and coverage without re-measuring.
- A painter ordering for a job — the branches show how the order moves with area, coverage and waste, so a thirstier wood is repriced before ordering.
- A homeowner comparing stains — the 300-square-feet branch shows what a higher-coverage stain really saves in gallons, before the job starts.
- An estimator checking a quote — the reverses recover the area, coverage or waste behind any quoted gallon count, which checks a quote without re-measuring the job.
Accuracy & limitations
Figures are the model’s own arithmetic on the numbers you type, computed from unrounded values and displayed rounded HALF_UP to 2dp, with orders rounded up using a 1e-12 epsilon so exact fits are not over-ordered. The main limitation is the coverage figure, not the arithmetic: published stain coverage varies with product and wood, roughly from 150 to 400 square feet per gallon, so check your product and enter your own figure when your wood differs. This page is a calculation tool, not trade advice — follow the stain maker’s instructions for surface preparation and coats.
Cite this calculator
400 square feet at 10% waste with 250 square feet per gallon coverage needs 440.00 square feet, 1.76 gallons exact: order 2 gallons. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/stain-chart/, accessed 29 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet does one gallon of stain cover?
This page uses 250 square feet per gallon, a typical stain figure — but published stain coverage varies with product and wood, roughly from 150 to 400 square feet per gallon. If your stain or wood differs, enter your own coverage figure: the calculator divides by whatever you enter, so the answer stays honest for your product.
Why add 10% waste?
Because wood absorbs stain, spills happen and touch-ups need material: the 10% allowance covers the stain that never lands on the wood as intended. Without it, a job that computes to exactly 1.00 gallon would run dry on the last stretch of boards, and the waste percentage is what keeps the order honest for real application.
Why round up instead of to the nearest gallon?
Because a partial gallon cannot be bought in the quantity needed, and rounding down leaves surface unstained: 1.76 gallons rounded to the nearest happens to be 2 here, but a 1.26-gallon job rounded to the nearest is 1, and 1 gallon covers only 250 of the 440.00 square feet needed. Rounding up guarantees the whole area is covered; the extra fraction is the price of buying whole gallons.
What if the exact figure is already a whole number?
Then you order exactly that many: a job at 440 square feet per gallon needs exactly 1.00 gallon and orders 1, not 2, and the epsilon in the rounding protects exact fits, so a job that lands on a whole number is not charged an extra gallon for nothing.
Does the waste allowance cover a second coat?
No: waste and coats are different things. Waste is the extra 10% for absorption, spills and touch-ups on one coat; a second coat doubles the area first, so 400 square feet twice-coated is 800 square feet before waste, which is 880.00 square feet with waste and 3.52 gallons, order 4. Decide the coats first, then let waste stay at waste.
Should I buy a spare gallon beyond the order?
That is a separate decision from the order column: the order column is the exact math for the measured area, and a spare covers thirsty patches, over-application and touch-ups. On rough-sawn or weathered wood, one spare is cheap insurance; on a single smooth coat, it is usually unnecessary.