Fence Painting and Staining Costs in Melbourne: 2026 Guide

The fence is the frame around your whole property, and a grey, peeling or rust-streaked one quietly drags down everything inside it. Fence painting is one of the cheaper exterior jobs with one of the biggest visual payoffs. Here is what it costs in Melbourne in 2026 and how the options compare.

The short answer

Published Australian price guides put fence painting or staining from around $35 per linear metre including GST, with timber paling fences commonly quoted at $18 to $35 per linear metre and Colorbond or metal fences at $14 to $28 per linear metre. Priced by area, expect roughly $15 to $30 per square metre. A standard 15 metre front fence often lands in the low hundreds, while a full perimeter on a corner block runs into the low thousands.

Condition moves the number more than length does. A sound fence needing a clean and two coats is cheap metres. A fence needing stripping, board replacement or rust treatment is priced for the repair work first.

Timber paling fences

The standard Melbourne paling fence takes stain or paint well. Stain keeps the timber look and is more forgiving at recoat time. Paint gives solid colour and sharper lines, and charcoal and monument tones are the popular modern move against green lawns and garden beds. Old palings that are greyed and furry need a wash and often a sand before coating, and rotten palings get replaced, not painted over.

Picket fences

Pickets are the prettiest and the slowest per metre: every picket has four edges, and the gap work eats hours. White is the classic, and it shows every flaw, so preparation matters more on a picket fence than anywhere else. A freshly painted white picket fence in front of a weatherboard is still the best dollar-for-street-appeal spend in the game.

Colorbond and metal fences

Colorbond comes pre-finished, but faded, chalked or badly coloured panels can be cleaned, primed and resprayed. It is far cheaper than replacing panels and the finish comes up close to new. Rust at the bottom rails and around screws gets treated before coating. Spray application is the only sensible method on Colorbond; brushing leaves marks on the flat pans.

Paint, stain or replace?

Paint or stain when the fence is structurally sound: posts firm, rails solid, boards mostly good. Coating a sound fence is a fraction of replacement cost.

Replace sections when posts are moving, rails are soft or boards are rotting through. A fence that leans is telling you about the posts, and paint does not fix posts.

Replace the lot when most boards are shot or the fence was built badly to start with. We will tell you honestly which side your fence sits on, because coating a fence that needs replacing wastes your money.

What a proper fence job includes

Wash or strip. Dirt, mould, cobwebs and old loose coating come off first. Coating over a dirty fence peels.

Repairs. Loose palings renailed, rotten boards swapped, rust treated.

Masking and protection. Your side, the neighbour's side, plants, paths and anything within spray range gets protected. Overspray on the neighbour's car is how cheap operators make enemies.

Two coats. Sprayed or brushed depending on the fence, with the right product for the surface: fence stain for timber looks, exterior acrylic or specialised metal coatings for Colorbond.

Neighbours and boundaries

Boundary fences are shared, so the neighbour conversation is worth having early. Most neighbours happily agree to a refreshed fence, and some split the cost. Legally the fence line is shared, so we protect their side as carefully as yours and keep them informed if access is needed.

How long does a fence coating last?

A properly prepared fence with a quality exterior coating typically gives 5 to 8 years in Melbourne conditions, with south-facing shaded sections often outlasting the sun-belt sides. Sprinkler overspray, soil piled against the palings and ivy are the three things that shorten fence coating life fastest. Keep soil and mulch off the bottom boards and the coating will reward you.

Council and estate rules

Most fence repaints need no approval, but some newer estates carry design guidelines on front fence colours, and heritage-overlay streets can have rules about front fence changes. If you are in an estate with covenants, a quick check of your guidelines before choosing a colour saves an awkward letter later.

Getting it priced

Fence pricing is quick: length, height, condition and access. Photos with your enquiry are usually enough for a ballpark. Call 0426 179 466 or send the quote form with a couple of pictures of your fence.