diff --git a/packages/nodes/src/fence/definition.ts b/packages/nodes/src/fence/definition.ts
index b01da5e2..80df0eb1 100644
--- a/packages/nodes/src/fence/definition.ts
+++ b/packages/nodes/src/fence/definition.ts
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@ import { buildFenceFloorplan } from './floorplan'
 import { fenceCurveAffordance, fenceMoveEndpointAffordance } from './floorplan-affordances'
 import { fenceFloorplanMoveTarget } from './floorplan-move'
 import { buildFenceGeometry } from './geometry'
+import { fencePaint } from './paint'
 import { fenceParametrics } from './parametrics'
 import { FenceNode } from './schema'
+import { fenceSlots } from './slots'
 
 const SIDE_HANDLE_OFFSET = 0.27
 const SIDE_HANDLE_MIN_OFFSET = 0.33
@@ -163,6 +165,8 @@ export const fenceDefinition: NodeDefinition<typeof FenceNode> = {
     surfaces: { sides: { faces: 'all' } },
     duplicable: true,
     deletable: true,
+    slots: () => fenceSlots(),
+    paint: fencePaint,
     // Placed by drawing the span with the two-click tool; a saved preset
     // seeds its build parameters via `toolDefaults.fence` (see `tool.tsx`
     // and `createFenceOnCurrentLevel`).
diff --git a/packages/nodes/src/fence/geometry.ts b/packages/nodes/src/fence/geometry.ts
index e87f7ebf..f4f3f85b 100644
--- a/packages/nodes/src/fence/geometry.ts
+++ b/packages/nodes/src/fence/geometry.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,18 @@
+import { type GeometryContext, getMaterialPresetByRef } from '@pascal-app/core'
 import {
-  DEFAULT_STAIR_MATERIAL,
+  applyMaterialPresetToMaterials,
+  type ColorPreset,
+  createDefaultMaterial,
+  createMaterial,
+  createSurfaceRoleMaterial,
   generateFenceGeometry,
   type RenderShading,
+  resolveMaterialRef,
+  resolveSlotDefaultMaterial,
 } from '@pascal-app/viewer'
-import { Group, Mesh } from 'three'
+import { FrontSide, Group, type Material, Mesh, type Texture } from 'three'
 import type { FenceNode } from './schema'
+import { FENCE_SLOT_DEFAULT } from './slots'
 
 /**
  * Stage B builder for fence. Reuses the legacy `generateFenceGeometry`
@@ -12,26 +20,98 @@ import type { FenceNode } from './schema'
  * posts + base + top rail + curve spans) and wraps it in a Mesh-in-Group
  * shape the generic `<GeometrySystem>` expects.
  *
- * Material is a single shared reference — fences look the same regardless
- * of instance, so we don't clone per node. If per-fence material
- * customization lands later (color picker on the panel maps to a real
- * material), this becomes a per-node lookup.
+ * Materials follow the unified slot model: the single `surface` slot resolves
+ * `node.slots.surface` (a shared scene material or `library:` finish) → the
+ * legacy inline `node.material` / `materialPreset` (pre-slot-model scenes) →
+ * the declared slot default. Textures-off collapses to themed joinery.
  *
  * Phase 6 cleanup moves the 280 lines of geometry math out of the
  * legacy `viewer/src/systems/fence/fence-system.tsx` into this folder
  * once the legacy system file is deleted. Until then `generateFenceGeometry`
  * is publicly re-exported from viewer.
  */
+type FenceMaterial = Material & {
+  alphaMap?: Texture | null
+  depthWrite: boolean
+  opacity: number
+  transparent: boolean
+}
+
+const fenceMaterialCache = new Map<string, Material>()
+
+function getFenceMaterial(
+  node: FenceNode,
+  shading: RenderShading,
+  textures: boolean,
+  colorPreset: ColorPreset,
+  sceneTheme: string | undefined,
+  sceneMaterials: GeometryContext['materials'],
+): Material {
+  if (!textures) {
+    return createSurfaceRoleMaterial('joinery', colorPreset, FrontSide, sceneTheme)
+  }
+
+  const slotRef = node.slots?.surface
+  if (slotRef) {
+    const resolved = resolveMaterialRef(slotRef, sceneMaterials, shading)
+    if (resolved) return resolved
+  }
+
+  if (node.materialPreset || node.material) {
+    return getLegacyFenceMaterial(node, shading)
+  }
+
+  return resolveSlotDefaultMaterial(FENCE_SLOT_DEFAULT, shading, 0.8)
+}
+
+function getLegacyFenceMaterial(node: FenceNode, shading: RenderShading): Material {
+  const cacheKey = JSON.stringify({
+    shading,
+    material: node.material ?? null,
+    materialPreset: node.materialPreset ?? null,
+  })
+  const cached = fenceMaterialCache.get(cacheKey)
+  if (cached) return cached
+
+  const preset = getMaterialPresetByRef(node.materialPreset)
+  const material = preset
+    ? createDefaultMaterial('#ffffff', 0.5, shading)
+    : node.material
+      ? createMaterial(node.material, shading).clone()
+      : createDefaultMaterial('#ffffff', 0.9, shading)
+
+  if (preset) {
+    applyMaterialPresetToMaterials(material, preset)
+  }
+
+  const fenceMaterial = material as FenceMaterial
+  fenceMaterial.transparent = false
+  fenceMaterial.opacity = 1
+  fenceMaterial.alphaMap = null
+  fenceMaterial.side = FrontSide
+  fenceMaterial.depthWrite = true
+  fenceMaterial.needsUpdate = true
+
+  fenceMaterialCache.set(cacheKey, material)
+  return material
+}
+
 export function buildFenceGeometry(
   node: FenceNode,
-  _ctx?: unknown,
+  ctx?: GeometryContext,
   shading: RenderShading = 'rendered',
+  textures = true,
+  colorPreset: ColorPreset = 'clay',
+  sceneTheme?: string,
 ): Group {
   const group = new Group()
   const geometry = generateFenceGeometry(node)
-  const mesh = new Mesh(geometry, DEFAULT_STAIR_MATERIAL(shading))
+  const material = getFenceMaterial(node, shading, textures, colorPreset, sceneTheme, ctx?.materials)
+  const mesh = new Mesh(geometry, material)
   mesh.castShadow = true
   mesh.receiveShadow = true
+  mesh.userData.slotId = 'surface'
+  mesh.userData.surfaceRole = 'joinery'
   group.add(mesh)
   return group
 }
diff --git a/packages/nodes/src/fence/paint.ts b/packages/nodes/src/fence/paint.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..39db9247
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/nodes/src/fence/paint.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import type { AnyNode, FenceNode } from '@pascal-app/core'
+import { createSlotPaintCapability, previewGeometrySlot } from '../shared/slot-paint'
+
+export const fencePaint = createSlotPaintCapability({
+  resolveRole: () => 'surface',
+  applyPreview: previewGeometrySlot,
+  legacyEffective: (node: AnyNode) => {
+    const fence = node as FenceNode
+    if (fence.materialPreset || fence.material) {
+      return { material: fence.material, materialPreset: fence.materialPreset }
+    }
+    return null
+  },
+})
diff --git a/packages/nodes/src/fence/slots.ts b/packages/nodes/src/fence/slots.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3378ba8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/nodes/src/fence/slots.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import type { SlotDeclaration } from '@pascal-app/core'
+
+export type FenceSlotId = 'surface'
+
+export const FENCE_SLOT_DEFAULT = 'library:wood-finewood27'
+
+export function fenceSlots(): SlotDeclaration[] {
+  return [{ slotId: 'surface', label: 'Surface', default: FENCE_SLOT_DEFAULT }]
+}