diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater.go b/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater.go
index 4b8299afe4b..e69d889a73f 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import (
 	client "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/client/unversioned"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/labels"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/runtime"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/deployment"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/integer"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/intstr"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/wait"
@@ -191,13 +192,9 @@ func (r *RollingUpdater) Update(config *RollingUpdaterConfig) error {
 		}
 		oldRc = updated
 	}
-	// The maximum pods which can go unavailable during the update.
-	maxUnavailable, err := intstr.GetValueFromIntOrPercent(&config.MaxUnavailable, desired, false)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	// The maximum scaling increment.
-	maxSurge, err := intstr.GetValueFromIntOrPercent(&config.MaxSurge, desired, true)
+	// maxSurge is the maximum scaling increment and maxUnavailable are the maximum pods
+	// that can be unavailable during a rollout.
+	maxSurge, maxUnavailable, err := deployment.ResolveFenceposts(&config.MaxSurge, &config.MaxUnavailable, desired)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater_test.go b/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater_test.go
index 8c88de0074a..727e66abcad 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/rolling_updater_test.go
@@ -662,11 +662,11 @@ Scaling foo-v2 up to 2
 `,
 		},
 		{
-			name:        "1->1 100%/0 allow maxUnavailability",
+			name:        "1->1 1/0 allow maxUnavailability",
 			oldRc:       oldRc(1, 1),
 			newRc:       newRc(0, 1),
 			newRcExists: false,
-			maxUnavail:  intstr.FromString("100%"),
+			maxUnavail:  intstr.FromString("1%"),
 			maxSurge:    intstr.FromInt(0),
 			expected: []interface{}{
 				down{oldReady: 1, newReady: 0, to: 0},
@@ -693,6 +693,48 @@ Scaling foo-v2 up to 1
 Scaling up foo-v2 from 0 to 2, scaling down foo-v1 from 1 to 0 (keep 2 pods available, don't exceed 3 pods)
 Scaling foo-v2 up to 2
 Scaling foo-v1 down to 0
+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "2->2 25/1 maxSurge trumps maxUnavailable",
+			oldRc:       oldRc(2, 2),
+			newRc:       newRc(0, 2),
+			newRcExists: false,
+			maxUnavail:  intstr.FromString("25%"),
+			maxSurge:    intstr.FromString("1%"),
+			expected: []interface{}{
+				up{1},
+				down{oldReady: 2, newReady: 1, to: 1},
+				up{2},
+				down{oldReady: 1, newReady: 2, to: 0},
+			},
+			output: `Created foo-v2
+Scaling up foo-v2 from 0 to 2, scaling down foo-v1 from 2 to 0 (keep 2 pods available, don't exceed 3 pods)
+Scaling foo-v2 up to 1
+Scaling foo-v1 down to 1
+Scaling foo-v2 up to 2
+Scaling foo-v1 down to 0
+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "2->2 25/0 maxUnavailable resolves to zero, then one",
+			oldRc:       oldRc(2, 2),
+			newRc:       newRc(0, 2),
+			newRcExists: false,
+			maxUnavail:  intstr.FromString("25%"),
+			maxSurge:    intstr.FromString("0%"),
+			expected: []interface{}{
+				down{oldReady: 2, newReady: 0, to: 1},
+				up{1},
+				down{oldReady: 1, newReady: 1, to: 0},
+				up{2},
+			},
+			output: `Created foo-v2
+Scaling up foo-v2 from 0 to 2, scaling down foo-v1 from 2 to 0 (keep 1 pods available, don't exceed 2 pods)
+Scaling foo-v1 down to 1
+Scaling foo-v2 up to 1
+Scaling foo-v1 down to 0
+Scaling foo-v2 up to 2
 `,
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/util/deployment/deployment.go b/pkg/util/deployment/deployment.go
index 6ad5e6bf6d9..869936109cf 100644
--- a/pkg/util/deployment/deployment.go
+++ b/pkg/util/deployment/deployment.go
@@ -466,3 +466,33 @@ func WaitForObservedDeployment(getDeploymentFunc func() (*extensions.Deployment,
 		return deployment.Status.ObservedGeneration >= desiredGeneration, nil
 	})
 }
+
+// ResolveFenceposts resolves both maxSurge and maxUnavailable. This needs to happen in one
+// step. For example:
+//
+// 2 desired, max unavailable 1%, surge 0% - should scale old(-1), then new(+1), then old(-1), then new(+1)
+// 1 desired, max unavailable 1%, surge 0% - should scale old(-1), then new(+1)
+// 2 desired, max unavailable 25%, surge 1% - should scale new(+1), then old(-1), then new(+1), then old(-1)
+// 1 desired, max unavailable 25%, surge 1% - should scale new(+1), then old(-1)
+// 2 desired, max unavailable 0%, surge 1% - should scale new(+1), then old(-1), then new(+1), then old(-1)
+// 1 desired, max unavailable 0%, surge 1% - should scale new(+1), then old(-1)
+func ResolveFenceposts(maxSurge, maxUnavailable *intstrutil.IntOrString, desired int) (int, int, error) {
+	surge, err := intstrutil.GetValueFromIntOrPercent(maxSurge, desired, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, 0, err
+	}
+	unavailable, err := intstrutil.GetValueFromIntOrPercent(maxUnavailable, desired, false)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, 0, err
+	}
+
+	if surge == 0 && unavailable == 0 {
+		// Validation should never allow the user to explicitly use zero values for both maxSurge
+		// maxUnavailable. Due to rounding down maxUnavailable though, it may resolve to zero.
+		// If both fenceposts resolve to zero, then we should set maxUnavailable to 1 on the
+		// theory that surge might not work due to quota.
+		unavailable = 1
+	}
+
+	return surge, unavailable, nil
+}