You can rent a tool at home depot to sand your deck. My personal experience is that stain is better than paint. Less work in the future.5 G$ l9 D: x6 f4 x1 V2 z5 L4 Z
My porch is painted, now I have to paint it every year. My deck is stained, and it lasts more than 2 years. You can ask the paint department to get more information at home depot, Rona, Canadian Tire.