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.& C# {& e* y5 u9 U' c4 U# c
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.