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 Q3 U$ t+ h& L8 q4 {8 e( x/ dMy 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.