Suggestions to restain or repaint deck

by Bill
(Sydney, NS)

Here are pictures of the front deck at my house.

I would like to get some suggestions on what I should do to prepare the surfaces and whether I should use stain or paint.

As you can see there are a couple of coats, blue and brown. I think it was solid color stain but I'm not sure.

The balusters look like they were painted with white paint.

I have already pressure washed and scraped it 2 times and am left with what you see in the pics.
How about some suggestions on how I should proceed and what products I should use.

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Editor's Comments

This is one really worn out deck. Some people might just remove the decking and start all over. But I think this is salvageable.

First off you have to get rid of all the old paint or stain whatever it is. If it is paint a paint removing solution might help. Also just a good wash could remove it if it is flaky and loosely attached.

I would suggest some kind of minor sanding to just smooth things out. But you don't want a really rough finish. Follow this up with a wash and cleaning.

Second a good wood conditioner would help immensely to bring some health back. You could also use a wood brightener given this is so weathered.

Third I would try to fill some of the major crack or holes if not too big with some exterior wood filler. Sand smooth and then you are ready for the stain.

Stain is much better than paint. But I would think it should need to soak into the wood and oil bases are great for that.

But they are being replaced by latex versions. I find the latex works but it is a bit tricky to apply properly because if you put it on to thick it just bubbles up under the sun.

So it can be finicky. Oils tend to soak in better. But look, if there is a seasoned pro out there who specializes in refinishing decks, do comment. This is you moment to share your expertise.