Painting/Staining Decking

[Lefty Guns]

I've almost finished my decking project, just got 2 sets of stairs, 3 gates and the side panelling to do (under the deck).

Now I'm thinking about staining. It's on the big side (75' x 18') and has balustrade on 3 sides. I slapped cuprinol on the joists (which were treated anyway) and used plenty of end-grain preserver too.

What's the best way to stain the actual deck, stairs and balustrades? A mate has a compressor and sprayer which he has offered to loan me. I've also seen special deck-rollers which have extra long bristles to get into the grooves on the boards.

Any suggestions on method or any specifric stain to use?

I don't really want to do it all by hand, it'll take me feckin ages

Am actually contemplating paying a pro to do it because:

A: It will look better
B: I hate painting

[GreenDog]

My cousin is a builder and has done a few decks for people, he told me that he just filled a washing up bowl with the chosen stain and used a sweeping brush with soft bristles to apply it.

Spraying sounds like a good idea for that area though.