Hello!

We are in the process of redoing our old deck. When we started the process we realized that the previous owners had two layers of paint on the wood that we had to contend with.

Someone who claimed to be a deck builder/professional at the local hardware store suggested to us to just sand as best as we can and use the Behr deck-over stuff.

I have a couple of questions:

1. We've been sanding with 60 (and even 50) grit paper and a belt sander, and it's impossible to get to bare wood. We've gotten the loose paint off, but most of the old coating is still visible. Whatever they used last is not coming off. Is that ok for the new finish? Do we need to get to bare wood everywhere?

2. The Behr Deck Over stuff looks really good, and we've loved their indoor paints, but I'm seeing a lot of comments that the Deck Over product isn't great. What would you recommend in our situation? I don't want to do this all over again next year. My back can't handle it.

3. We had to replace some boards with new pressure treated ones, and we added new stairs/railings. We're going with a solid color since we still have the old paint to contend with. How long do we wait to make sure whatever we use goes on well on both surfaces? What do we do to the old wood we already sanded? We're in Michigan, so snow and apocalyptic cold is a concern if we have to wait a year.

Anything else we should consider (other that ripping the whole darn thing apart?)

Thank you!