On Sat, 23 Jun 2012 11:21:23 -0500, "MaryL"
wrote:

They said they prefer to spray
and then go over it with a brush (brushing the sprayed-on paint, not direct
from a bucket).

This doesn't sound right to me. Sprayed paint is already thin enough.
Paint from a bucket and then brushed on (into the cracks) would be my
choice.

They claim that will do just as good a job and get as much
paint on the wood.

See above.

( 90% of a paint job is preparation -- getting ready to paint ...)