Hi Bob,

I live in (Old) England, and the weather here can be pretty rough and our decking needs staining probably once a year. It's due to be done soon :-(

The decking over here seems to be of one type these days, with imprinted treads.

They seem to be screwed in as standard.

I would say , ask several contractors for competitive quotes, then you know which price looks reasonable. Look the up on the net and see if there are any customer reviews. Use the quotes to get the best price out of your favoured contractor "I've had a price of so much of this person" etc.

Anyway, make sure you keep it treated, this seems to be the main product used over here, so something like this should do the job.

Ronseal High Traffic Decking Stain Dark Oak 2.5L

Hope this helps.