Add pics for prep help.

What is on the wood now is clearly opaque, so yes, you will need a solid stain. As for prep, see this article:

Most of the old stain is gone, so no need to strip. Clean and brighten for prep while pressure washing: For the stain, look at the Armstrong Clar...

No, you have to strip. Plus, what is on your railings looks fully opaque, not semi-trans or semi-solid. You would need to strip the paint here unless ...

@cftrozzo 48 hours at a minimum to dry after prep or any rain.

@eelefter99 We have never been very successful at spot sanding/preppign and then having the stain blend. Does not hurt to try, though. It is just co...

No, he's wrong or inexperienced. As I said, the stripper caused the furring/fuzzies. Not the sanding or the stain afterward. He did not sand them off ...

@eelefter99 The furring 100% happened from the SW stripper. Sanding never creates furring, but removes it when done correctly.

Not sure what he did, but he clearly didn't fully remove the furring. You never want to sand finer than 60-80 grit. Maybe he just missed those spots. ...

That is furring from the stripper. It should have been sanded or buffed out. When you redo it in 2-3 years, strip it off again, remove the furring, br...

@jspanther Send some pics when done!

@jspanther Stay away from all SW stains. TWP is easy to apply, the contractor will have no issues and will end up liking it better. We typically do no...

@jspanther 1. Both TWP 1500 and RAD stains are excellent. Base does not matter. Stay away from SW products. Have you tried to find contractors who ...

@david-c Use the Gemini Restore-A-Deck Prep kit while pressure washing for the prep. If you want to see the wood grain, use the TWP 1500 Series.

You may want to consider a two-toned deck as it will be difficult to remove it fully from the railings: