Kevin's right, decks look much better stained with an oil base stain. Paint, and really dark acrylic based stains are harder to remove if you ever want a lighter color then that particular shade. You can only pressure wash it so much without making your deck a splinter haven, or ruining it, to remove the dark color too. Oh, and speaking of which, a deck should be pressure washed before staining. Cabots is the best. If you didn't hire a retard, it should look brand new even before the stain is applied, and not be a splintery mess!
HUGS to Shrike for Kawen!