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I'm having trouble figuring out what product to paint/or stain my deck with.

I've been working with a neighbor to re-build a deck. I've got 600 square feet to cover. Half of the deck is the new redwood and half is the old deck in good condition painted with barn red flat acrylic exterior house paint. It's not peeling at all, it's just turned brown from the dirt.

Each store recommends different brands and I am getting confused.

Two have recommended Benjamin Moore's Arborcoat. When I go online and look at consumer reports it doesn't have the highest reviews. Some reviews were happy, some gave it one star. Those that recommend it rave about it although one is a BM store. They say one to two coats of stain, no primer.

$42/gall - 2 galls.

Other stores recommend Devoe's Port and floor enamel

satin 100% acrylic - $45/gall 2-3 galls for 2 coats and 1 coat of primer.

I've also been recommended Behr Solid Color Weather Proofing which is $37 gallon. 2 coats, no primer.

I don't know how to decide.

I live in Northern California in an area that receives 50-70 inches of rain in the winter and the summers are hot and dry.

Any thoughts?

I am not sure this is going to help, since I got to entirely different sets of advice!

Both the contractors I talked to recommended Sherwin Williams. One said stain (so did the store, for what its worth), and the other said oil-based paint. I went with the stain because I was realistic about my willingness to clean and about how many coats I was willing to do. The oil would have lasted longer probably but by the time the coats I did this summer need redoing my son will be old enough to do it so I didn't worry too much about it.

I used their 2 coats of the tinted acrylic deck stain over old acrylic paint (that I powerwashed and sanded first) and it looks good!

Not to throw too many options at you, but if you go the stain route, I know a former contract who is enamored with Rockler.