Painting a deck is a bad idea. Sooner rather than later it will peel, and it's back to square one. There are many good stains that look like a paint, but saturate the wood and they don't peel. Using a roller with an extension handle is one way to stain. Do just a couple boards at one time, finish the length, and have a paint brush ready to smooth and feather. Also never work in the hot sun, or when temps are under 55 degrees. Ask your local paint store for advice too. Good luck.
Well your deck is covered so spar varnish may work. I tried spar varnish on a door exposed to the weather and it only lasted a couple of years before I had to sand the door and paint with a stain. I would use a semi transparent stain that I have used on my exposed deck. It is good for about 4 years before I recoat. Oil based paint is going the way of buggy whips. I use Sherwin Williams paint and they have gone all latex. No oil based paints. The semi transparent stain on my deck is latex. Using paint on your deck will peel in short order and it will be a lot of work to sand and recoat every couple of years. You could coat some sample pieces of wood with different paint products and leave them to the weather to see which would work best for you.
When you painted the deck it needs to be sealed. However you should not use paint on a deck as it will peel in short order. Then you will have a job getting the off paint off and repaint. A semi transparent stain is what I use on my deck. Last about 4 years before I have to recoat. I tried spar varnish on a outside wood door. Lasted about a year then I had to sand the door and reapply. After the second year I sanded off the spar varnish and applied a solid stain. Lasted for many years.
Best is spar varnish, the same stuff as they mop onto the decks of ocean going sail boats. If that is too slick for you, use an oil based porch and floor paint. NOT a latex paint. Latex paints are initially cheaper, but can't handle the abuse, that a proper oil based paint can.
For the really high traffic areas, for example the entrance from the garden to the deck, or around the BBQ, you can mix a bit of PolyFilla into the paint. (NOT any similar wall patching product!) That makes it as hard and durable as a counter top.
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