Q. Our deck is in great shape structurally, but the deck surface and the tops of the railings are rough and splintery. How can we repair this?

Power sanding the surface of the decking and rails would appear to be the obvious solution, but the screws or nails used as fasteners would make this difficult on many decks. If splinters are a problem in only a few places, these areas can be sanded without damaging fasteners by using a hand-held belt sander.