Pointy,
A 'burnishing' stick is a small 'burnishing' tool. Burnishing means to sort of polish something. Usually a thingy with a small, sort of 'soft' tip, used for those very difficult to reach spots. Or at the other end of the scale, a sort of file with no sharp edges.
Not that it's any recommendation at all, but I usually end up hand painting the deck. Also almost always spray the deck before putting it where it belongs. Spray, then paint? Yeah, cuz I'm trying to cover up the 'goofs' I made while doing the above deck stuff. (You ain't lived till you try to match colors between spray paint and bottled paint!) Mine usually end up sort of 'blotchy'. But then, have you ever seen a real boat with no scuff marks, worn paths, scars, etc? (Hey! Makes for a good excuse.)
There's always more than one way to skin a cat. Pick the one easiest for you.
- 'Doc