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I need to repair parts of my deck. went to Bunnings and discovered the Merbau decking is smooth both top and bottom. Asked Bunnings staff why is there are no grooves on one side of the Board. Essentially they said it is now how they are made. I am concerned why this is so. I have always been told the grooves are to reduce decay of joists and the boards. I know there is some debate about this that but I believe this to be true. Can any one shed some light?
You're correct.
Reeded decking boards are installed with reeds down to improve air flow and water drainage, to minimise mould growth, etc.
There are some grooved profiles which are intended to be installed face up for improved footing, but they're typically reeded on t'bottom face anyway. (And not available thru Bunnies anyway. :rolleyes:)
To my mind, non-reeded boards aren't ideal for decking but they're good for security screens, etc. which are seen from both sides and are intended to match nearby decking.
To sell these as decking suggests to me that whoever has listed them is either pretty much clueless or is taking advantage of less informed customers.
The Bunnings website had a banner note on the merbau decking pages about the change for a while.
I suspect Bunnings sell a lot of this stuff and may have got some informed people to make the decision. Maybe I am an optimist. I reckon it costs a lot more to deal with angry customers with rotting decks than it costs to groove the boards, so suspect the grooves may not be that important.