Decking - grooved side up or down?

I think I may have mentioned this here somewhere else, but for what it's worth -

A local building supplier, who has been in the industry since Moses played halfback for Dead Sea Scrollers, reckons that the grooves up or grooves down thing was originally a regionally based issue.

Apparently builders in Melbourne were installing the decking with grooves up because it stopped slippage around pools and spas, but builders in Sydney preferred the look of smooth decks. And he goes on to say that, if a company is milling timber for Sydney they will make sure the best face is the smooth side, whereas if the timber is destined for Melbourne they will mill it, so the best face is the face with the grooves in it.

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they will make sure the best face is the smooth side

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That's certainly the case for all the reeded decking I've ever bought.

Doesn't surprise me at all that Victorians would have it asre about :wink:

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Originally Posted by silentC

What are nailing them down with? A sledge hammer and railway spikes?

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:D haha, thank you Silent, best laugh I had all day!

However I pulled out a pine decking recently and the joists had squashed the reeds leaving no gap to speak off.
Yet I did not witness the nailing down procedure. Perhaps it was on the heavy side yet the surface did not have any particularly nasty hammer marks.

Yes, I could understand that happening with pine, it's pretty soft and usually sopping wet. I doubt that a hardwood deck would compress enough to flatten out the grooves. If I ever have to pull a bit of mine up, I'll check it out and let you know!

At the risk of opening up an old wound... just one more time !!!! Im all for grooved side down. Apart from liking the look of the smooth side facing up, I lived in a place where the decking all around the house was Groove Up. Held moisture, grew moss, became damn slippery and nearly caused multiple FOA issues (Fall On A'hole) no matter whether summer or winter.