Decking - grooved side up or down?

[MurrayD99]

Donno, yer'll still slip on them if they get wet and green... but ever since they introduced the grooving, I put them groove-side up. Never saw a deck smooth side up & grooves under but then.... Water blaster is good for dog hair et al.

[silentC]

Never saw a deck smooth side up & grooves under

Do you make a habit of crawling under people's decks to see if there are grooves on the bottom?

Water blaster is good for dog hair et al.

No drought over in NZ then?

[MurrayD99]

Do you make a habit of crawling under people's decks to see if there are grooves on the bottom?

No drought over in NZ then?

1) Sometimes, when full of XXXX, searching for spiders & snakes to play with. But anyway, all that fine hand-crafting... it shouldn't be turned face-down (errr... not sure this line of reasoning is going to survive)

2) Got a water tank Mr C. Gets plenty dry in North Canterbury make no mistake. Bare earth and stones. Rocket (horse) begging hay from November to March some years. However, there is a cunning plan to damn up all the rivers (Hell with the fish) and convert the desert into dairy pasture. When the gas runs out and the pumps stop there will be plenty of steak... and dry grass..... bare earth again as nature intended.

[ausdesign]

i may as well put my bit to the ongoing discussion.
IMHO the reeding has nothing to do with anything other than an asthetic choice.
The only no-no I would suggest is to run grooved decking on a ramp in the direction of the slope.
Reeded boards offer more grip when installed at right angles to the path of travel & much less than unreeded when installed in the travel direction.
I suppose the dilemma is when there is no defined or 'normal' travel path.

[custos]

Finally, if you install it groove side up, some people are going to tell you it's upside down. If you install it groove side down, or use the non-reeded variety, no-one is ever going to notice.

Best argument I've heard.

[Jenks]

I put the grooves on the decking timber face up three years ago. Any issues in taking them up and relaying. Thought using slightly thicker twistlock nails in the original holes wouls be OK...
Over to you learned folk.

[HappyHammer]

If you're happy with them the way they are then leave them. You may experience issues long term due to the fact they're designed to go grooves down for airflow blah blah...but honestly why bother taking them up if you're happy they way they are?

HH.

[silentC]

I agree, I wouldn't bother. You'll probably break half of it pulling it up.

But you'll know for next time

[Marc]

Grooves down because it is easier to clean.
As for "ventilation", give me a break! do you really think there is any gap left at all after you nail them down? Answer, no.
As for grooves up will make them rot quicker...no again. I've built a small decking path under a maulberry tree with no cover. During summer it is a black mess of rotten berries and bat's poo, and the only thing that washes it is the rain. 10 years later the decking boards are still structurally sound even when rather on the dark side..

[Theremin]

Both of the houses I have renovated have had decks that have not been looked after properly (by former owners) and have needed sanding. Now, how would you sand a deck if the grooves are up??

[bpj1968]

One a webiste for rougher headed treated pine (laser grooved) it was saying taht it is done to reduce splintering and splitting. Maybe the same applies for decking.

My old house I put the treated pine reeded side up. It had a roof, but when it got wet at one corner that was exposed to wind and rain, it was great for grip, but only if you walked across the boards. When walking along them like it had been greased up. My current deck is Merbau smooth up, and smooth down, no reeding. No complaints about grip and it is fully exposed.

I think it looks better, especially when nicley oiled and the water is beading.

[silentC]

do you really think there is any gap left at all after you nail them down? Answer, no.

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

[Gra]

Should I call for the pizza and beer agin????

[Ekim]

This thread intigues me despite the fact that I don't have a deck and have no intention of getting one. A quick research of Google revealed the following:

Down
Pine Solutions
http://tinyurl.com/2r3fnw
<O"We recommend the smooth side up as the reeded side has been designed to aid water run off when placed side down. Having the smooth side up also makes your deck easier to clean, prolonging the life of your deck".

<OUp
<OHome Base
<Ohttp://tinyurl.com/26wm7y
"It is a common thought that reeded decking is designed to be face down to allow air flow through the timbers which reduce the chances of rot, this is not really the case, as while airflow does reduce the chance of rot, the bearers (timbers that sit on the stumps) and joists (timber that sit on the bearers) do not have grooves, and if the correct timbers are used, moisture should not be a problem. The real reason for the reeded decking it to provide greater grip for users, especially around pools, spas and saunas".

Either
Gunnersons
http://tinyurl.com/2guuk4
"Decking is supplied in reeded profiles to provide a non-slip surface or they can simply be reversed to create a smooth surface".

It seems that there is no real answer. I guess that it's personal choice.

[silentC]

Just goes to show you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet...