Decking – reeded side up or down?

Hi Wayne,
Like you, I have heard both arguments – reeded up or down.

Our own house came with decks front and rear, and after we bought it we decided to extend the back deck. Both are reeded side up. The builder who did the extension on the back deck said they were put on upside down, but the house was owned before us by a builder who put on the decks himself. Go figure. He did put water insulation in between the deck pickets and the support beams – no rotting so far.

I think the reeded side down looks better, but not as safe as reeded side up. Having said that, they both slip to a degree when wet, and water tends to sit in the reeding grooves after rain.

As for decking oil; Cabot’s and Wattyl are good, and I’ve heard of another brand called ‘Sickens” but I don’t know much about it. We painted ours with Solargard as we wanted a different look – much less maintenance, but if you prefer the wood look then go for it with oil. You need to re-oil ever year I think.

Our decks were pre-drilled to prevent splitting, but were nailed down with self-screwing galvanised nails. These worked pretty well – sometimes one ‘pops’ and I whack it with a hammer. I would have used galvanised self-tapping screws myself for extra strength, but no doubt it takes longer to build, and maybe the screws are more expensive than the nails?

I think go with whatever preference you like. I don’t think it matters too much. Our decks are still in pretty good condition – we have owned the house for 7 years now.

Cheers,
Marc.
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“we get sent lemons; it’s up to us to make lemonade”

I saw on a renovation show (Australian show) the other day that reeded side faces down. It allows air to circulate between the boards and the joist (or whatever it is called) and allows the water to get away from that joint. I had heard this before, but now I have seen it on tv, well it must be true[biggrin]

We also have a small entrance deck on an IP with it laid showing the grooves. I don’t like it and think it looks dirty, possibly from having water sit in the grooves too long.

Wylie

I agree with looking dirty. The main problem with the grooves facing up (aside from water retention) is that dirt, mud etc gets pushed into the grooves and it doesn’t always come out with a going over from a broom. If you had alot of traffic (kids) and/or had a fair bit of exposed dirt around the place combined with a reasonable rainfall I imagine you would soon be sick of scraping the grooves clean…

If you’re in the Eastern states people say the reeded side will be down, and the opposite in the West. I believe it is actually meant to be down, for whatever reason, but the practicallities are it looks so much better smooth side up. You can only sweep reeded one way – with the groove.

I used stainless steel nails with an adhesive on the shank, and they are already starting to lift slightly. My advice is to use bugle head screws. It is more labour intensive to start with but they will be there forever!

P_Hewson

A couple of things. The grooves in the decking definately go face down. They are designed to keep the moisture from collecting on the timber and causing it to rot. Lay it face up and you will get a very short life span from your deck.

When it comes to staining, I highly recommend SIKKENS. Expensive at about $175 a can but the results are sensational and prolongs the life of the deck. I wouldnt to both sides but definately do the ends and 2 coats.

Dont apply the stain immediately after laying the deck. Let it sit for a few weeks and wash it a few times. A pressure washer is the best thing to use. (using a bucket of course). They suggest 12 weeks before staining but this is to long as the timber will shrink. As you wash the deck you will see the tanin run out. Once most of that is out then stain it. The end result is fantastic and the deck will last for years.

Cheers
Ben

I don’t think anyone has yet mentioned the #1 reason why the flat side should face up – the reeded side is so uncomfortable as to be almost impossible to stand on barefooted, and if you can’t go barefoot on your deck, then where?

F.[cowboy2]

In my 41 years as a Carpenter and 31 years of that time as a Licensed Builder, I've grown really tired of this silly argument. It's like arguing the benefits of not boiling water twice in case it removes all of the goodness …..  ??

There was a time that decking was never reeded. In 1983, The "Timber promotion Council Display Centre" in Blackburn, Victoria, began demonstrating "Reeded Pine Decking" as a less slippery, better drained surface on stairs and decks with the alternative choice of also laying it smooth side up.  All of the models on display initially were shown with the grooves (reeded side) up.
Innovative builders quickly began using this nice looking, cheaper than Merbau, grooved decking as a sales edge. Sometimes there were patterns created by varying the ups and downs.. ie: 4 up and 4 down, or a very handsome looking smooth deck with a reeded edge margain. Many civil engineers specified, for their own good reasons, ribs up on commercial decks, balconies, beer gardens etc.
Carpenters quickly discovered how hard and painful it was kneeling on the ribs to nail large areas reeded side up and some wonderful <moderator: delete language> stories were invented to convince customers to accept smooth side up.

It is foolish to think that facing the reeded side down to allow airflow actually aids drying. What really happens is "capillary action" which draws in and stores more water, possibly contributing to swelling and rotting.
If the job is done properly, the joists are first protected by covering their tops with suitable flashing that drops rain water clear of underlying framing timber. In nearly all cases of rot in decks, it is the unprotected joists below that suffer first and the rot spreads to the underside of the decking later..

Tradeschool teachers who preach to their students after watching backyard garden shows need to get in the real world.

It is purely a matter of customer choice, based on the relevant criteria available.