Which Way Up to Install Your Decking?

In today's video I will be exploring which way up your Decking should be installed - grooves up or down?

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0:00 Start
0:26 Intro
0.34 Instragram Post
1:33 Background
2:21 My Single Sided Deck
3:16 Double Sided Options
4:06 Conclusions

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LET'S CONNECT!
Charlie DIYte

#decking #grooves #upordown

[benpatsy]

I went into BandQ and someone asked me if I wanted decking...
Luckily I got the first punch in.. 😀😀

[mwatson]

We choose to put grooves up because it rains here and it gets slippy. It’s just a deck it will rot eventually whatever way you lay it. Put it down how you like and live your life.

[stovic]

When I had decking I used smooth side up. Looked better, more natural, easier to clean and was no more slippy.

[johnthompson]

I am in Canada - originally UK 45yrs ago - Every time we have been over I have said what a great idea you guys have with that grooved decking. We do not have it here, and as far as I know neither do the Sates. The people who say the grooves should be up are nuts.We in Ontario have way more severe weather than you and my deck has been down 26yrs.The boards need changing but when removed the joists are in great shape with no grooves and about 3' of snow per year. So stick with you up grooves, you are right LOL

[jaquigreenlees]

When I was younger we had a large deck that was above the carport, the decking material was plywood.
A quality exterior paint and toss sand onto it while it's wet, preserve the deck material and give the traction needed.

[nickolasreeks]

Our decking is about 20 years old. It gets jet washed a couple of times a year. Yes its it grooved side up but it still gets slippery in the winter.
I placed dpm along the joists and where I bolted a joist to the wall of the house. This provides excellent protection to the joists. I keep meaning to coat the decking with a clear anti slip finish but yet to do it as most products require an air temperature of 10deg C to prevent clouding of the product. Great vid as ever. Haters gonna

[carolinepark]

Had a hardwood smooth deck for 12 years. Jet wash twice a year and use anti fungal wash before re-oiling in late spring. Has never been slippery. Neighbour’s Reed profile softwood deck is always filled with moss and algae in between ridges, very slippery when wet and also softwood which swells and contracts more.

[query]

I used plain side up for my decking (grooves down). I think it looks better, you can use a roller to add deck oil really quickly and I sanded it last year with a drum sander and it was reasonably easy to do and looked like new. I had no idea the grooves down were good for the timber but as it turns out, they are in really good condition after 7 years.

[GrumpysWorkshop]

Interesting video. Years ago i built a deck attached to the back of our house. Deck boards were laid groove side up & they were like an ice rink in the wet months. Built a raised deck at the bottom of our garden & boards are laid groove side down. Even in the wet its not slippy. So in my opinion groove side down is way better looking & safer.

[edenmaddocks]

What I've learned over the years and I've installed many decks is to have the decking raised above ground level if possible, and to make sure it has good airflow 6mm gaps, canterlever decks are the way to go .

[nickh]

My decking is grooves up. It's at least 15 years old, and has been regularly treated with decking paint - this year is the first time I have noticed the boards starting to degrade, so it's getting replaced soon. The deck was always slippery when damp, until we put an anti slip coating on - what a difference!

[MohammedAli-hwzq]

It's funny, I had a lodger from Australia a couple years back who said my decking was installed incorrectly, but I installed it much the same as yours. 10 years down the line the decking is still going strong! Great video as always 👍

[RuneBivrin]

In Sweden, while I've seen wood decking with grooves, it's definitely not particularly common. Our boards tend to be flat on both sides, and rounded on all four edges. My habit is to look at the end of the board for the growth rings. Since they will tend straighten as the board dries, I'll pick an orientation that lets the board rise up in the middle. That way, water will run off, rather than pool along the centre line.

[carlinglis]

Apparently there's a nationwide shortage of fence panels and posts too - due to a combination of lockdown-induced DIY and someone trying to do a three-point-turn in the Suez...

[camlegs]

I used Wicks double sided from Hereford over 10 years ago. Still going strong. Rolled plastic grass on it for now as a change! LOL

[thewholls]

Good job

Here in Australia the H3 pine 4” x 2” joists are grooved as well so for that reason alone it also doesn’t matter which way the grooves go on the

but 90% are Merbau hardwood decks with grooves usually under cover of some sort....

If your deck is under cover that reduces importance of it further....

[curtis]

Plain side up is the right way !!!! Grooves up are more slippery and traps dirt . This is great video

[samt]

Love the video and for the unconvinced.

There isn't a right way up. It depends on your requirements.
For example:
1. How much friction does the county/council require? [grooves up]
2. Landscape Supply Office. Do you and your customers need a safe mud free deck surface? [grooves down].
there are plenty of reasons to determine what you should do.
also some deck boards come with grooves on both sides and some come with none.

[biggixer]

Grooves up or down is a personal choice but usually grooves up for grip and you can buy grip inserts which are nailed into cant see that additional airflow making any difference to the longevity of the decking

[capitalinventor]

This video pointed out another difference between various areas of the world. I'm in Canada and I've never seen wood decking with grooves, on either side. I've seen some of the composite decking boards with grooves on one side but I thought that was to save material. I took a look at one of the major big box stores (the one with the orange sign, I'm not advertising for them) just to make sure nothing has changed since I last built a deck and it's still the same.

I don't know if what you built is typical but here we have beams (2x6 or 2x8) attached to 4x4 posts. (Sorry for the imperial measurements. While Canada is officially metric our lumber is the old way. I'm assuming that it's because our lumber industry is so tied into the US. Or it could just be momentum from the past as in grocery stores and advertisements food prices have prices per pound in larger print and then prices per kg, 100g, or something similar in smaller print.) are Joists are either between or on top of the beams (laid perpendicular) and then the deck boards are attached to the joists (perpendicular to the joists of course).

If you build your deck with a very slight slant (1 or 2 degrees) then you won't have to worry about water pooling up. It's not enough for someone to notice. If the deck is against a building then the deck should slope away from the building.