Decking which way up

Fitted with aggregate or rubber inserts, non-slip timber decking stays safe all year round, even when in wet or icy weather. No decking is maintenance-free! Just a quick clean to prevent dirt or algae from building up should be enough. All cut ends, drill holes and notches in pressure-treated softwood timber need to be treated with an end-grain preservative.

This will protect the timber against fungal attacks. Both softwoods and hardwoods can be oiled to prevent the timber from weathering. This will also prevent the timber from natural weathering to a silvery grey. Even composite decking fades in colour after about three months and will need painting or staining with specialist composite paint to restore its original colour. Timber is a natural material that originates from a renewable source.

More sustainable timber is coming from managed forests in Europe and Russia every year. Pine is a very popular choice of timber for softwood decking, and more sustainably-sourced hardwoods are available too. You can learn more about sustainably sourced timber and search for FSC certified products and suppliers here. Some composite decking manufacturers use recycled materials, such as plastics and wood chippings. Others use virgin polymer materials, which are not environmentally friendly.

Unlike wood plastic composite decking, where plastic wood and additives are bound together and difficult to separate, wood is fully biodegradable. And how about nature versus nurture? Or creation versus evolution? In deck construction there is one question that is sure to ignite passionate argument: Should decking ridges face up or down? Decking timber usually have ridges that run along the length of the board.

Or they may be installed facing down, the orientation recommended by manufacturers as the correct way to install them. The reeded side of the timber boards make for interesting patterns that look sleek and pleasing, thus begging the builders to install them face up. Like racing stripes that run across the side of a sports car, the timber ridges impart a sleek and sexy look that evokes energy and balance. If your installer has put them in incorrectly, then you have grounds to ask them to redo the job the right way unless this is what you asked them to do, of course.

A grooved deck may feel nice underfoot for a while, but once grime, mould or algae start to grow in the ruts, the boards can quickly become discoloured and will actually be more slippery to walk on, thus defeating the original purpose of laying them grooved side up.

They're also far more difficult to sweep when they're laid grooved-side up. The one exception to this rule may be laying them groove side up on a ramp required for wheelchair access, as the rubber tires will have more traction on a grooved surface. Is my grooved timber decking upside down? Friday, April 16, Can this be true? The anti-slip myth busted Grooved boards are a quirk of the UK Market.