Decking - Grooves or No Grooves?

[481]

Hi

It's been a while since this has been discussed, so I would like to ask everyone for their views on whether I should buy smooth or grooved decking for our back garden (west-facing).

What are the pros and cons of each, and the implications for maintenance, safety etc?

Thanks!

 

[WabbitPoo]

What was the concensus last time it was discussed - it won't have changed since then.

 

[481]

It was about 3:1 in favour of grooves if I remember right.

However, I don't want to have three quarters with grooves and a quarter without, so I'd really like to understand the pros and cons so I can factor them in and make my own mind up!

 

[r896neo]

Smooth for me.

Its the slime that makes it slippy and its much easier to keep a smooth surface clean and free from algae.

It also looks so much better in my opinion

 

[Pigeon85]

Neither for me just don't like decking but have treated a few and the smooth is easier to treat and as stated above easier to keep clean, I think people prefer the grooved as its detail

 

[481]

Thanks - anyone else got any views?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Agree with r896neo, its the slime that makes it slippy so go with what you like and keep it regularly de-slimed. Though all decking is potentially a death trap in frosty/freezing weather.

 

[AronSearle]

There are grooves and ribs.

Ribbed decking should not be used face up. It was actually bought in to be used on the underside of a deck board, to stop moisture being trapped between the deck-board and joist, people naturally assumed a ribbed surface was meant to go on top, ribbing makes it MORE slippery not less.

Then we have grooves.

Grooves must be of an appropriate size, 7mm wide, and 7mm deep. Smaller grooves again can make it worse, not better, they can hold moisture and dirt but are too small to readily clear the surface.

Grooves are also reliant upon regular cleaning to remove any debris that can build up, do all the above properly and groves will help make a deck less slippery.

Direction of travel is also important, walking along groves will again make them worse, think about the pathways on your deck and which way the boards should run.



If you use smooth boards, try and use narrower boards with good gaps between them to shed water.

You could also use graphite strips, even if only on pathways, you can also mix in plain and grooved boards.