dar2

I too have heard all the expert opinions for years. I put down a PT 1x6 deck three years ago on my front porch. It is 10 feet wide by 40 feet long and I installed the majority of the boards in the 'bark up' position. Only the worst of them were installed upside down for cosmetic reasons. I haven't had any problems with it to date. I must add, however, that the 2x8 joists under the porch are 16" oc and I installed three deck SCREWS at each joist on every board. Hundreds and hundreds of screws! I have lived in houses built by others in Florida, Georgia and Colorado where the boards were nailed down without regard to orienting 'bark-up or bark-down' and I never saw a wood deck that wasn't full of trip hazards until the one I installed. By the way, my porch has a roof, but it is 10 feet up and when we get a hard blowing rain all 400 sf get soaked. Hope this helps.