deck wood=annular rings+when to stain

[stefaki]

am repairing deck a where a spa once was,located in nevada,i used redwood which way should the annular rings face curves up or down to avoid cupping or buckling.am from out of state so other question i have is its now jan wont get back this way til late sept should i stain (behr) boards now maybe in garage before putting them down or will they last til i get back to stain am weekend warrior type of guy so i want to make sure im going about this the right thanks for any help andy

[tom_matthews]

It is common for the decking to be installed bark-side up to reduce cupping. However, some boards that are cut closer to the core of the tree have a straighter, tighter grain and cupping is reduced.