Outdoor rug which won't trap rainwater?

15 years ago

Can anyone recommend an outdoor rug which won't trap rainwater underneath?

We would like to use an outdoor rug (I'm leaning towards a synthetic "sisal") to protect the area under our patio set. Repeatedly moving chairs around may damage our stain. My husband is concerned about rainwater getting trapped under any rug we put down. I have three potted trees which were, until recently, sitting directly on the (unstained at the time) deck, rather than in dishes or up on protective rings. Every time it rained or I watered them, water would collect underneath the pots, and stay there for a long time. The wood underneath was blackened and a bit soft (though not to the point of significant rot.) The fear is that the same sort of thing could happen under a rug.

We temporarily put down a coir welcome mat, backed with rubber, on a side porch, and I have noticed water collects under that. Has anyone used a more "breathable" or "drainable" rug in a location which gets a fair amount of rain? I'm thinking synthetic sisal, if it's not backed with rubber, might allow for water to evaporate.

Featured Answer

lizzie_nh
Original Author

15 years ago

Hmm... good idea. I had debated sticking felt pads to the bottom, but of course those will soak up water. The loop part of velcro would be plastic, so it might work well. I think I will try it if I don't find some other stick-on product made for outdoors! Our table and chairs have plastic caps on their feet, but they still seemed to scratch our deck before it was finished, so I need to add something more protective.

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Comments (7)

GWgal
15 years ago
i debated this as well. As soon as we completed our deck build, I was paranoid about stains/dirt/scratches. I bought one of those "grill mats" to put under the grill because I was convinced grease would be flying everywhere.

Well, grease really didn't, and the mat ended up being more irritating than anything else. That's because after a rain, it traps water underneath and makes a water stain on the wood. I couldn't stand to see my beloved ipe get stained like that ;)

So now I operate without mats or rugs. I bought rolls of adhesive velcro and cut lengths of the "loop" part of velcro and stuck them to the underside of the legs of our talbes and chairs so they don't scratch the deck. you can't tell it's there, and so far no damage - and it's held up in the weather.

if you find a rug i'd be curious to know what solves the problem. I think no matter what you use you're going to have water collecting under it.
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GWgal
15 years ago
Lizzie, I looked everywhere for some kind of outdoor solution, but couldn't find anything that was right. There are silicone caps, but they are only in some certain shapes/sizes and you can of course see them. so far, the velcro works and it's inexpensive. if it comes off i can replace it easily.
stolzie
14 years ago
We have a Mad Mat outdoor rug in our basement, which gets water in it, and have not had any trouble with water getting trapped. They are not too expensive, and look great; they are made from recycled plastic, but you wouldn't know it to look at them. Just a thought.
ReBecca Philpott
8 years ago
what is a Mad Mat, stoizie?
jfield123
6 years ago
Mad Mat is the brand. They're made of plastic and there are lots of designs. They don't absorb water
Teresa Cerna
5 years ago
I am looking for something as well for my wooden deck. The rug brand mentioned above “Mad Mat”was put in a basement, so I’m assuming it has concrete floors. Would this make a difference verses wood?