Chairs are a part of a nice patio setup, but if you’ve noticed some telltale scratches on your deck, you’ve probably been understandably frustrated by the way chairs can scratch a patio. Here are 10 effective solutions to stop patio chairs from scratching your deck.
- The right wood
- Anti-slip furniture pads
- Furniture levelers
- Furniture leg floor protectors
- Rugs and mats
- Rubber furniture feet
- Regular cleaning
- Regular resealing
- Careful handling
- Plastic deck furniture
There are lots of great solutions out there to stop patio furniture from scratching your deck. The rest of this article will focus on each of these methods to avoid damage to your patio to help you maintain a scratch-free area outside your home.
The Right Wood
If you haven’t built your deck yet and are worried about scratches, then you’ll want to pick your woods carefully.
Cedar and Redwood are ideal softwoods for decks, while Ipe, Tigerwood, Teak, and Mahogany are excellent hardwoods that are scratch resistant. A PVC decking with an acrylic cap is a scratch-resistance substance that’s perfect for building a deck.
Anti-Slip Furniture Pads
Anti-slip furniture pads are great to slide under your furniture items and chairs to prevent them from damaging the deck underneath. The pads are soft and have a nice low profile, so they won’t disrupt the aesthetic of your deck at all.
Furniture Levelers
Furniture levelers are great for if your deck wasn’t built quite level. Oftentimes, the root cause of chairs damaging your patio deck is due to the furniture not being level.
As such, one leg tends to dig in or ‘bite’ on the deck, especially if you live somewhere that gets a lot of wind. Levelers combat this issue and help you to keep your furniture level, reducing the risk of damage to your deck as a result of uneven floorboards.
Furniture Leg Floor Protectors
These slide nicely onto the leg of your chair and are perfect for protecting your deck. Made of felt or plastic, they are rounded and soft so as not to damage your deck.
These work for all kind of furniture legs. All you need to do is measure the legs of your chair and purchase the appropriately size furniture leg floor protector. The look is certainly noticeable on your furniture, but if you don’t mind your chairs having little black socks, then floor protectors are a suitable and minimal solution to the issue of protecting your deck.
Rugs and Mats
Rugs and mats are a great way to protect your deck from scratches and add a little bit of atmosphere to your deck. Choose your style of rug of mat to suit the color palate of your deck, and you’re all set with a simple solution to a deck scratching issue.
Moving heavy furniture around for cleaning is often what causes scratching on your deck, so adding a simple mat or rug is ideal for making the moving process a little easier and reducing the risk of scratches on your deck. Just be sure to get a rug or mat that’s suitable for the outdoors if you get a lot of rain or snow.
Rubber Furniture Feet
Rubber furniture feet are another similar solution to attach to the leg of your chair and prevent the wood from scraping the deck. For heavy furniture especially, rubber feet are ideal for protecting your deck from the risk of scratches.
Regular Cleaning
As simple as it may seem, cleaning your deck of dirt and grime is a good way to preserve the long-term health of your deck. When hard bits of debris rest on your deck, any abrasive movement—including you walking or moving furniture around—can cause it to scratch the deck.
As such, regular cleaning of all the buildup of dirt and debris is a good preventative measure to reduce the risk of scratches on your deck.
Regular Resealing
Resealing your wood deck occasionally is not only good for keeping the wood healthy and looking beautiful, but it also protects it from scratches.
Polyurethane sealers, for example, provide a durable surface coat to protect against wear and tear, making it far less likely that your deck will accumulate as many scratches, if any, over time. Decks ideally need resealing every 3-5 years.
Careful Handling
The most obvious solution to protecting your deck, especially from moving chairs and furniture around, is to exercise more caution in how you move things. Get an extra pair of hands when you need to move stuff instead of dragging it around.
Pushing or pulling furniture is very abrasive on your deck and will eventually result in scratches. Instead, lift the furniture to where you want it and set it down gently.
Plastic Deck Furniture
A plastic deck furniture is a great option for protecting your deck for one simple reason: it’s super lightweight. You don’t have to worry about dragging heavy furniture around with plastic deck furniture, and in all honestly, there’s plenty of plastic furniture out there that still looks great.
In addition to reducing the risk of scratches, plastic furniture is also much less expensive and a lot easier to clean.
Conclusion
Scratches on a patio are extremely frustrating, but thankfully, there are lots of ways to keep your patio spotless and still looking stylish. From rubber foot pads to rugs and mats, countless options are available to protect your deck from scratches.
FAQs
Does Patio Furniture Damage the Floor?
Patio furniture will damage the floor over time, especially if you have heavy-duty furniture or you like to move your furniture around a lot. The abrasive movement of pulling, pushing, or dragging the furniture over the deck can scratch it. This can also happen if the patio isn’t level or if you get a lot of wind.
How Can I Protect My Deck from Furniture Scratches?
A good option to protect your deck from furniture scratches is to use furniture pads, which are sometimes called glides.
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