10 Simple Ways To Protect Wood Deck From Furniture Scratches
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Don’t you just love to sit & relax on your deck furniture with your family & friends. Sitting down for a cup of coffee as the sun rises or sipping a glass of wine as the sun sets are simple pleasures in life that can bring immense joy & happiness. But do you have the lingering worry about how to protect your wood deck from furniture scratches?
Wood decks seem to get furniture scratches all the time. But they don’t have to. Here are 10 very simple ways to protect your wood deck from furniture scratches.
Deck furniture scratches the wood deck if it is too heavy and is moved by pushing or pulling rather than lifting. To protect your wood deck from furniture scratches, you can use one or more of the following 10 simple ways:
- Outdoor Furniture Foot Pads
- Rubber Furniture Caster Cups
- Transparent Furniture Leg Floor Protectors
- Wrought Iron Patio Furniture Feet Glides
- Furniture Leveler with Teflon Glides
- Place Rugs or Mats under Deck Furniture
- Use Plastic Deck Furniture
- Choose the Right Wood for your Deck
- Regularly Seal your Wood Deck
- Move Deck Furniture with Care
1. Outdoor Furniture Foot Pads
Deck chairs & tables move & scratch the wood deck surface as the legs are not skid resistant. Anti slip rubber furniture pads will keep the furniture in place and protect the floor from scratches.
The soft rubber & felt end of the pad is a slip resistant, heavy duty shield that does not scratch the wood deck. The pads have a strong adhesive so they stay stuck to the bottom of chair & table legs for a long time.
Not only do good quality self adhesive furniture pads protect your wood deck from furniture scratches they also increase safety by preventing the furniture from skidding.
2. Rubber Furniture Caster Cups
The rubber furniture caster cups work in the same way as self adhesive non-slip furniture pads. They also prevent your deck furniture from moving and scratching the wood deck surface.
The main difference is that instead of an adhesive the flexible grip cup fits snugly around the furniture leg.
They are made of heavy duty ribbed rubber and are especially suitable for heavy items like sofa, dining tables and BBQs. The small rubber ribs grip the wood deck and keep the furniture in place.
Check out CasterMaster Square Rubber Furniture Caster Cups3. Transparent Furniture Leg Floor Protectors
There are many benefits to using a transparent chair or table leg cover. Some covers can look ugly & industrial but not the ones made from transparent silicone. In fact they may not even get noticed.
The felt at the bottom and the silicone cover are one piece and can be easily rolled ofer the furniture leg. No nails, no adhesives. Just the grip of flexible silicone.
The chair leg protectors cushion cover protect the wood deck from furniture scratches, reduce noise and prevent bumps. The felt pads on the bottom reduce resistance, allowing furniture to move easily and quietly without lifting.
The silicone protectors look beautiful, are durable and are waterproof and weather proof. The protectors can be washed with soap water, if they get dirty.
But do make sure to get the right shape and size for your furniture so that they fit snug & tight.
Check out Transparent Silicone Furniture Leg Floor Protectors4. Wrought Iron Patio Furniture Feet Glides
Normally I do not recommend keeping wrought iron or metal deck furniture on wood decks, or any pool deck for that matter. Metal is hard and the legs are sure to scratch the deck. However, if you install furniture feet glides then even wrought iron patio furniture can be safe on a wood deck.
Self-leveling replacement metal chair leg inserts eliminate the wobble by using a soft flexible foam cushion that conforms to uneven surfaces and provides even contact with the floor. Furniture glides will protect the wood deck from wrought iron patio furniture scratches.
Make sure to get glides that are made from high quality durable material such as Delrin and not some cheap PVC which will crack & wear out in no time under the hot sun.
Check out Forever Glides Wrought Iron Patio Furniture Feet Glides5. Furniture Leveler with Teflon Glides
Deck furniture can wobble if it is not properly level or the deck itself is uneven. An uneven pool deck floor is more often the culprit. You do not need to resurface the deck, just attach good quality furniture levelers.
The leveler is screwed on to the bottom of the deck chair, table or sofa legs. The leveler can then be adjusted to level the furniture item. This is especially helpful for large, heavy items. No more rocking, every time someone sits on the sofa or leans on the dining table.
Typically high quality, super smooth “TEFLON” slides are attached to the bottom, which make pushing the furniture to a new position a breeze. No screeching noise, no scratches on the deck!
Check out CSFMC Furniture Leveler with Teflon Bottom6. Place Rugs or Mats under Deck Furniture
If you keep your furniture on top of a carpet, rug or mat, then you will be able to protect your wood deck from furniture scratches. Carpets and rugs can be used indoors or on a deck which is covered and not exposed to rain or snow.
For outdoor decks, transparent PVC deck mats or runners would be more suitable. Not only will the thick, firm plastic vinyl protect the wood deck from furniture scratches, it will also protect it from food & beverage spills.
PVC mats are durable, waterproof and weather resistant. They are eco friendly as they are made from recycled material. Moreover, they are non toxic and completely safe for children & pets.
Check out Resilia – Deluxe Clear Vinyl Plastic Floor Runner and Protector for Wood Decks7. Use Plastic Deck Furniture
If you want to keep your deck life simple and affordable then use plastic deck furniture. Reasonable price is what will appeal to your wallet, but there are other benefits to plastic deck furniture.
Durability
Unlike wood or iron, plastic deck furniture will not rot or rust. Come rain or sunshine, the plastic furniture can withstand it all with almost no maintenance.
Beauty
Not all plastic furniture needs to be cheap looking. You can get some great looking deck furniture in white or even colored plastic. You can get interesting & intricate shapes because plastics can be molded. It can even replicate natural materials such as wood or rattan.
Eco Friendly
Plastic deck furniture is actually eco-friendly because it is often made from recycled plastics.
Lightweight
Plastic deck furniture is much lighter than similar wood or metal furniture. You can easily lift the chairs, tables and sofas and rearrange them in a new configuration as per requirement. Lifting eliminates the risk of scratching the wood deck.
But even if you were to push or drag the plastic deck furniture around, you are unlikely to scratch the wood deck as plastic is a soft, flexible material.
Check out some beautiful plastic deck furniture8. Choose the Right Wood for your Deck
This option is of course only available if you are building a new wood deck. At a very broad level you can choose between
- Softwood Decking
- Hardwood Decking
- Composite Decking
Softwood and Hardwood decking are real wood, whereas Composite decking is made from recycled wood, polymers & adhesives.
Wood is classified as softwood or hardwood based on the hardness of wood measured on the Janka Hardness Scale. The scale is the pressure in pounds required to mar a wood surface. The higher a wood is on the Janka Hardness Scale, the more resistant it is to scratching.
In North America, hardwood comes from deciduous trees. The trees are slow growing and the wood is a lot denser and heavier. Hardwood is generally used for making furniture and floors. Hickory, Maple and Oak are commonly used hardwood.
Softwood on the other hand comes from conifer trees. The trees are fast growing and less dense. Softwood is generally used as structural lumber. Douglas Fir, Spruce, Pine and Redwood are commonly used softwood.
The top layer of Composite Wood decking is real wood. The scratch resistance of a composite wood deck depends on this top layer. So if you decide to use a composite wood decking then make sure that the top layer is a hardwood with high Janka Hardness Rating.
Cedar and Redwood are good softwood decking options. The top of the line hardwoods are usually from tropical rainforests. Ipe, Tigerwood, Mahogany and Teak are quite popular and highly scratch resistant.
Click here for the complete table for Janka Wood Hardness Rating.
9. Regularly Seal your Wood Deck
To protect your wood deck from furniture scratches it is extremely important that you reseal regularly. Polyurethane sealers are most effective on outdoor wood decks.
SEAL-ONCE NANO+POLY Penetrating Wood Sealer uses a combination of nanotechnology and water-based polyurethane technology to create a durable surface-coating that protects against wear & tear in high traffic areas. It is an excellent choice for wood decks and walkways.
Check out Seal Once NanoPoly Penetrating Wood Sealer with PolyurethaneSEAL-ONCE NANO+POLY can be tinted and used as wood stain or finish in 11 semi-transparent color tints that also provide added UV protection.
10. Move Deck Furniture with Care
You can protect the wood deck from furniture scratches, simply by being very careful when you move the furniture. I do understand that from time to time you will need to rearrange the furniture on the deck.
The easy way is to push or drag the furniture on the deck. Of course this is likely to result in scratches on the deck. You may also damage or even break the furniture items.
The more difficult but safer way is to lift the furniture and keep it in the new place. This is even more difficult when the furniture is heavy. But it is also when more care is required.
Lifting and moving the furniture is better even if you have implemented some of the above tips!
Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and helpful.
