deckingflooring
I have wood deck. It get's periodically treated. The last treatment was 3-4 years ago.
Was wondering if it's alright to put an outdoor rug (8×10 ft.) on it? Will be placing chair and outdoor gas heater on top of rug.
Located in central Iowa
Thanks,
First, a disclaimer: Make sure the wood you are going to use will stand up in the environment you're placing them in. You may be better off using these with the T&G on an indoor project. Weather outside will quickly weather non-pressure treated wood, and decks typically require thicker boards than you'd have inside since they don't have a sub-floor.
For long cuts along the length of a board, the best tool is a table saw. And the second best would be a circular saw with a jig. If you don't have plans for more projects like this, or simply need to save space, then the circular saw makes more sense. Setup a jig with a long straight edge that you can run your saw along and clamp it on top of your boards to be cut.
To smooth the edges, a router would be best. You could also use a block plane or sander. I'd be tempted to get a belt sander to make this project go quick and to give me the chance to cleanup the finish on the boards at the same time. A small orbital sander would also work and have other uses around the house, but it would take a lot longer and wouldn't be as useful if you want to cleanup the finish on the boards.
This is not a recommendation for a specific vendor, sample images only.
If anything, I would expect the opposite problem: the area under the rug would wear less, and be noticeable when you take up the rug for that reason (if at all)!
Assuming the rug is color-fast, of course.
Best Answer
When you put something like that on a wood deck, blocking the sun, that portion of the wood will not fade at the same rate as the rest. So when you eventually remove it, you will see a "shadow" of where it was. Also, if the outdoor rug holds moisture, it may accelerate any wood rot that might otherwise have been avoided or slowed down by periodic drying.