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.

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.

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.

what is a Mad Mat, stoizie?

Mad Mat is the brand. They're made of plastic and there are lots of designs. They don't absorb water

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?