Patios and decks are generally viewed as leisure locations where one sits down for a meal or sunbathing. But before you know it, they’re work locations. The grill goes there. Hobby work is done when the garage is cluttered. The garden shed is just far enough away to have tools available but not part of the mix. It isn’t long until that lovely outdoor area is accommodating heat, spills, heavy machinery, and continuous foot traffic for which it was never meant to accommodate.
More industrial or multi-purpose functionality does not lend itself well to common decking and patio materials. Wood decks gain grease stains and char marks from heat and grill residue. Composite discolors or warps when there’s too much heat. Concrete cracks with too much weight and gets stained from every drop of oil left by metal garden furniture. While this area may still work, it looks bad over time, and maintenance becomes more and more impossible.
Form Specific Work Zones
The best option to create specific areas where one would typically do work instead of relegating an entire deck or patio to take whatever comes its way without compromise. For example, areas of grilling, hobby-related spaces, even placing larger machinery would benefit from surfaces that offer something decking materials do not.
For example, metal surfaces or mats put under grills serve various solutions simultaneously. They provide a hard bottom that doesn’t shift or settle while simultaneously protecting the area underneath from heat penetration and grease.
For homeowners who would like reputable outdoor work spaces, Chequer Plate Direct offers metallic surfaces with texturization that withstand heat, spills, and machinery without breaking down.
These surfaces don’t require coverage across an entire outdoor area, either; as long as they exist in high-impact spots, enough outside of a deck/patio will remain in tact without worry of damage where protection is needed.
Where Standard Outdoor Surfaces Come Up Short
Wood decking is also not meant to be part of the working process. Stains penetrate the surface; paint spills become unintentional memories; heavy machinery in the form of a pressure washer or large planter causes compression and subsequently indentations, caused by the hardwood itself.
Composite decking boasted itself as a solution to wood. However, it has a new set of problems. Heat warps composite or discolors surfaces; it’s not uncommon for grill legs to melt composites. Even those composite forms that boast stain resistance are from companies homeowners rarely know – spending the extra money on vinyl composites means taking the chance when you’re on sites like Home Depot to determine if their reputation or standards are high enough. Lesser composites show up immediately; if you drag your furniture across them or other items, scratching is permanent and apparent.
Concrete patios may hold weight better than any other material. However, they stain worse than anything else in the outdoors. Grease stains from grills settle into concrete and stay forever unless someone uses an ultra-aggressive pressure washer – but even then it never fully comes out. Rust stains from metal furniture devastate lawns. Shovels with sharpened edges leave indentations like scars that are nearly impossible to heal. A patio may work but is an eyesore over time, and there’s nothing that can be done about it.
Heat Protection – Grills
Grills emit a significant amount of heat that transfers downward to decking or patio surfaces. Even with legs and stands, that sort of concentrated pressure is a problem. It can scorch wood – or burn it up completely. Composite material bends. Therefore, where grills sit – and how much space exists around them – requires something with heat specific threshold that’s not going to damage.
Metal grill pads protect by providing a buffer between grill and surface that has no propensity to burn or melt, scorching wood or composite deck boards. Instead, grease falls on the metal instead of permeating into porous surfaces where it’s stuck indefinitely.
This means size matters; the protective area needs to be larger than the footprint of the grill as grease splatters fall if they don’t go directly underneath; if it’s too small, issues compound at the edges where protection stops, and everything else gets grilled.
Spill Protection
Grills cause spills – from paint to oils to cleansing agents and preparations utilized for food prep. Standard decking or patios cannot handle such components and end up with stains of embarrassment after use. The goal is finding a surface that keeps these components at the top instead of letting them sink in for good measure.
Non-porous surfaces can be rinsed off or wiped up at worst. A metal plate now has oil on it; some scrubbing with soap will make it shine again; on wood? Too bad – there’s an oil stain forever – and some other adjustments made in the process are now gone by trying too hard to save what they had.
This is important for aesthetics and practicality; if one uses an outdoor work surface quite often for messy endeavors it makes sense for that space to look like new instead of needing an added layer of maintenance.
Furthermore, textured surfaces help get rid of any liquid spilled. They plunge into valley patterns that may catch dirt but can be swept out or hosed off – all meaning that high use areas get used correctly without needing extra attention.
Weight Considerations/Equipment
Outdoor areas can host heavy items – planters large enough to house saplings; machinery; workbenches; work cabinets – and even outdoor furniture options can be overwhelming. Standard decking flexes under pressure creating areas of unevenness with structural concerns developing over time because joists become damaged because too much concentrated weight is in one area for too long.
Distributing weight across sturdier surfaces prevents structural issues underneath. Metal provides substantiation where it’s needed – and prevents indentations – pressure washers or heavy equipment sits nicely on metal without an ability to create marks like they would on standard surfaces.
This is especially true for items that will remain stationary for a long time – a heavy planter that’s left in place for days/weeks at a time will damage even the sturdiest of decks – metal plates help prevent those compression issues.
Weather Resistance
Outdoor locations do not benefit from being indoors away from elements – rain; excessive sun exposure; temperature variance could mean make-or-break situations for various materials outdoors – moisture penetrates with wood-rotting capabilities; composites fade and become brittle in cold weather; concrete cracks under freeze/thaw temperatures.
Metal has little concern when it comes to this; sure it may rust but nothing truly happens when exposed to years worth of precipitation – but it’s best that it’s not exposed like that; on a continual basis metal holds up better under pressure than any other material when weather occurs.
Creating Mixed Use Spaces
The goal isn’t for an entire outdoor area to become an industrial shop–it’s merely permitting mixed-use instead of stressing over maintenance down the line – if one can keep their deck nice for entertaining but facilitate project work when necessary – as long as everything goes back to where it belongs – it’s all worth it since it adds value instead of having one place operate exceptionally but half assed everywhere else.
Smart decisions regarding type materials make this all possible. Primary decks may still be wood or composite based on aesthetic or effort since more people walk there – but high traffic areas need coverings that can withstand any abuse granted – but it’s worth it for a homeowner so too much effort isn’t made worrying about integrity when it could function as intended.
Installation/Integration
Additions of functional work areas do not require reconstruction necessary within existing areas of decks or patios – metal plates sit on top for universal access – either secured down via screws – or left loose depending on who will be there first/needs what work done.
Overlook appeal comes into play based on what gets added; unless someone wants untreated metal – which overtime grows a patina many do not find attractive – painted options or laminated options look much better appealing as if what’s underneath has never been extensively checked before bringing anything outside in the first place.
Long-Term Value
Preventing outdoor spaces from degradation expands their longevity exponentially; if something would need refinishing every two years because of grill damage and rust spots – but much more protective decaling exists decade after decade after proper use – even figures project it’s worth investing money on protective services instead of expensive work down the line since affordable decking ripped apart by unintended damage is NEVER worth its replacement.
Finally, from practical value – the value of operating as intended far exceeds the purpose of hoping one is doing too much ultimately. If a space cannot withstand real use then it’s underutilized or too consistently monitored (which is frustrating) because what’s the value of an outdoor space if one can’t use it properly?
Spaces should give as much effort as possible without falling apart. Upgrading specific high-use areas makes this possible – for all those spaces too attractive-for-work should have a charm about them that draws others in so while using them thoughtfully, they will disguise the wear-and-tear typically endured overtime without sacrifice to aesthetic performance whatsoever.
