Best Grill Mat for a Wood Deck


 
JimK

JimK

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Looking for suggestions on a mat that I can use on my wood deck. I'm concerned that something rubber or otherwise 'waterproof' would trap moisture and do more harm than good. I'm looking to get a griddle, and am initially looking for something to protect from splatters, but if it works well, I'd look to potentially put one under the Searwood as well. Thanks for your input!
 
How about a piece of “expanded steel” under the rubber mat? That would allow the wood to breathe. Also not very expensive might be a “welcome mat” type thing? The kind that look like pieces of recycled tires?
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
How about a piece of “expanded steel” under the rubber mat? That would allow the wood to breathe. Also not very expensive might be a “welcome mat” type thing? The kind that look like pieces of recycled tires?
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Interesting thought.
 
JimK said:
Interesting thought.
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I do what I can.😉 I was thinking about the “breatheable” subfloor stuff I’ve seen ads for this last couple of weeks. Not sure the expanded steel type thing would allow enough airflow. Hence the second thought of the “mat” idea. That would give you maybe 1/2-3/4” of airflow area under the “impervious” mat.
Let me have another cocktail and I might come up with something even more “Gyro Gearloose”!🤣
 
JimK said:
A friend of mine has that exact one on his composite deck. Did it not trap moisture underneath?
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Mine was on concrete so it did keep moisture underneath, but that's due to concrete which also attracts moisture from the ground below it.

Overall, it was a good mat. Our sun out here is just hyper intense and mine was exposed on a due south exposure which means sun all day long.
 
This is the one I picked up after my research but that was on concrete pavers. Wood deck would be tricky unless you just used it during grilling.
Screenshot_20260118_160358_Chrome.jpg

TrafficMaster Black 48 in. x 72 in. Recycled Rubber Commercial Door Mat 60-060-9501-4000600 - The Home Depot https://share.google/8wZlitlp7lARqflnJ
 
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John F Ford said:
I use an oil drip pan that I bought at auto zone. It's about 2X4 ft.(that's a guess)
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I don't have a wood deck but if I did I think I'd go for a metal drip pan not only to trap drips, but as a fire resistant layer for ashes and coal.

If it sits directly on the deck it will trap moisture. I think I'd plan a way to elevate it all slightly to get an air gap under the pan. I haven't thought it through but something sturdy enough to hold the weight of the grills.
 
Hoping you fine some good solutions here, I'm using a blackstone on my deck and the oil and grease splatter are killing me. Need something that isnt a trip hazard that will also not burst into flames or trap water underneath. Bonus if it can be deployed when using and put away when not.
 
I used to use a water heater drip pan under my WSM. Trouble was, it'd fill up with water when it rained. Eventually, I poked a few holes in it to allow water to drain out. That worked pretty well, but it still trapped moisture, so ultimately, I stored it in the garage when not in use. I suspect most solutions are going to trap moisture, so it's tough with a wood deck underneath. I'm leaning toward something light and easily stored that I can just throw under it when in use. But I haven't given up yet.
 
There are flame proof rugs . I used oil change pan on my old deck that was in poor shape. I dropped an occasional coal and left burn marks too. When our home insurance underwriter pulled out of our State last year, we had to get new homeowners insurance..... And they would not give it with the old deck. Or the old AC unit. They didn't even want to with the existing fence or the existing roof.

My solution to grilling/ smoking on the new $$$$$ deck....was to build a 12x12 covered area in the yard adjacent to it right at the bottom of the steps. The roof was easy The flat paver surface on mildly sloped ground was a lot more work. But 2 yards of dirt, 1/2 yard gravel, 1/2 yard sand, 2500 lb pavers , quite a few days of my time later....its pretty decent place to cook rain or sun, and clean fish. Lighted for nighttime too.
 
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MartinB said:
There are flame proof rugs . I used oil change pan on my old deck that was in poor shape. I dropped an occasional coal and left burn marks too. When our home insurance underwriter pulled out of our State last year, we had to get new homeowners insurance..... And they would not give it with the old deck. Or the old AC unit. They didn't even want to with the existing fence or the existing roof.

My solution to grilling/ smoking on the new $$$$$ deck....was to build a 12x12 covered area in the yard adjacent to it right at the bottom of the steps. The roof was easy The flat paver surface on mildly sloped ground was a lot more work. But 2 yards of dirt, 1/2 yard gravel, 1/2 yard sand, 2500 lb pavers , quite a few days of my time later....its pretty decent place to cook rain or sun, and clean fish. Lighted for nighttime too.
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Any pics of how it turned out?
 
Thanks. like I said the hard part was the ground wasn't level, sloping about 8" over 12 ft, so I had to get all that dirt sand and gravel out of bed of truck and to to the back yard in a wheelbarrow by hand using a shovel, no drive access. Fortunately it could be done little by little, a day at a time , and i was off work for several weeks straight
 
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