About DeckProtect

Some fire pits will cause only minor damage to composite or wood decking, and some will cause major damage depending upon the type of fire pit and various factors such as weather, type of fire, etc. There are several solutions available online for protecting your deck from the heat that can radiate from a fire pit. Some are bad idea and will simply not do the job. Some will protect your deck under some fire pits and some conditions. DeckProtect was designed by thermal engineers to protect any type of decking under any type of fire pit.

How DeckProtect Works

Two layers of tiles made from basalt fiber are set in a study aluminum frame. Basalt is the technical term for a type of volcanic rock. The basalt is melted at extremely high temperature and then formed into a filament fiber. The basalt fiber is pressed into a board that is 3/8″ thick. The board is then cut into tiles to fit snugly in two layers in the aluminum frame. Before inserting the tiles, the frame is powder coated with one of our four colors: polished aluminum, black, copper, or dark bronze (shown above). In addition to being an effective insulation material, the basalt board is fire-proof. Hard rubber feet raise the frame a half inch above the deck to provide air flow. That air space not only keeps the frame above the deck, it also keeps the deck from trapping moisture, staining, or developing mold or mildew. No other system provides the same total protection for any type of decking.

This photo shows the heavy Breeo X-24 sitting on a DeckProtect which is raised a half inch above the deck for air flow. This photo was taken during a demonstration of DeckProtect effectiveness on different types of decking boards.

We built a small test deck and laid out a grouping of 12″ and 6″ samples of composite and PVC samples from TimberTech, DuraLife, Azek, Fiberon, Veranda, and Trex. At the center were the 6″ samples of Azek, TimberTech, DuraLife, and Fiberon Paramount.

To show how well DeckProtect works, we chose the Breeo X Series 24 for this demonstration because the Breeo burns hotter underneath that most other fire pits. With the Breeo now on the composite and PVC samples protected by DeckProtect, we kicked up a robust fire and kept it going strong for more than four hours. The Breeo is smokeless, which means it burns the wood more fully (hotter), and has an insatiable appetite for fire wood. We were adding a new log every five or ten minutes.

After almost 5 hours we stopped adding new fire wood and let the fire burn itself out. The next day we lifted the heavy Breeo on two boards so we could slide out the DeckProtect and check the decking samples for damage.

There was no damage whatever to the decking samples. They were good as new.

The plan was to do another test burn with the Breeo sitting directly on the decking samples without the protection of DeckProtect.

Though we had planned to burn the fire for a similar time, after just 20 minutes we saw smoke coming from under the Breeo. So we stopped adding wood and let the fire burn itself out.

The next day when we raised the Breeo on the two planks, we were stunned by how damaged the decking samples were.

This photo shows the circle of damage caused by the fire pit. For many types of fire pit, the damage would not be this dramatic. We chose the Breeo to show that even with this much heat radiation, our product will protect your decking. The 6″ square in the upper left of the center is Fiberon Paramount PVC. To its right is Azek PVC. the 6″ square in the lower left of the center is TimberTech capped composite. To its right is DuraLife capped composite. Samples farther from the epicenter are Veranda, more TimberTech, and Trex. The brands were carefully selected to represent typical PVC and composite decking. This demonstration does not show that the PVC is inferior to the capped composite. PVC decking is excellent in many ways, and this will never happen to your deck because you have no intention of subjecting it to a fire pit without effective protection from radiant heat.

Trex, which is probably the most popular and best known brand of composite decking, has been recommending DeckProtect to its customers for several years. The company asked us recently if we could send them a DeckProtect that would be the right size for the Solo Stove Bonfire, which Trex offers on its web site. This photo is from a photo shoot Trex did of a beautiful Trex deck in Virginia and is used here with their permission.

DeckProtect has been successfully protecting decks for thousands of homeowners. Not one has ever complained that it failed to protect their deck. A few years ago This Old House recommended DeckProtect in an article “All About Fire Pits.”

There are other products that are promoted for protecting your deck under a fire pit. However, no other product has the same engineering, the same track record, the same recommendations, or the same reputation as DeckProtect™.