IPE or Ironwood - how well does it weather?

[Brent Ring]

Hi,

I am thinking of building a outdoor double-wide adirondack rocker for my wife for mothers day - (thats what she wants:)) and trying to decide what wood species would be best. I really don't want to have to maintain it, and redwood requires maintenance. Teak is too expensive. I have thought abut cypress - but that may be cost prohibitive as well.

I live in Utah, we get some snow in the winter, but the toughest for us is the hot dry summers. We get occasional rains but nothing like the midwest and east.

One of the local suppliers has Ipe for about $7.25/bdft in quantities of 10 bdft or more. I am wondering if anyone has had experience with it, how it weathers, and lasts. Other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

[Tom Walz]

Hard to cut. Lots of sand. We sell a lot of our long life blades for Ipe. Popular on decks because it holds up with no maintenance. Heavy wood. chair will be heavy.

two other opinions


Family Name for Ipe Lumber:
Tabebuia of family Bignoniaceae

Common Names:
Ipe wood is known by many names: Ipe Brazil, Amapa, cortex, Guayacan, Flor Amarillo, Greenheart, Madera negra, Tahuari, Lapacho negro. It has a number of trade names: Ironwood™, Pau Lope™ & Brazilian Walnut... these are commercial names given to Ipe lumber by large Brazilian exporters

Some of these trade names for ipe lumber, include not only Ipe wood, but also a number of other similar species like cumaru (Dipterix odorata) and jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata). "Ipe lumber" can be used in somewhat of a more generic fashion, rather then a singular biological description. Ipe wood is often clustered with other woods that share similar characteristics.

Distribution: Ipe wood (or bois ipe for our french clientele) typically grows in tropical South-central America, in a wide variety of sites, in marshes and riverbanks as well as ridge tops. Ipe trees may grow to 140 feet in height with trunk diameter of up to 6'. It is one of the tallest trees of the amazon region.

Wood: Ipe Heartwood, is typically reddish brown, sometimes with a greenish tinge, often with lighter or darker striping. It can be covered with a yellow lapachol powder. Much of what I have seen looks similar to a teak wood. Ipe wood comes in good long lengths with limited warp. Sapwood is much lighter white or yellow usually removed at the mill, although small strips along the edge can be present. Ipe hardwood has no distinctive odor or taste.

Ipe wood products contains no added harmful chemicals so it can be used near water without potential contamination, although its dust can cause a number of respiratory and contact dermatitis allergic reactions in humans.

Weight: specific gravity of .85 to .97 .. air dry density 66-75 pcf

Drying: Ipe planks are reported to air dry rapidly, and can show some checking especially with thick timber like 4x4, particularly, if dried quickly in full sun. This can cause warping, especially powerful in large timber like 2x12, that can actually pull fixing screws out of pressure treated stringers... thus recommended to use 2 pieces of 2x6 instead. I have seen recommendations to use anchorseal for sealing ipe end cuts to limit end checking associated with drying.

Working Properties: Ipe lumber can be somewhat difficult to work with, especially with hand tools. Can have quite a blunting effect on cutting edges. Recommended that you use a reduced cutting angle, keep edges sharp, and always predrill for nails or screws. Have numerous extra drill bits handy. Ipe planks do not bend well, but the wood finishes and sands quite smoothly, with no splintering.


Toxicity: Ipe boards can have a fine yellow dust on the surface that may cause dermatitis in some individuals that have skin sensitivities and/or cause allergic reactions in those who breathe it in... so wearing a dust mask is recommended. Ipe hardwood is an amazing wood but no sense in risking your health!

Durability: Heartwood is very resistant to attack by decay fungi and termites, but not resistant to marine borers, it has the durability and strength of teak, for a lot less money.The US Department of Agriculture and Forestry rates Ipé as "Very resistant to attack by decay, fungi and termites."

Fire Rating: a Class A fire rating, the same rating given to concrete & steel.

Preservatives: Ipe wood is very dense, and as such is extremely resistant to preservation treatments. Left to nature the UV sun rays and traditional weathering will change the ipe to a nice consistent light gray. Finishes applied on an annual basis can be used to hold ipe's original colour. If it has been allowed to gray, Ipe can be power washed back to its original appearance.

An incredibly durable Brazilian Hardwood rated by the US Forest Lab for 25 years plus. Naturally resistant to fire (rated class A by the NFPA or class 1 by the UBC) insects, moisture, and movement, this air dried hardwood (16-20%) is perfect for exterior commercial and residential applications such as decks, docks, or exterior furniture. In service for over 25 years from Diner Key Marina in Miami, to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, IPÊ has proven durability. It can be sealed to maintain its natural beauty or it can be allowed to weather to be a beautiful silver gray.

It is available in a variety of standard dimensional lumber sizes and can be used for entire projects. It is easily cut with standard carbide tipped blades but requires pre-drilling and screwing with stainless steel screws. Hidden fastening systems are also available. Standard decking size is 4/4 material (net 3/4" thickness) not 5/4 or 8/4 and on 24" centers the 4/4 material will provide a 100 lb live load rating far surpassing any cedar, redwood or CCA pressure treated material. It has a hardness rating of 3640 Janka, almost 3 times that of northern Red Oak at 1260 Janka. IPÊ also resists surface checking and is naturally resistant to molds, which are the two most destructive forces to the face of decks.


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When compared to other decking materials such as redwood, cedar, or copper chromium arsenate pressure treated materials, IPÊ gives longer life (3-5 times the life span), stronger resistance to fire, weather, insects and movement and is competitively priced with high grades of cedar and redwood. If you compare the one time cost of IPÊ to the 3-5 times you replace other materials over the life span of IPÊ, the value of IPÊ becomes very clear!

It is the best timber product for exterior usage, period!

[Lee Schierer]

Ipe is being used to replace sections of the boardwalk at Atlantic City. In Erie, PA there is a board walk that is over 20 years old made from Ipe that still looks pretty good, we average 90+ inches of snow each year, 140+ this year.

As noted, Ipe is heavy. Plan on buying a forktruck to move the chair. The wood does not float.

It machines well and doesn't splinter easily. It will dull HSS steel pretty quickly.

[joseph j shields]

I built my deck with Ipe about 6 years ago.

I used Penofin for the first 2 years to keep the rich brown color... but the Penofin really did a poor job... (I live in Wisconsin)

So I haven't touched it for about 4 years and it is now gray.

This spring I'm thinking about cleaning it and trying WoodZotic ...

I've read some good things about it.

As others have stated it is very heavy and will dull your cutting tools quickly.

-jj

[Brent Ring]

Thanks for all the replies. I think that I will use IPE for the project - I want it study and reliable. I don't think my wife will mind the gray, but does anyone have any other suggestions for an annual coating, if I want to maintain the color?

[joseph j shields]

From what I read on some sites Wood Tux seems to be one of the better ones. (I just found out that they actual produce the WoodZotic product I mentioned in my early post.)

Because you are using ipe for furniture, you do have the option of using a film finish. Obliviously, this is not an option for a deck since it would be too slick.

Something to think about....


-jj

[george wilson]

Iron wood was used for upper works on sailing ships.

[Wade Lippman]

I built a table out of it 2 years ago and it has held up perfectly; but it is a bear to work with.

Consider white oak.

[Bill Petersen]

I don't have any experience working with Ipe, but if you should have any environmental concerns with using it, just yesterday I heard an article on NPR where it was estimated that about 80% of all Ipe sold has been harvested illegally. I can't validate this information, but it might be something you'd be interested in checking out.

Bill

[Scott Schwake]

FWW #183 had an ipe outdoor table project, might be worth reading.

[Jim Becker]

Ipe is an excellent product for outdoor projects, but it does have some considerations relative to its hardness for construction as stated. There is also the environmental concern as a lot of it apparently isn't forested responsibly.

As to the grey...that's what wood does when exposed to oxidation and UV. You can slow it down but you cannot stop it. Nature of the beast. Some woods gray out very nicely, however, and really do look great over time.

"Ironwood" is not "a" species...there are hundreds of species that receive this name.

[Brian Hughner]

I've done a few projects with ipe over the last few years - a bench and a planter. I've attached pictures of the planter and you can just see the end of the bench on the deck in one of the pictures. The thing I found working with Ipe that was the worst was the dust. A real nasty, fine dust that's yellowish in color and really irritated my skin and not something you want to be breathing in.

As for maintenance, I use an oil based finish from Messmer's called "U.V. plus for Hardwood decks". I put a couple of coats on at the beginning of the summer to bring back the nice dark red color and over the summer it slowly fades out a little bit.

[Bob Slater]

I made an Ipe deck off the top of my house. (I hope the building can handle the weight over time) Anyway, consider the aluminum clip system with the grooved Ipe. It looks great and there are no fasteners going through the Ipe. My drill bits got red hot trying to drill through this wood. It looks like it will last eons (6 years old now)