Anyone work with Ipe wood?

[Rich Riddle]

I am pondering deck options for a large project for the wife. The former owner of Hardwood Lumber and More had recommended Ipe wood a couple of years ago for the decking. Do any of you folks have any experience with Ipe? Any ideas where it can be purchased? Thanks.

[Mel Fulks]

It's been discussed here recently. Holds up well,but gets real hot in full sun due to dark color and density. Even though it seems dry it shrinks over time, boards should be installed with a scant 1/8" between them. You can probably find at least
two old threads.

[Rich Riddle]

Mel,

I found a thread or two from the distant past but there was a bit of information. Thanks for the summary. Seems to check or split and many don't like the natural color it becomes when not treated. It's about ten times the cost of treated wood and about three times that of the composite decking. Ironically, there is a Teak dealer on the East coast that sells real Teak for less than most sell Ipe. Not sure if the cost factor can justify using this material or Teak though.

[Jim Matthews]

Teak is soft, and turns to silver in sunlight. Keeping it glowing has spawned legions of boat maintenance products. Consider the plastic timber tek product as an alternative to Ipe. It stays bright with little maintenance and has a clever mounting system included.

Any deck will only be as good as the supporting framework below.

[Peter Quinn]

Mel,

I found a thread or two from the distant past but there was a bit of information. Thanks for the summary. Seems to check or split and many don't like the natural color it becomes when not treated. It's about ten times the cost of treated wood and about three times that of the composite decking. Ironically, there is a Teak dealer on the East coast that sells real Teak for less than most sell Ipe. Not sure if the cost factor can justify using this material or Teak though.

I've never heard of real teak, either the plantation stuff from Brazil nor particularly the south East Asian variety, same tree, just grows a little slower, usually costs more, costing less than 3x that of IpE, even lately. My guess is that "teak dealer" is selling "Brazallian Teak" which is cumaru. Cumaru is almost as hard as ipe, almost as heavy, a bit less stable, a bit more handsome IMO. And tough to the weather....but I ts definetly not teak. Real teak, except shorts and drops, sells in the neighborhood of $30/sf. If you have a cheaper source please share .

[Rich Riddle]

Peter,

I asked for the scientific name; it's Tectona Grandis. The "Brazilian Teak" is what I wanted to avoid.

[Jeff Duncan]

Teak is more expensive than Ipe….by a LOT. Ipe runs maybe $8-$10 bd ft from retailers whereas Teak is closer to $25+ from wholesalers! I'd get some other prices if you want Ipe. My feeling is if you want real wood, can live with the grey, and never want to replace your deck boards for the rest of your life, go with Ipe. If you don't like the grey your stuck either with constant maintenance, or using something like fir and painting it. Once you start thinking about how many times you'll paint that fir deck the Ipe doesn't sound so expensive;)

If you look into plastic be careful which stuff you buy. I did a deck with some Borg stuff that made a lot of claims some years ago. I can tell you it also gets far too hot to walk on in full sun, so much so that even with 16" OC spacing you can see it sag between joists over time. And it does stain contrary to their claims. All the crap that falls from a oak tree just makes a mess of the deck that cannot be easily cleaned.

JeffD

[Peter Quinn]

Peter,

I asked for the scientific name; it's Tectona Grandis. The "Brazilian Teak" is what I wanted to avoid.

I guess my next question would be what lengths at the low price. There are some better prices on real short material, still generally comes in well above $20/bf by the mil Bf whole sale. Curious.

[Jamie Buxton]

Ipe was more affordable when it first showed up here. Nowadays, it is rather expensive -- $8-10 per board foot here. In contrast, white oak is more like $4 per board foot. White oak is nice and strong, and survives well outside. If I were going to build a wooden deck surface, I'd go with white oak.

[Wade Lippman]

BristolValley.com ships ipe. They are local and I have bought from them many times, but never shipping; so I can't vouch for that.

I wanted ipe for my deck 5 years ago, but the prices were crazy. I went with the solid PVC to get mildew resistance and don't regret it.

[Jesse Espe]

FWIW, I made an Adirondack chair using Ipe deck planking 8 years ago. It's still sitting in my back yard, my (now teenage) son's favorite chair when the weather is good. Been through 7 Virginia winters with ZERO signs of rot.

Within 6-8 months, it finished turning the gray/silver color that it holds today.

When working with it, you should observe the standard working and handling practices that one would for any dense exotic wood - respiratory protection, PRE-DRILL, and plenty of patience. I burned my fair share of work pieces and broke more than my fair share of drill bits.

HTH

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> Been through 7 Virginia winters with ZERO signs of rot.

For Ipe, that's not a very long time. The Atlantic City boardwak was made with Ipe about 100 years ago. As they were repairing the boardwalk after the last hurricane, they found the wood to be in perfect condition.

As for real Teak, the price is controlled by the countries in SE Asia that grow and log it. In fact, you can buy teak manufactured furniture cheaper than the US cost of just the wood itself. The countries sell teak to their own furniture manufacturers at a much less cost than they sell Teak on the export market. This is to maximize the income to their own manufacturers

[Rich Riddle]

Thanks for all the information about different options. I will call the Teak supplier to get more information. I might put a small structure on the deck so wood might be the best option.

[Chris Ainsley]

I used Ipe to replace the trim on my boat (a 1971 searay) and it has held up great. some of the original wood pieces are teak but as has been mentioned, it was way out of budget. I also did some small trim pieces around the compass and to mount my rod holders.
I used a marine teak oil and will probably re-coat every two years or so to keep it from going gray. It is never sitting in the sun unless I'm on it so I don't think its that much of a concern.

[Chris Ainsley]

I used deck boards and cut them up to my needs

http://i.imgur.com/4A4rFTil.jpg

Sorry for the fish, its the only picture I have of the trim
http://i.imgur.com/V3ukJQIl.jpg

[Kent A Bathurst]

Sorry for the fish, its the only picture I have of the trim
http://i.imgur.com/V3ukJQIl.jpg


Yeah. Right. You weren't showing off the walleye - he just happened to be in the frame.

> insert jealous emoticon here<

[peter gagliardi]

Yup, if you have the budget, Teak is far and away the best wood. We have done decks and porches with both, Ipe is great, but it doesn't compare to Teak. Teak is not as hard, but is more abrasive to tools. Teak doesn't check and split like Ipe. It weathers to the silver gray nicely, seems to never have splinters, and needs zero maintenance. Unlike Ipe which does expand and contract with big moisture swings, Teak is virtually stable when installed. We put a Teak tongue and groove floating floor on a porch with boards run perpendicular to the house, so all end grain to the weather. 10 years later, all boards are just as tight at the outside ends as against the house.

[Jim Barstow]

We have cumaru decking and it changes in size a LOT between the winter rains and dry summer; in summer, the gaps are large yet in winter they close completely. I wouldn't use it again and would go for ipe instead. (We couldn't get enough ipe at the time, cumaru was just becoming available, and the supplier said it behaved "just like ipe".

I built a garden bench out of ipe a couple years ago. It's fun to ask a guest to move it. They walk over and have an expectation as to its weight. They then try to lift it and get a big surprise: it is much, much heavier than a normal bench.

Be careful when working with it in a shop. Use carbide tools and a mask. It will destroy non-carbide tools.

[Mark Wooden]

That's a smallmouth bass;), and a nice one too.

Ipe has been used around here for decks for a while and looks great when first put down and oiled. But it is very hard and dense and will get HOT in the sun. Care should be taken to not use planking with long run out grain to the edges as it can splinter something wicked. Use only carbide tooling and wear a mask as the dust can be toxic.

[Greg Portland]

I am pondering deck options for a large project for the wife. The former owner of Hardwood Lumber and More had recommended Ipe wood a couple of years ago for the decking. Do any of you folks have any experience with Ipe? Any ideas where it can be purchased? Thanks.
I built a small deck around a hot tub @ my last house using Ipe. Keep in mind that you can use significantly thinner boards due to the strength of the wood. I used the EB-TY system to make the deck screwless (no splinters). If you want to maintain the dark color of the cut wood then you'll need to finish it each year with a U/V inhibiting finish. I used Penofin penetrating oil with good results. As mentioned by others, you need to coat the end (anchorseal, etc.) to limit end checking.