Ipe (wood) deck

[TheTinMan]

I recently installed an Ipe (e-pay) deck for a customer. I first heard of Ipe right here on this site, i think it was Geekie1 who mentioned it, thanks Geek.

This stuff is amazing wood. If anyone is thinking of building or re-decking a deck, I highly recommend Ipe. This wood is so dense (freakin heavy) that it doesn't even float, it's resistant to bugs (termites) and fire. It's definatley a good alternative to composite decking. It can be maintenance free if you don't mind it turning to a silver patina gray color, or you can maintain it to keep it it's natural brown color.

I used stainless steel screws and had to pre-drill for them.
Carbide tipped saw blades are also needed.

Some pics:





See the boats? That's one of my favorite spots, tough working when you're watching people fishin!

say bud, how long you been building decks? i own a small construction company here in south mississippi, magnolia deck and fence, and i've heard ipe is a pain to work with, never used it rhough. i am curious about shrinkage. wood we been getting here since the storm has been so green i have to let it dry 2 or 3 weeks before i can use it. and of course when i frame i have to give that 3 weeks too. so it dont buckle my decking. so i been pushing my customers towards trex. it is great to work with, except 16" centers, routes and cuts like pine. no splinters, cracking, shrinking, warping, NO bugs, and a 25 year warranty to boot! trex.com if you wanna see some cool stuff

[phester]

I was going to help TheTinMan on that job but he toughed it out on his own....maniac....anyway, racerx, I replaced most of my weathered out teak on the boat w/ the ipe and it looks great. I stained it w/ Armada natural satin finish, 4-5 coats. I too am a contractor and most people up here in the northeast are going w/ strictly plastic composite or exotic woods, ipe included. Cherrywoods and mahoganies are popular and some people stay w/ good ol' cedar. Blind nail applications are gaining in popularity as well. Trex is pretty good material but it's been around long enough as to where people think it's old technology like pressure treated or AQC

[TheTinMan]

racerx, Ipe is definatley harder to work with than composite (Trex), but not that bad. You will want to allow more time for labor. This also come with a 25 year warranty. I was going to do this deck in composite (Timbertech). I would have had to close the joists to 12' on center due to the 45* angle pattern, not necessary with the IPE. I used 5/4 x 6, which is good up to 24" O.C.. The 1 x 6 (3/4 true) is good for 16" O.C. Ipe seems to have all the benefits of Trex with the exception of working with it. I've seen some 10+ year old Trex decks and was not that impressed in the way it ages.

Ipe costs a bit more than composite. $2.69/linear ft. 5/4 x 6, not sure what the 1x6 costs.

Here's the wood I used, check out the specs.

http://mataverdedecking.com/index.html

[Blue_Runner]

Beautiful stuff. Very nice work Tin. Wish you contractor folk lived near me, I NEED you guys to help me on my house!! Also my dock at the lake!

some pretty neat stuff. and looks like a quality install. i would like to play with that stuff one day. just not now, everyone wants thier project done yesterday.
just curious, how much is decking going for up there? here in south MS most out of town contractors (bastards.........GO HOME!!!!!!!!) are getting 13-15 a square foot (treated pine on 24's) and slapping them up like they dont care. i guess they cant see it from thier house. my basic decks start at $10 sf + $10 lf for basic handrail + $15 sf for basic steps. mostly do custom work before the storm but now i am finishing about 3 a week at that price. oh yeah, i have the best warranty in town. you gotta stand behind ur work. and NO GUEST WORKERS!!!!