Dont use the clips on ipe.The L metal requires more labor than the clips and have very little holding power down the road. Use Stainless Steel screws and face fasten. John

Ok folks, so I am one of these guys who have had this tacky stain problem. I waited two weeks before I finally tried a few things. I attempted to stain again in hopes of emulsifying the original stain and then wiping to no avail, still tacky. I tried to pressure wash the tacky off and nothing, Finally, as a last resort, I tried one more thing. I purchased a bag of oil absorb. I spread it out amongst my porch which is about 240 square feet. I let it sit for about an hour. Then, I took a garage broom and gently pushed the oil absorb over the surface of the deck a few times. When I was finished, the dust from the oil absorb was adhered to the tacky spots. I gathered up the remaining granular and crushed it up as much as possible, attempting to get it as fine as possible. Then, I spread out the remainder equally over the surface of the porch deck once more. I waited 24 hours, then pressure washed off the entire thing with a medium spray tip on a 3000 psi pressure washer. All the excess tacky oil from the stain was absorbed into the speedy dry. I blew it off the deck and followed it up with a good 24 hour air dry. I was back sitting on my porch the following night. It worked great. I hope this helps someone else out there. Questions, try me at benryan76@gmail.com Good luck folks!

Not sure his reasoning for putting nothing on it, I would at the very least put a clear sealer on it or a very very light colored stain. Just visit a true paint store and purchase a quality product they recommend and quality appropriate applicators. Can't help you much more as Calif. has availability issues that I am unfamiliar with as far as products.

With the raised element of a decks create edges to trip on ?...interfere with door levels?..irregular steps up or down?...it is hard to tell from the pics but the area seems small and maybe damp?...my first thought is to stain the concrete with an acid wash stain that will look marbled like stone...work on curing any drainage problems and stay with a pretty outdoor area rug like you are using now....finding the largest size possible that will fit....this allows you to be comfortable in bare feet..to change decor colors easily from time to time...