Ipe deck

17 years ago

After having read so many messages on Ipe, I know I am in the right place to get my answeres once and for all. By the way John and Ken -you guys are great!

15 years ago when I built my house in Delaware I was told that Cedar was it! The siding, the soffit,the trim the deck and the railing- all cedar (even the cathederal ceiling inside the house is T&G). The local supplier convinced me that it would last forever and using the same construction technigues as PT.... Even Fine homebuilding was mute on construction technique, that was until about 8 years ago when I found out I did it all wrong. We put Sikkens dek on the deck and followed the distributors instructions- it came right up in most places and stuck real tight in others.It doesn't matter though because the deck and railing are rotten and need replacing.

I've decided to use IPE for the deck and treads and Azak for the risers and verticle trim. Vinyl rail(no painting) w/ an IPE top rail which I will try to attach from underneath ( we like the marine brite work look). Being an amatuer and wanting something nice, I want to make sure I've got it right.

I'll be using 5/4 IPE( don't want to change the riser heights or I'll end up tripping up the stairs every time) that I will install w/2 1/2 stainless square drive trim(?) screws, predrilled ,counter sunk and put down w/construction adhesive. In order to save some labor$, I won't plug. But thats ok because after I finish the deck, the screw will be virtually unnoticable.Biscuit clips are iffy -might or might not be a problem.

After the deck is finished, I shouldn't sand it but clean it and acid balance it(I'm commited to PPs product). Wait a couple of days for it to dry, then finish right away with TWP, a finish that can be recoated w/ minimal preparation, won't get gummy and will last a couple of years if done properly.

The unanswered questions: Am I right,100 series TWP is unavailable in Delaware and is the 300 series an adequate replacement? Does anyone know of a manufacture of vinyl porch railing that has a plain flat profile top that we can attach the IPE toprail to? And ,have I got it right- any other suggestions?

Scott

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

teacher778
17 years ago
Hey Scott,
I'm just finishing my Ipe deck after getting alot of tips and advice from the guys on this website. They're all great and it helped alot. I can tell you that I did alot of research into pricing, availability ,etc. and found the best price for Ipe at Victory Bldg. Products ($1.84 l/f for 1x6, I din't use 5/4). The screws I used were stainless trim heads (with brown heads to match the Ipe since I'm not plugging them) and I also used vinyl rails but I went with Ipe for the posts and the whole rail is white. The screws, by the way, came from a company called Copper Beech in Mass. It was about $250.00 for 2500 screws. Not one head broke off, they were awesome. I used vinyl for the whole rail because I couldn't figure out an easy way to attach vinyl spindles the bottom of the Ipe hand rail. I only had a week to do it so I didn't have the time to mess around. It looks great. I know it's hard to go by what everyone says on this website because you have guys with alot of experience saying 2 different things sometimes. As far as deciding whether or not to use clips or screws, I chose screws for a few reasons. I looked at a deck done by a professional using the clips and there were huge gaps where joints came together as well as boards that started to twist (he probably didn't use any construction adhesive). Screws are much less expensive than clips and have much better hold down power, and as one of the professionals once wrote in a follow up "after all, it's just a deck." I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to woodworking (I built my own cherry kitchen cabinets and put down cherry flooring that I cut from trees in my back yard) and I really like the look of the rows of tiny screws. Once you start drilling holes for plugs you might change your mind if you have a big deck. I hope some of this helped. Good luck! John
john_hyatt
17 years ago
Sanding Ipe with 60/80 grit has no effect on the wood taking the finish one way or the other,it comes smoother than that right off the Boat. Vinal will look just like vinal chairs do out in the weather in a short time, big thumbs down. The 116 twp looks great on ipe and is my choice, the 300/500 series requires a lot more time setting up dont even try a second coat or wet on wet with that stuff. I would call arouund some Pro Paint stores and see if they carry the 116,if it is outlawed by the enviro fools try to order it online and see what happens. John
Related Discussions
ipe decking over a roof and pool deck - concerned about cupping
Q
Comments (2)
Your roof top deck has plenty of clearance,most of mine have the width of the stringers 1 1/2''. I would sugest using counstruction adhesive as well as SS screws be very sure the screws do not go thru the stringers be very sure as well during install you dont damage the roof...like hiting it with the edge of a board,droping a drill bit first on it,steping on a screw things like that. Your right if your going to use anything on it use the S American lumber not manmade material. With your pool deck provide cross ventalation. This can be done with screen vents in the framing if this is not completly possible install floor vents in the decking combined with the frame vents. Cross ventalation is a vastley over looked but much needed addtion to any decking project. The gap between the decking boards will have no effect one way or the other venting your project unless there is air moving under it. If possble a drain system under the pool deck might help if done corectley but do not put a ground cover like plastic sheet/tar paper under it 1'' ipe will react the same way 3/4'' ipe will under the same conditions. The life span of both is also the same. J.
...See More
Questions on Ipe Deck Project (deck desgn included)
Q
Comments (5)
Retaining walls retain things like dirt/rain.Normaly they have nothing to do with the House structure. It very well could have been the walls were put in because the basement would flood out during a heavy rain bringing all the dirt with it. Your right that is part of landscaping. If you decide to take em out anyway the piers for your deck support should go below the leval of the missing walls. Geting cross ventalation depends on the final deck plan. Its a deal with skirting I have taken to runing the skirting right into the ground because if I dont the Wallet yells at me because it dosent look finished. This happened so many times now I just do it as drill. Its not a good idea>> the skirting soaks up water,the weed eater hits it,dirt builds up around it things like that
...See More
Ipe deck stain job with Restore-a-Deck and TWP116 - 1 year later
Q
Comments (41)
Jim, I just cant see you diging up really old posts, going on and on about it, with out some type of goal. Exactley what are you trying to prove??? Go to my site, All the ipe projects have 116 on them. As you can see they are not Red or Redwood or anything close to that. Saying it is makes me Mad clear and simple. Now if you put 116 on say preasure treated,garapa or any light color wood then Yes its going to come out a different color than 116 on ipe. This is basic 101 wood finish. Any of the resin base twp products can be mixed together to come up with a different color. I have used combos like that when puting finish on Garapa and other woods. I put cedar tone natural on ipe one time because the Wallet asked for it the result was bad but I did what they wanted however for ipe its most always the 116. Ipe itself is not one color it ranges from almost black to a light tan 116 levals out the differances but the result is not Red. Any color chip you get from Any finish store is going to be different on another kind of wood other than the wood used on the chip you cant expect them to have samples of finish on every kind of product. Just get off it Man. Its up to the Customer to know if one finish is the right one for them. There is no way twp is showing product online / samples / or color chips that dont match up with what they sell. You might not agree with what they call it if so just pick another name for your self and call it that but it Defentley is what they say it is and what they say they sell is what they sell. The JonMon has been a little tense latley after a long term project was real hard on me. This is a mixed site if I could I would edit my last response but O Well. J.
...See More
Ipe deck installation
Q
Comments (7)
Don't understand. A 2x2 is good for nothing but furring out something. It is not structural. If you are talking 3" vertical height to grade, then no deck whatsoever. If you are talking 3" horizontal distance for some situation with an existing deck, then a photo is needed.
...See More
alfzampi
17 years ago
Crabman2
I'm in Rehoboth Beach,De.Where did you find a distributor in De.?
Al
john_hyatt
17 years ago
Update from O6 to now>>> twp saw the green mafia coming, the 516 finish is very close to 116 can be ordered any place, a person can build coats with it and put the second coat on right away. Dont over aply just two normal coats. John
crabman2
Original Author
17 years ago
Al, American Cedar right in Lewes has IPE. They are also the ones that sold me on using cedar decking and sikens, then turned away when I had a problem. They have it though, just don't listen to their advice. They might also try to sell you on the other hardwoods"it's just as good". Keep reading the blogs and most will tell you its not.
I bought my Ipe from George at East teak. Even with the shipping added in, it was cheaper than getting it locally. I reccomend listening to the guys on this blog they know their stuff.
marlene501
17 years ago
I have a question about your IPE deck. Did you build it yourself? How large is it? and if you don't mind me asking..about how much did it cost? We are looking to build a deck, we want low maintenance and are deciding between Ipe or composite, if the cost is not too much more with Ipe, we would go with that, its so much more beutiful than the fake stuff...thank you
smccar6527
17 years ago
Any advise on what do with an IPE deck that has been down for about year? Does it need to be sanded before applying finish? Does TWP stand for Thompson Water Products?
john_hyatt
17 years ago
The Ken over at www.restoreadeck.com has a two part system that works pretty well, sand with 60/80 grit where needed. TWP is an outdoor finish,find it on a google. Anything with thompsons on the lable is total junk. John
alfzampi
17 years ago
Crabman2
Just found your reply.Thank you.American Cedar in Lewes is always very expensive.I found IPE from Victory Building Products in Ohio at $2.00 a linal ft.They can ship from Phily area .$175 shipping for 35 18' boards.Trying to save on shipping.Will check with them to see cheapest way.How do I find East Teak?
Al
john_hyatt
17 years ago
George, East Teak>>800 338 5636

Ipe deck

Comments (10)

teacher778

john_hyatt

Related Discussions

alfzampi

john_hyatt

crabman2
Original Author

marlene501

smccar6527

john_hyatt

alfzampi

john_hyatt

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Ipe deck

Comments (10)

Related Discussions

crabman2Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

crabman2
Original Author