Good questions. You are in the same boat I was last year. I captured quite a bit of the information and posted it. The link has the information. A quick cut at the answers is provided below. See the link for where to get design/code info etc. I built my decks using the information in it and it is extremely solid - no bounce at all. One thing I did that I forgot to mention that may be overkill but.... Everywhere the IPE has a butt joint I doubled the joists and installed a waterproof membrane over the joists so no water would go between and potentially rot the wood. Here goes: 1) staining the framing lumber: not sure but the wood is awfully wet. Why do this, it will be covered? 2) What length of screw needs to go through the joists? I used 8 x 2 1/2 and was very happy 3) Is the 2" x 10" enough? use of 2x10 will depend on the span. 16" for 4/4 Ipe is fine, 12" if on the diagonal. go to the link to determine size of joints, beams, piers, etc 4) Is 1/8" route on the butt ends the correct radius to use? Yes, but you may find that a rotary sander works fine. I did 5) How often will stain need to be applied to maintain that deep, dark finish? I live in Michigan and the deck faces south into dense woods. Annually? 2 years? Is TWP 116 still the preferred product? No idea, I cannot get the 116 in California. I used Messners and was not happy. Will try 516 next - ordering it Monday 6) I am not sure whether to use 4/4 or 5/4 Ipe. I have read the posts just not sure. Is there a different opinion if I use 3/8" plugs? Any reasoning is appreciated. 4/4 is fine and less expensive. I plugged some of the wood (both 4/4 and 5/4 and did not have any issues. Warning, sanding takes a while.... 7) I plan on 48" x 12" wide one piece Ipe stair treads. I do not plan on having a riser on the steps creating a view blocker as the deck is 12' high and the underneath has seating areas and a patio. What thickness Ipe would you use on the stair treads? hmmm, mine are 48" and I used 4 risers. that's a pretty big span. recommend you reconsider. I went out and tested a scrap 4' 5/4 piece of Ipe and it bounces. 5/4 you can get away with 3 risers (one in the middle) as its good for 24" spans. 8) If using Ipe plugs what kind of glue do you recommend if any? Tightbond 3 (doesn't foam like gorilla glue does) 9) Is any adhesive required on the joists where the Ipe contacts them? Nope 10) When face screwing with no plugging I understand the nice straight line for the screws. When you butt two ends you will have four screws. Is there a recommend "pattern" for butt end joints on a 24" wide deck? ie 3-8', 2-12', 1- 10'& 1-14" or purchase all the same size. Do you " lay out the pattern so the screws look symetrical? I did mine so there was 3 boards before repeating the butt joint and it looks okay. Remember, I doubled the joists in those areas. You can see my framing in the link for the the deck by Salmon Slayer 11) Could the Ipe be powerwashed at the beginning of each season as it would look nice for the summer then hit it again every spring and forget staining altogether? Someone else has to answer than one- I am interested though Steve Here is a link that might be useful: IPE Deck Information

After looking at the link that's not water, looks like some sort of a clear finish. Those look good only for a short time then fade. The brackets on the rails are made by deckorators. You can purchase them online at their site or by any dealer that carries deckorators, AWDS is one of those. The cap looks like 5/4 x 6 material. Glueing is overkill imo & not really needed. Screwing the cap every 12" is more than needed also, every 16 -24" would be fine. Do screw into the post tho. Al

My contractor is building a ipe deck and did not use the correct drainage system underneath the decking. He was supposed to use Trex Rainsecape but used something else that is very unsightly underneath the beautiful ipe. I've asked him to remove the current drainage system which will require him to unscrew the ipe decking first. my concern is that when he rescrews the ipe boards back they will not have the same integrity/hold as they did when he did the screwed them in the first time. he's using SS screws. Should I be concerned or what should I make sure something is done to ensure the best possible hold? Will this compromise anything? thanks!

This summarizes what people have said on this forum Finishing * Make sure you use a stain made for Ipe. Ipe is a dense material that does not take regular stain well. Make sure the stain contains UV protection for maximum protection. Apply with a stain pad or brush. Make sure you remove excess material after 15 minutes (may show up as shiny pools of liquid) * Sand with 50 or 60 grit rotary palm sander on any bad spots prior to staining * If you have lots of plugs, consider using a multimaster to cut plugs before sanding (an excuse to buy a new tool) otherwise a belt sander/palm sander works fine * If you need to clean up an old finish or want to restore the original color, you need to use a mild stripper followed up by an oxalic acid (sometimes called brightener). Woodrich and Sunbrite sell materials for this that are relatively inexpensive. * Recommended stain manufactures by members of the Gardenweb forum include: o Penofin (apply in the afternoon, hot sunny days can be challenging) o www.woodrich-brand.com similar to TWP Update: Woodrich now sells samples for $10. http://www.woodrich-brand.com/Samlpe_Color_Kit_p/samp1.htm o TWP (buy the 100 series version vs. 500 series if available) Note: TWP is apparently not recommended by the manufacture for Ipe but some of the Gardenweb pros swear by it o Messeners UV Here is a link that might be useful: ipe information