Unless the plans call for the rail posts to be fastened to the rim joist,or the Wallet wants a little more deck space, We always place them inside with blocking,adhesive,and ss screws. There is never a need to run bolts thru the posts that cause many problems all to themself. I have gone to using post wraps latley on an ipe job. Riping down two pt 2x4's so the post is 3'' x 3'' after lamation these posts are fastened inside the rim. I make the ipe post wrap from 1x4 and 1x6. This gives a fair amount of adjustment. Its a nice look with a 1/4'' reveal on two sides as well a several other advantages over using a solid 4x4 ipe post. Any of the Simpson product can be duplicated by a good welder / fabricator for less money and out of thicker material. Example >> My local hotrod welder makes 3/8'' thick steel post brackets 16'' high for 6x6 upright posts,all holes predriled with two sided gussets for around $50 This sounds like a well thought out project Chris, If you keep thinking before you nail I am thinking it will be a show stoper. John Hyatt www.deckmastersllc.com

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

First I'd like to thank everyone for the info on this site. Second this is an update to my Ipe deck project. I finished the back deck, except for the step, and am working on the front deck now (pics of that someday). Check the link below to see my photos. Weedy, how exactly do you post the photos directly in this message? I don't see any obvious way to do it. I guess you have to write some (fairly simple) html? This project is taking me forever, being a weekend warrior, having 3 young kids, and 2 unfinished bathrooms inside the house. So the staining will have to wait until next year. Should be ok, right? So right now I am having some concerns with the quality of the Ipe I got. Seems ok, but who knows, this is the one-and-only Ipe deck I have ever built. Some pieces are real dark, some are real light. Some are really really hard (dark boards), some are softer (light boards). Some are clear, some have a tiger-like grain to them. Some seem a bit rough when you run your hand up one way, then smooth if you rub the other way. 3 or 4 boards have lots and lots of checks, almost the whole 15 foot length of board. Most of the boards have no checks. I have one board that looks like it will destroy your foot if you walk on it. I think I'll have to replace that board, I don't know how I did not notice it, when I put that board down. It looks like the grain is sort of lifted, and could cause nasty splinters in your foot (See pictures 10 and 11). 3 or 4 few boards seem fine, but have knots in them (pics 13 and 15). Will these spots worsen over time? I bought 1725 linear feet of boards. There are probably six 15-footers that I probably should toss in the dumpster. Maybe six others that are usable but not the greatest. Not really sure about the rest, if it is so-so, good, great, top quality or not. Of course I was assured that the Ipe was top quality, all heart wood clear Ipe, blah blah blah. Would anyone expert here want me to mail them some scrap cuts to examine? Or even better, stop by and look at my deck? Just kidding… The railings. I chickened out on the Ipe railings. No way I get the project done this year. So I did the shiny PVC rail, and put an Ipe rail on top of it. I like it, I think the front deck I will do the same. The pics in that gallery are hi-res, so you can view full screen, or better yet download them and zoom in real close to see the detail. Any info appreciated, Jim. Here is a link that might be useful: Ipe deck gallery

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.