Jan, TWP would be a good choice. TWP is also a penetrating sealer. I could have picked either company and became a distributor, I chose the Bakers because it is TWP\\\'s basic formulation (200 series) then Tom Baker and company adds their pigmentation. I think the colors are more even and prettier than the TWP formulations. Most customers of mine are blown away by the appearance of the Bakers. It enhances the natural wood grain. It does not cover it in any way. As it sits on the wood for a week or so it dives down creating an even more rich tone. The only caveat with TWP, Bakers and these types of oils is that they require two coats. The two coats can be done at the same time and usually you can by with just one coat on the rails. Hope this helps. PS: The more pigmentation the better the protection from sun damage. But in a scenario where the sun is shielded by a roof,you can cut a product like Bakers with the clear so you have a more natural appearance.

I replaced a 20 year old cedar deck with IPE. It had rotted through to the point that you could push your thumb through 4x4 posts!. If getting cedar, be sure it is heartwood. That is the only part of cedar that is useable, but it is hard to find since requires large older trees. Cedar is great for saunas because it is soft and flexible--withstands expansion and contraction well. It does well in a wet environment. Being soft, cupping is not a problem since screws can hold it down. Also cuts easy so installation is easy. Softness requires thicker boards and/or closer joist spacing for strength. IPE is extremely hard and stiff. Smooth and splinter resistant. Only vulnerability is excessive moisture. Dense structure makes it hard to stain. Extreme strength means that cupping is a risk if encounter moisture and board is thin relative to width. Wood is strong enough that when it wants to move, screws will rip out of joists as it moves--it is much stronger than pressure treated joist material. IPE is impervious to carpenter bees due to its extreme hardness. While not a priority for most deck builders, IPE is highly fire resistant. Either material will weather to grey if not stained. Hard surface of IPE makes it tougher to damage so it can survive unprotected a very long time. Cedar exposed to sun will gradually lose its insect/mildew inhibiting properties since it is based more on natural chemicals in the wood which are damaged by bleaching of sun. I do not know if a better grade of heartwood would have increased the life of my cedar deck, but generally cedar is not rated for anywhere near the life of an IPE deck.

Deck looks amazing! -Using Stainless Steal Screws is common practice and highly recommended! -Plugs are typically used to "hide" the screw.. Your fine, no need because it looks great from what I can see. -Treating the deck after installation is also recommended and will help prevent surface cracks on the face of the wood. Come spring you will most likely have to clean the deck using the deck cleaner to get off any dirt / pollen / sun fading then re-apply Messmers UV.

Hi briggs, the garapa is a nice contrast to ipe, and is slightly cheaper. that's why I went with the 2-tone approach. Both garapa and ipe are very hard, and the sawdust can be irritating (like Poison ivy). I glued up the skirting (1"X4" and 1"X6" to make 1"X8"), and it was too much work, plus I got an allergic reaction to the large quantity of sawdust. Eastteak.com quoted me a price of something like $.50/lin foot to make the glue-up. It would have added $200 to my skirting cost. I should have paid them to do it. In my transactions with eastteak, I mostly dealt with Jeffrey Rogers, and occasionally George Guy. (this pic has already been posted on GW) Good luck!