Yo Ken, if your still around your up on this one. Far as Composites go I am with the Larry/whoever We are for the most part. Composites are really no longer using recycled material because there is just not enough of it so most of the raw stuff is virgin,the energy used to make composite is an enviro no no, when its time to remove the project composite is not real big on bio degrade its tricky to burn shreading it would be silly. Bottom line composites are not so enviro freindly. Info like that might suggest its not all that good to clean it either, with anything. I dont agree>> composites will out last Ipe, left to go silver/gray Ipe is as close to no maintance as a person can get. With the softer composites like Choice/MoistureShield even trex= tjunk I have found a coat or two of TWP 116 seals up the decking,locks in the color and keeps mold,mildew,stains from causing major problems. Of course not needing to do this is the reason the Wallet goes for composite in the first place. I my own self dont like composites at all for the reasons stated in several posts here and on other sites. Welcome aboard Larry!!! Sorry I dident understand your intent at the begining . John

Ipe is some good stuff,its also in great demand so the price is a little up there. Another lumber tree from S America is Garapa same long life just more garapa trees than ipe trees. One good place to get S American lumber> East Teak 800 338 5636 >> Good material and great Folks to work with. If you let this decking go gray/silver it is very low maintaince with no finish at all. In the Basic the finish is cosmetic on S American anyway. Plastic deckin is in flux right now fairley new. On the upside the color does not fade,it wont stain or mildew/mold up,and it will not split or crack. On the down side it will shrink and expand with the weather there is no tight joints everything with the install has to allow for the movement, and with the hollow decking..think this thru now, it acts as a storage area for static ell. In other words when you walk on it and touch any metal you will get a shock. There is no way to ground it. Trex is total junk However in the manmade area a couple of good outfits>> TimberTech and Moisture Shield

There is a lot of information here. I hope maybe I can give a few insights into what I know about the subject of ipe and other Amazonian hardwoods. Ipe is not really that good for ground contact. It will rot with direct contact with the soil in our climate here in Amazonia. It is has not been used much as a choice for fence posts for this reason. But, if it is not in contact with the soil it will pretty much last forever. At least longer than most of us will be on the planet. The prime woods used here for fence posts are Itauba, angelim vermelho, pequia, and a few other lesser known species. Massaranduba also known as Brazilian redwood is a very good wood for outdoor non ground contact uses as well. By not being good for ground contact I mean it will not last much more than 10 years. While some of the above may be fine for 50 years. Ipe has been one of the prime flooring woods used for probably 300 years or more in Brazil. It is the equivalent to oak in flooring applications in Southern Brazil. The big advantage to ipe is the stability when air dried. There are few species that move as little as ipe. It also does not surface check very much. About 20 years ago or so they used to make prefab country homes for use in Southern Brazil out of ipe to a large degree. As the cost increased they switched to garapa and other cheaper and more abundant woods. In the area I work we have a lot of Massaranduba and Europe is the major consumer. The Europeans use the antislip profile on boards which hides defects somewhat. And, they do not use wood finishes much from what I understand. In addition the climate in Northern Europe is more humid and stable than most of the USA which is better for Massaranduba. If Massaranduba is properly dried it is fine in any climate. Ipe has gotten very expensive in Brazil and I think it is time for the USA market to look seriously at other wood species for decking. Which has been happening. This is also better for sustainable forest management as it uses the resource better and helps preserve the standing forest. Here are a few pictures of Massaranduba being sawn into deck blanks which were shipped to Holland to be milled into decking there. Hopefully some will find it interesting to see where the material comes from. Massaranduba logs on the sawmill line. Massaranduba being sawn. A massaranduba log. You can see the red color. The tree has a high latex content and is mixed into natural rubber in some places to enhance quality of the mixture. The white streaks is the latex from the bark of the tree. The boards which are 32 MM X 155 MM are cut to length. For Europe that is every foot from 7 feet up to 20 feet. Being packed for shipment. Here is an order of rough sawn ipe going to the USA.

Gentlemen- Thanks for the info - I will be sure to look into Garapa? I was afraid of what you were going to say about pt lumber. I think I already knew the answer to my question but just needed to hear it from someone else - thanks again. The thought of moderating this forum seems like an impossibility??? The way I look at, if someone wants to get rid of a little tension or voice an opinion so be it. I don't see the harm in it and find it quit easy to ignore and move on. This is the first time I have been involved with a forum and while this particular chain of postings seems to have gone off on other tangents I noticed that there is still a sprinkle of usefull information here and there... if you look for it. I will continue to be apart of this forum. I am a do-it-yourselfer and always seem to have a project on the go or perhaps several projects on the go and always seem to have a question I can't find the answer to and learn the hard way or just need to talk something through with someone. More than likely I will have more question along the way as I tackle this deck project and hopefully I will be able to return the favour some day and share some helpfull information with someone else. Cheers.