No problem Still. I have had good results puting finish on the soft composites. It wont work with the newer plastic coated product of course but say moisture shield/epoch even the dreaded trex take finish very well. It actually turns a weak point into a strong one. The stuff stains up real easy anyway with most anything. They really soak up the finish. I have choice decking on the treads of my outdoor stairway and landing completed with two coats of twp 116 rustic after 5 years or so it looks the same as the day I put it on. The trouble tree that drips sap/slime on that area was a problem before now it just washes off. There is no reason to wait at all or do any prep becides cleaning the surface. J.

I live in the suburbs of NYC. I have trex decking, around my pool, two decks, upper and lower, three sets of trex stairs, and along the whole side of my house up to the front, pretty extensive. I had it installed 10 years ago. I used two different colors, the brown with lighter tan treads, spindles, railings etc, it's very nice looking. It gets some mold on it, in some spots, not everywhere, and some stains from the bbq, and food droppings, etc, BUT, I would rather clean my deck every year, or more often if I need to, and be done with it, even with some some stubborn stains remaining and the fading of the color, than have this much wood decking that would require so much more attention and other worries, any day. I like the fact that it gets cleaned and disinfected every year. My husband once upon a time, installed wood decking, and refinished wood decks, etc etc, and he would NEVER put this much wood deck around our house. The composite is soft and feels good on your feet, without the worry of splinters, and thats a big deal for me with children. It does get hot like sand sometimes, in the summer sun, so we keep a hose near the pool to cool off the deck, and it looks nice wet anyway. It has it's issues, but they are not even noticeable in the big picture. They are coming out with new cleaners, and now you can paint and stain it if you want. The benefits of trex, when installed properly, far outweigh the inevitable, over time, every year, and every day, issues you will have with a wood deck. We paid a lot of money to avoid the problems you have with wood decks because of my husbands experience and knowledge of wood decks, and I hope this doesn't jinx us (knock on wood) but, we are very happy with ours, we would do it again in a second. Just my opinion....:)

Thermo treated is hardley new. I question " without the enviromental negatives " you speak of the thermal energy foot print of this material is vast. We are talking 8/9 hours in a high temp/ steam kiln. Hardly inviro in anyone's book. The energy involved with this material would be better used growing 25 ipe trees with change coming back. JonMon

Based on where you are, I'd guess you'd only have to oil the ipe once a year to keep the color. Honestly, the bigger maintenance headache by far will be cleaning the sap, pine needles, etc., which you'll have to do no matter what material you use. Composite decking is certainly not maintenance-free: https://thecraftsmanblog.com/the-problems-with-composite-decking/ You do have to be careful choosing a good ipe supplier with reputable sources. But as long as you have that, real wood decking is actually better for the environment: https://blog.advantagelumber.com/2014/01/02/the-environment-and-your-decking/ But composite decking may not be as eco-friendly as you think: http://www.compositedeckingreviews.org/blog/2014/01/composite-decking-is-not-eco-friendly/ You definitely need to watch out when it comes to composite decking. Some projects turn out fine. Others...not so much. Composite manufacturers have a history of making bold claims that don't hold up in the real world, then finding creative ways to dodge their warranties.