Tropical Hardwoods

Hardwood Decking

In recent years, hardwood decking has become very popular. These are decking materials imported from other countries, primarily Ipe from South America.

Hardwoods have a beautiful, dark rich looking appearance, having much the same look as woods typically used for interior work. They are virtually clear of knots, very dense, and extremely resistant to rot and decay.

Ipe: The Ultimate in Durability

Ipe is a strong, tough, resilient material making it an increasingly popular choice for residential decking. Ipe(EE-pay) is also known as ironwood because it looks like furniture, but wears like iron.

Along with its durability, it possesses a rich beauty that will add value and distinction to any home. It is prized for its stability, durability, strength and natural resistance to decay, wet conditions, and infestation by termites and borers. Ipe is a dark brown, highly dense wood, and is guaranteed by a 25 year warranty against rot or decay.

Ipe has a Class A fire rating, the same rating given to concrete and steel. High quality Carbide tipped blades are recommended when cutting. Pre-drilling is highly recommended when surface fastening to minimize checking.

Features and Benefits:

• Premium Clear All-Heart Grade - Defects, like knots or sapwood streaks, worm holes and milling defects, are rejected at the mill.
• Highest Decay Resistance - Durability rating by the US Forest Labs of 25 years plus!
• Superior Scratch Resistance - Over five times as hard as treated pine. This minimizes scratching from pets, furniture, or traffic.
• Superior Strength - 1x6 Ipe decking can replace cedar or redwood 2x6 decking. It is almost twice as strong as pine and many times stronger than plastics or composites.
• Superior Stability - Wood characteristics allow the boards to resist twisting, bow, cracks, and cupping with little movement from season to season.
• Fire Resistant - NFPA Class A
• Highly Resistant To Termite Attack - US Naval Research Lab tested, over 15 years in the ground without attack by termites.
• Natural Wood Product - Ipe does not contain any harmful chemicals.
• Cost Competitive - Available at similar prices to other high quality decking materials, like the clear grades of redwood or cedar and composites
• 25-Year Durability - Extremely long lasting natural wood.
• Responsibly Harvested - Produced from legally harvested logs and from well-managed, sustained yield forestlands

Available In Standard Sizes - decking profiles, railings, and dimensional lumber sizes, some up to 20' long. Decking runs in even sizes from 8' to 20', available in random lengths only.

Ipe Allowable Decking Spans

Hardwood Deck Installation Guidelines

Storage
Keep decking boards clean, dry and out of direct sunlight. Make sure that you have planned for sufficient ground-side ventilation. A minimum of 12 inches of air circulation beneath the deck is vital to its dimensional stability.

Cutting and Edge Sealing
Carbide-tipped saw blades and power tools are recommended for cutting hardwoods. After cutting, it is recommended that you seal the cut end with AnchorSeal preservative. This will further reduce the possibility of end checking.

Fastening
For ultimate deck beauty, install hardwoods using a hidden fastening system, such as Tiger Claw or Ipe Clips. This concealed fastening system will reduce the need for pre-drilling while leaving your deck free from exposed fasteners. When installing decking with face screws, it may be necessary to pre-drill because of the extreme density of hardwoods.

Finishing
When hardwoods are left to weather naturally over time, their color will transform to a beautiful silver gray. No further finishing is required. However, to maintain the original deep color, we recommend Penofin Penetrating Oil Finish Exotic Hardwood formula.

Hardwood Decking Expectations

Tropical hardwood decking products are among the best choices for exterior wood decking. Hardwoods are generally more durable, more resistant to scratching, easier to clean, and more beautiful than alternative products such as cedar, redwood, or treated softwood.

A tropical hardwood deck is NOT a piece of furniture. It will not hold its original color over time. It will not be perfectly stable. In an exterior environment, all types of wood will move as they take on and lose moisture. Wood will check when it dries out. It may even split, requiring the replacement of boards over time.

Graying out or silvering is typical with hardwood decking. We do not recommend this with any hardwood since they will check more if left untreated. To keep your tropical wood deck looking good, we recommend pressure washing or sanding, followed by an oil coating. A good quality oil finish will last one to two years. After that time, the decking will again begin to gray out or silver.

Cupping is also typical in hardwood decking, especially in close to ground applications, and in applications where the hardwood is applied directly to another piece of wood for use as fascia. This is sometimes called wrapping. The problem with this installation technique is that the moisture will enter the piece during wet weather and then is only allowed to dry out from the side that is exposed to the air. The board will always cup in this situation. Anytime there is a difference in moisture content from one side of the board to the other cupping can occur.

We have seen examples of 5/4x6 Ipe decking applied with a hidden fastening system with 12' of clearance under the deck (excellent ventilation), and still some minor cupping has occurred.

While hardwoods hold up well to the effects of weather, they too require regular maintenance to preserve their dark, rich appearance. And while they may have similar appearances to interior wood when new, weather will cause the wood to 'move' slightly as it ages. With proper care and maintenance, hardwood decks give a rich, elegant look, which is simply not possible with synthetic materials.