Replies

1. 
   Pelipeth | May 19, 2008 01:05pm | #1

   I just finished putting down 150 sq. feet of IPE at my own home. All 20's and 16's. 1x6. $800 plus in material. 16" on ctr. Since the material is 3/4 thick hidden fasteners on the market did not work. I saw Tom Silva shoot some down with a 15 gauge finish nailer. So I said what the hell, I did too. SS nails & const. adhesive, he used marine adhesive by 3M I believe. The stuff is dense but in the big picture I had no cutting problems even with the jig saw. The saw dust was incredibley fine wear a mask. The planed finish is beautiful, damn near interior quality. I can't wait for it to patina gray, but the redwood look not isn't bad either. I've been told it does NOT neeed any treatments. I'll see. After a few rains the finish nail holes have all but disappeared. I think it looks great. I only have 640 sq. feet to go, when I get the $$. I highly recommend it, from a 1st time use.

1. 
   arnemckinley | May 19, 2008 02:27pm | #2

   i would never think to use a finish nailer on decking, though i respect tom silva and if he does it i've gotta trust that it works fine.

   anyone else out there use finish nails on decking?? 

   Every day is a gift, that's why it's called the present.

1. 
   plumbbill | May 19, 2008 02:44pm | #3

   Is a galvanized casing nail a "finish nail" ?

   “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

1. 
   arnemckinley | May 20, 2008 01:40am | #9

   "Is a galvanized casing nail a "finish nail" ?"

   on my job anything nailed with a finish nailer is a finish nail. i don't like nailing decking at all, but if i have to i use stainless spiral 8d or 10d. 

   Every day is a gift, that's why it's called the present.

1. 
   JasonQ | May 20, 2008 06:08am | #12

   on my job anything nailed with a finish nailer is a finish nail. i don't like nailing decking at all, but if i have to i use stainless spiral 8d or 10d

   Spiral gun nails?  Or are you talking about hand-nailing?  'Cause if you try that with ipe, or cumaru, or garapa, or a lot of the other tropical woods, you're gonna go through a helluva lotta bent nails.   Even with pre-drilling you'd have a hard time.

   Jason

2. 
   arnemckinley | May 20, 2008 01:49pm | #14

    

   i said that i don't like to nail decking at all. i would never gun nail a deck. i prefer concealed fasteners. if i had to nail i would (get ready)... pre-drill and hand nail with a dab of pl premium. stainless steel 8d or 10d spirals.

   how do you bend over a pre-drilled nail??  it would be hard to do even if you tried.

    

   Every day is a gift, that's why it's called the present.

   Edited 5/20/2008 6:50 am ET by arnemckinley

3. 
   Pelipeth | May 21, 2008 03:10am | #15

   Several years back when SS fasteners first became an IN thing I used SS sq. drive screws for a small cedar deck at my home. Hidden fastening not possible. The cedar is still looking great but those shiny tops of the SS screws really bother me now. Not gonna do any thing about it, but it bothers me big time.

4. 
   arnemckinley | May 21, 2008 01:48pm | #19

   i know what you mean. when i look at a deck i prefer no joints or screws in the visual field. sometimes that is not an option though. i've  been told by customers that they like the look of the nails. can't really understand that , but to each their own.

   my biggest reason for using concealed fasteners has as much to do with moisture as it does asthetiecs. 

   Every day is a gift, that's why it's called the present.

2. 
   plumbbill | May 19, 2008 02:49pm | #4

   I used 3/4" stock when I did my sisters IPE deck & used a hiddin anchor system.

   The Eb-ty & Tigerclaw were too thick for the material, so I came up with my own.

   I ripped an 1/8" dado on both sides of every board----- yes I was trying to kill my table saw.

   Then used a SS fender washer & screw inbetween every board------- labor intensive & I won't do it again, but it did look nice.

   “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

3. 
   Piffin | May 19, 2008 11:12pm | #6

   using finish nails - you will be adding screws soon enough. 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   AaronRosenthal | May 20, 2008 01:41am | #10

   AmenQuality repairs for your home.

   AaronR ConstructionVancouver, Canada

    

4. 
   enduringcharm | May 20, 2008 12:25am | #7

   P:

   Are you waxing the ends of every cut with Anchorseal?  If you don't, there is a good chance that the ends will split in a few weeks if not sooner.  The wax slows down the drying process after a cut and prevents the splitting.

   I've used the 3m 5200 with good results, but I prefer to screw down the decking and plug the 3/8" holes.  Nailing I would only do in a T&G situation, also using the 5200 adhesive.   I can screw only on 32" centers with a 16" center frame and the 5200 secures the middle joist.  The Ipe can span far greater than the 16", of course.

   A deck I put down three or four years ago is now a sliver-gray color and it has never been treated after the initial install.  However, I do like to use a sealer (I forget the name off the top of my head) that is designed to protect the decking for the first year and then sort of wear away.  The Ipe needs a little time to get stable, or else it can check and crack from rapid drying.  This also depends on how long ago it was harvested and for how long it was stored.

   John Painter

5. 
   woodpecker47 | May 20, 2008 03:49am | #11

   thanks for the info. did you use 1x or 5/4 material and what size stainless steel nail? was the adhesive pl premium polyurothane? since ipe is so heavy wouldn't you have to beef up the support underneath? thanks for the answers in advance.

1. 
   Pelipeth | May 20, 2008 01:23pm | #13

   1x and that's all my yard carries. They say 5/4 isn't necessary in most cases, and costs alot more. I used PL polyurethane as the adhesive and 2" SS nails shot from my Senco l5 ga. finish nailer. Frameing was std. 16" OC. This work was done at MY home so therefore I can experiment, ie, the finish nailer, but I did see Tom Silva do it on a segment of TOH. And as someone else posted, especially, during any rips, wear a mask, I've NEVER seen finer dust and a weird color. I try alot of differant things/methods at my own home, if something doesn't work I can fix it. One of my best finds to date has been Crayola Crayon white for filling the finish gun nail holes in my Azek caseings. Invisiable!!!

6. 
   larryscabnuts | May 21, 2008 05:02am | #16

   I have heard of SS finnish nail being used but have never seen it done. I hear that IPE is durable. I hear they did the board walk in NJ with IPE a few years ago.

2. 
   MikeHennessy | May 19, 2008 03:19pm | #5

   You can get ipe either plain edge or grooved. Grooved is for the edge fasteners -- name escapes me. I'd use 5/4 for decking.

   Ipe is pretty hard, very heavy and, when cutting, thows off seriously nasty fine dust. Wear a mask, or be sure the wind is blowing away from you. ;-) Start with a new blade and plan on throwing it away at the end of the job.

   Here's a couple of pics of an ipe deck. First is the decking completed except for trimming the ends. I opted for the plain edges and fastening from beneath with the Desk Master system. The second pic is a shot of the Deck Master strips ready for decking. A lot of screwing and pretty time-consuming, but I like the results. I also prefer diagonal decking for anything up off the ground -- makes for a more stabile job. Plan your lengths when ordering and there won't be much waste.

   View Image

   View Image

   Ipe will split if you try to drive a screw in it within 2" or 3" from any end, so you need to pre-drill those. Otherwise, nothing special about ipe vs. any other wood deck surface.

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

3. 
   madmadscientist | May 20, 2008 01:09am | #8

   One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the superior strength of ipe compared to say redwood decking.  We did our deck in 5/4 by 6" on a 45 deg with the joists 24"oc and its solid as a rock.  If you are running the deckboards perp to the joists they can span a ridiculous amount like 36" (thats from memory don't quote me on that) so you can save a bit of time and mat costs because you only need half as many joists. 

   Another great thing about ipe is its all basically clear grade and you can get 5/4by6" 20' boards no problem.  In that respect its cheaper than all heart clear redwood.

   We sealed all the wood with penofin tropical hardwood formula and it looks amazing.  Like a fancy mahogony boat deck.  Never got any checking on the cut ends but we did seal them with the penofin.

   Daniel Neumansky

   Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA.  Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/ 

   Oakland CA 

   Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer

4. 
   qqqq | May 21, 2008 05:08am | #17

   ipe is just wood. as carpenters we can fear no wood. treat it as usual. would sugest screws tho. ipe can be found in t and g to get that unfastened look. i treat my decks w linseed oil. looks great. easy mantenence.

1. 
   Pelipeth | May 21, 2008 01:23pm | #18

   Never heard of Linseed oil for that (decking) application. Good thought and easy application on Ipe. The finish is remarkable from the factory. How does it last?

1. 
   qqqq | May 23, 2008 02:29am | #20

   redo on a need to basis. 1 year in a harsh climate