Replies

1. 
   J7223 | May 10, 2002 07:01am | #1

   Mike,,I am a great Ipe fan,,so you might want to mellow this with that info,,buttttttt,,it is the best material I have worked with,after old groth cvg redwood became $6.50 a runing ft on a 2x6,,it has a class A fire rating like steal and concret,,they build the anlantic City bordwalk out of it in 1952,,it slivers if you dont want to finish it at all,takes finish in a great way,,O on the finish question,,a clear finish does not have UV,,no mater what they tell you,,we use TWP finish the cedar tone natural color,,down side Ipe has to be pre driled and put down with SS trim screws,,another upside,,you can use 1x4 decking I put the joice on 16'' centers but it can span 24''WWW.ipe-wood.com,is selling it for .75 a running ft,,,John Hyatt deckmastersllc.com

2. 
   CliffJohnson | May 10, 2002 01:51pm | #2

   Mike-- Ito am a big ipe fan. Check out the Eb-Ty fastening system. Basically it is a plastic bisquit. You cut slots in decking boards at each joist then insert the bisquit and screw down. Gives a nice finished look with no surface fasteners. As for finish there is a product called Penofin that is formulated for ipe. I use it on all my ipe decks. First coat as soon as possible-- Second coat 2 months later-- Third coat the following year. This product will keep the dark reddish color of the wood. It goes on fast with two people. One applies it with roller and the other brushes it in with a wide paint brush and wipes up excess with a rag. Also when installing you must remember to seal your end cuts. This is done with a sealer made for this purpose. Your supplier of ipe should have it. there are several different brands.

1. 
   Brezden | May 10, 2002 06:05pm | #3

   Thanks John & Cliff for your imput. I'm really impressed with the beauty of the wood and my engineer is reaaaalllly impressed with it's strength. This deck is going on a log home in the Colorado mountains and I think using Ipe will really enhance the looks of the home.

1. 
   Paularado | May 10, 2002 06:13pm | #4

   Mike, we too are building a log home in the colorado mountains. Where are you? We are near blackhawk.

   Paula

   p.s. try checking "WoodSource" in Denver for IPE. Talk to Martin. He also has a lot of beautiful t&g and other siding. I'm pretty sure he delivers up to summit county if that is where you are.

1. 
   Brezden | May 11, 2002 01:35am | #6

   Paula:

   We're building our "getaway" out in the "boonies" in southern Park County, about 12 miles south of Florrisant, Colorado. Not very much around except wildlife and fish (Eleven Mile Res.).

   Thanks for the info on the wood source. I hope your building experience has been better than mine. Some of the subconcrators I've run across should be in prison. Or should I say; back in prison. Had I envisioned the final cost of this project I would have bought a 5th wheel trailer and gone fishing instead. Oh well, I'm in too deep to quit now.  Good Luck. Mike

1. 
   Paularado | May 13, 2002 07:36pm | #7

   Mike,

   Sorry to hear of your experiences. We only had one bad sub and he was fired right away. He was doing our foundation and laid it out incorrectly and poorly. Since it is a log home, we just could not take a chance with him. We did pay him for the 2 days that he was there just to try to be fair.

   Everyone else has been just wonderful. We have been so fortunate to have wonderful people working in our area. Since we have lived in the area for several years and completely remodeled another log home, some of the people we hired already knew us as customers and/or neighbors.

   Paula

3. 
   Mongo | May 10, 2002 09:22pm | #5

   Mike,

   Check these two threads out:

   Ipe #1

   Ipe #2

   Edited to fix hot links.

   
   

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   Edited 5/13/2002 5:10:54 PM ET by Mongo