Y’all:
My area here in central Texas is really catching the Brazilian hardwoods fever. First it was Ipe decks, now Massaranduba (aka Brazilian redwood) siding and decks.
Has anyone had direct experience installind Massaranduba siding? I’ve been looking at some 5″ drop siding, but it’s milled with the notching too small to allow effective blind nailing (IMHO). Also, I’ve seen one shiplap installation shooting 16 gauge nails.
This stuff is HEAVY. And, I understand, a little less dimensionally stable that some of the softer species. But it is strong. Tough. Nearly fireproof. Bug resistant. And beautiful, oiled or naturally grayed. But how do you mount it? Screws through the face? Loose screws blind? Library paste? help
Butch
Lumber Reduction Center
Replies
I'm building a house right now in Brazil and I'm using some Massaranduba. Here we use it for posts and beams,rafters and strips to hold clay roofing tiles. The wood I'm using down here checks fairly quickly if left unfinished in the Brazilian sun. It seems less demensionaly stable than Ipe. In Brazil Ipe is considered a higher quality wood.
I have to pre drill almost everything. They have really thick shank commons down here but you still have to predrill. A 20 penny nail might go in an inch before it bends. If you want to take a screw out after it is in it will break off almost all the time.
It's not used for siding down here but it would be time consuming to predrill. The flutes of the bit get clogged up immediately but as you pull the drill out of the hole angle it slightly and most of the time the waste will fall off.
Mr. 12:Thanks for the insights. One reason I was leaning toward Massaranduba was the checking I've been seeing in a neighbor's new Ipe deck. There are 2 other older Ipe decks in the neighborhood that have fared much better. To me it looks like the newer lumber is of a far lesser grade, both in color and cut. I'd assumed that having made the hit parade, Ipe supplies might be dwindling or else the suppliers have decided the honeymoon is over. Another nearby neighbor covered his whole house and garage in 1x4 Massaranduba strips, using two screws per 16". (He said labor on the 2-car garage alone was $2500.) He oils it every couple of years and it is still the most strikingly gorgeous wood I've ever seen on the outside of a house. I'll be real curious to see how stable the stuff is in our Texas sun. Butch
Scattergun Press
I know a guy who knows a guy... who built a house in the Lake Tahoe area that is 100% ipe siding and exterior trim. They had bevelled siding milled out of it. Apparently it looks awesome and was an awesome amount of work to do.
davidmeiland:Thanks. I'd be curious to talk to the guy (the last one in the chain) who has hands-on experience with the siding, such as what size, pattern, and if they were able to blind-fasten the stuff to the walls. Thanks
Butch
Scattergun Press
I rarely see the guy I know who knows the other guy, but when I do I'll ask him if it's possible to get a phone number.
Well, until then I guess I'll have to ask the next question: Considering what McCarty12 told about Massaranduba's reputation in its home town, has anyone had any experience with Ipe siding? As you might have guessed, I'm really interested in a permanent, hardwood solution to my siding problems. I just can't bring myself to put cement slats on my house. Butch
Scattergun Press