Ipe vs. Ipanema decking
drpepper
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
Do you know the pros and cons of natural, just presealed ipe vs. stained Ipanema decking?
Need to decide what to use on our front deck.
Thank you!
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Replies
Karen, I only know Ipanema from that catchy song, but if this is this a question about green building, you should contemplate where the wood comes from. I'm guessing Ipe trees do not grow in your yard. Brazilian hardwoods are nice, but Brazilian rain forests are in trouble. Better to choose wood harvested near where you live. There may be a specialty lumber supplier in your area that sells locally sourced timber--do a web search to investigate.
Karen,
As far as I know. ipe is a species. Ipanema is a brand name, not a species.
Can you recommend a local wood that is just as strong and nice as ipe?
Karen,
For decking, it isn't necessary to find a species of wood that is just as strong as ipe. All you need is a species that is strong enough for decking.
And "nice" is subjective. Many people might prefer an on-grade stone patio to a deck, because they know that no trees were cut for the creation of the patio. Other people love to see exotic woods with fancy grain.
North American species used for decking include Douglas fir (out West) and white cedar (in the Northeast). Other GBA readers can chime in with other local species if they want.
Pretty much all decking we design is built with Trex or TimberTech. It's less maintenance and much better and lasting alternative material.
Accoya ( http://www.accoya.com/application_decking.html ), Cambia ( http://www.cambiawood.com/pages/wood_made_better.html ), Timbersil ( http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/9172/timbersil-decking ) ( http://www.timbersilwood.com/ ), and our old favorite, eastern white cedar (the higher the grade, the better)