I am planning building a front porch for our Italianate home…Most of the homes in our area had wooden porches–and to keep it somewhat historically correct, I had thought about using Ipe for the decking. Specifically I thought of milling the Ipe into a T&G decking. Got a few questions though:
- Do you think this would be a good wood to use for front porch decking and stairs?
- I have heard that this wood can be murder on saw blades/jointers/drills/etc…True? Suggestions?
- What about finishing–what do you suggest?
Any other suggestions and input regarding Ipe, its usage, as well as alternatives would be appreciated….
PNut.
Replies
I built a deck with Ipe, it's an awesome material for outdoor use.
T&G is not a problem, I used a T&G V groove set on some of my material. Milling the material is a little tricky because there is not an obvious grain orientation, so you have to be quick to recognize splintering in order to flip the board over and not waste too much material. You might do a little research on expansion, my deck is fully exposed and I left 3/16" gap between each board (used Eb-ty fasteners) and can notice the gaps widening and shrinking very slightly. But if your porch is not fully exposed, this may not be a problem.
It's a tough wood, but not as hard on tooling as Teak. I didn't have any problem cutting, ripping or milling the 800 board feet I used. But definitely invest in good tooling, you may need to get it sharpened when you are done, but good tooling will always do the job better than cheap stuff. I don't think I would run it through my jointer because I hate sharpening those blades, but I got a really clean edge just ripping it with a 24t blade.
For finishing, I found clear Penofin to offer a stunning finish. Not only is it a gorgeous rosewood color, but it also comes out silky smooth after the second coat.
Couple of other comments, invest in some good framing gloves (ironclad is what I wear) as Ipe is hell on your hands. The splinters are like steel shards and just as small. Finally, ipe is really tough to sand, so pick your material carefully to get the best boards possible. It's really heavy, so make sure you framing is up to the task, I used 4/4 boards on 16" centers.
I used IPE for an exterior staircase. The finish product was outstanding. It did take me 50% longer to build than I had planed. I used Penofin for finish- two coats of the rosewood finish. Drilling and countersinking was murder. Lots of snapped screw heads also. As for glueing, I used Gorilla glue on a table and it failed. I plan to reglue it using G2.
I have never used that wood.. By the way , LOOKS GREAT, Nice Job!
This summer my sister-in-law wants a deck replaced around her house. BIG job.. About 300 lienar feet of deck around the back and both sides.. About 5 to 20 feet in depth depending where..
Drilling and countersinking was murder. Lots of snapped screw heads also.
Can I ask what you used for drilling and counter.. If you had to do over what would you do different??
All this is FREE labor and dinner as long at it takes..
Thanks. For drilling and countersinking I used a high quality tapered countersink with a stop on it. For the 1 x 4 decking I used a #1 stainless steel screw 2 1/4" long. For framing I used 3" stainless steel screw with the same style bit. The bit was made to go with these size screws. I went through about one bit for every 100 sq. ft. of decking and snapped about 10 heads for the same area. You can not back the screw out if it strips. Try breaking it below the surface and putting another screw on an angle in the same countersink to avoid making extra holes. Next time I will use Ebtys, a hidden fastener system. kev
You might try Systems Three T-88. It's formulated for woods like teak and the company is willing to stand behind that claim for ipe. We have a major job with ipe and have been experimenting with glues. We have a bunch of samples soaking in a tub for testing right now. Ipe doesn't float at all.
Thanks for the info. I will try it out on a sample. The poly glue held for 5 months but a couple of the joints failed. Some still look good however. Is there any prep before joining pieces? I heard you should wipe the edges with laquer thinner right before glueing. Kev
Laquer thinner and they also recommended to rough up the surface with 80 grit sandpaper.
I had the same problem with stainless steel finish screws breaking off. There is a solution, use a screw that is not stainless but made for exterior use. It looks like a zinc coated screw. When you drive these screws the bits wear down rapidly, but the screws do not snap.Check with your supplier or a fastener specialty store like Maze, McFeely etc.You need a bag of square drive bits to do an average deck.
mike
"Any other suggestions and input regarding Ipe, its usage, as well as alternatives would be appreciated...."
I've built a few things out of Ipe and everybody has pretty much covered the issues there. As far as alternatives, the last time I needed Ipe my local supplier was waiting on a shipment and out of Ipe. After asking what I was going to use it for (a picnic table), they suggested Garapa and said it was related to Ipe (not too sure about that, but...). They also said their deckbuilder customers found it a bit easier to work with and finish than Ipe. So I did a bit of online research and found USDA info and forum comments that seemed to back up what they told me. So I ended up going with the Garapa. Here's my thoughts:
Don't remember what I paid for it, but it was slightly less than what the Ipe would have been, had it been in stock.
Color tends to be a little lighter than Ipe for most boards, but it's very nice looking.
Very heavy and dense, but not quite as much as Ipe.
Works a little bit easier than Ipe, but I'd still recommend doing the same pre-drilling as Ipe.
Finishing was just as problematic as Ipe. Really wish I'd known about the Penofin for both the Garapa and earlier Ipe projects. That really seems to be working well for the other posters.
I love the smell of sawdust in the morning.
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