Hello –
I am trying to find the best product to seal Ipe hardwood decking. I believe it has a hardness of about 3060. I have tried several natural deck sealing products but nothing seems to last. I must mention, the deck is at about 7700′ elevation in Colorado, where the sun is wickedly intense. I have heard that the Pennofin product specifically for hardwoods (such as Ipe and Mahoganey) looks good, but have yet to get a long-term assessment. Does it hold up, or not? Does anyone have any other suggestions for sealers? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Pete Nichols
Replies
I am about to start on the PT framing for an Ipe deck. The guy does a few of them a year here in NYC. He never uses a sealer, as far as I know. The silver tone from the sun is a major selling point.
Are you sure you need to seal it?
Don
You don't need to seal it, though it is so pretty, it would be nice to keep it in the furniture-grade condition it comes. I have heard that it silvers out - I can deal with it. I just thought I could try to get about 5 years of pure beauty out of the product, before I decided to stop maintaining it and then letting it turn the redwood grey. The one concern about not finishing it at all is cracking. The ends of the boards can split, and that is a good thing to avoid. It is actually recommended to seal all 6 sides before you install it - to minimize warping, cupping, etc.. If you have any suggestions, or hear of anything, I'd enjoy the feedback. Thanks for your response.
Pete
Pete,
We had a few ipe threads a while ago...here's a link to my reply on "finishing" ipe.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=20052.3
I'm closer to sea level (CT), so your UV exposure is going to be nasty to ward off. I'd call the Penofin tech department and ask for their recommendations. As always, if the tech rep stuffs you, ask to speak to someone else...or call back later.
Good wood, good choice.
Mongo
Edit: Forgot to add: Call the Penofin tech department if you're looking to maintain the original dark color of the wood. They should also be able to tell you how the wood will "weather" should you choose to allow the wood to silver out after a few years. Call the Seasonite reps if you want more info on getting the wood to a silvery-gray color.
Edited 7/17/2002 12:27:31 PM ET by Mongo
Hi Pete
Interesting wood you have there. To understand it a bit better, get ahold of Fine Woodworking (yes, F. Woodworking, not F. Homebuilding) issue of May/June 2002. There at page 66 begins a short but informative article on the qualities of this wood.
Not a thing, however, is mentioned about finishing it, especially when it's used outside whether for furniture or decking. Guess that tells you something.
According to the author, Jon Arno, (who knows his wood), ipe's "stonelike density surpasses that of teak and other popular decking species by such a wide margin that none of them can compete with ipe's resistance to wear."