Ipe decking is a wonderful choice if you're creating a wood deck and want something that will look good and last a long time. Ipe (pronounced "ee-pay") is a dense hardwood native to South American rainforests that makes for a long-lasting decking alternative. Because of the … [Read more...]

There’s certainly more to installing your new tropical hardwood deck than simply giving your boards time to come to an equilibrium with their new environment, planning for proper spacing, and accommodating the species-specific issues that can arise. But those things are … [Read more...]

Perhaps you were disappointed to learn that your Ipe decking boards — for which you paid a pretty penny, no doubt — are not finished products. Sorry about that. But since it’s the case, it really is better that you know. In our first post in this series, we traced the journey of … [Read more...]

Did you know that once you install an Ipe deck, it’s still not a finished product? Tropical hardwood decking boards — whether they’re made of Ipe or another premium species — are already planed and have sharp corners eased (S4S, E4E). They may also have been milled to accommodate … [Read more...]

In our first 3 posts in this series (see Parts 1, 2 & 3), we looked at the importance of communication with your lumber supplier and value engineering. While those concepts are not new, they are increasingly significant in light of pandemic-related supply chain limitations. … [Read more...]

In our first article in this series, we looked at how the board fastening method can influence the amount of time you need to wait before you install it. We also discussed that whether or not the wood was finished and when the finish was applied can make a difference in your wait … [Read more...]

If you’ve ever embarked on a project involving flooring or decking boards, you’ve probably heard that you’re supposed to wait for a while before installing them. After all, the boards need to acclimate to their new surroundings to prevent complications such as warping and cupping … [Read more...]

In this series of articles (see Parts 1 & 2), we’ve been explaining some of the reasons why Ipe decking materials can vary so widely in price. We looked at a hypothetical scenario involving a contractor who made a purchase of Ipe decking early in the deck-building season. … [Read more...]

Lumber wholesalers sometimes get an unfair reputation for charging prices their customers consider to be too high. As we mentioned in our previous article, that’s because many customers don’t realize how complex a process pricing lumber can be, especially when it comes to … [Read more...]