Ipe Decking
What's all the fuss about ipe? If we sell all kinds of decking, why all the attention to tropical hardwood decking? Why a page dedicated to just ipe decking?
It's because the overwhelming majority of people buying hardwood decking want ipe. There's plenty of reason as well. Please, read on . . .
Ipe Decking - What is it?
Ipe is the "King of Decking". Out of all the common decking materials in the world, ipe decking is the most durable, the strongest, and the most resistant to things like rot, mold, mildew and insects. What gives it all these special properties? Two things: it's density and the oils that an ipe tree produces to resist the rigors of the forests in Brazil.
Ipe deck boards save money
Ipe deck material saves money in the long run. Initially the cost is about the same, sometimes lower, than man made decking materials but when you consider how much longer the ipe deck boards will last, the savings are obvious. Even if you don't factor in the cost of hiring someone to replace deck boards, ipe decking saves more in the long run over even the cheapest pressure treated deck materials.
Ipe decking is safer
Pressure treated lumber and composite decking rots easily. This leads to weak spots in the deck. Weak spots in a deck lead to people tripping and worse, falling through. There've been so many people that have fallen through crumbling decks built with composite decking that there are several lawsuits against composite decking manufacturers. Here's an example of one such class action lawsuit.
Ipe decking looks great
Look at any of the ipe pictures on this site. There are no knots and no fake wood grain (it's real wood!). Ipe has a very tight grain and it's premium grade (if you buy it from us that is). Premium grade means less defects like knots, saw marks etc. This is what the fake woods all strive to look like. If you've seen any of them from less than 10 feet away, you'll see they've failed at imitating this look.
Ipe decking is better for the environment
Ipe and the other non-pressure treated hardwoods leech none of the things that pressure treated woods, composite woods and other man made decking release into the environment. No PVC's are used. No toxic chemicals at all. We listed we can honestly say our products have NO added chemicals. In addition, Ipe and our other tropical hardwoods come from the intensely regulated, sustainable-forestry-practicing country of Brazil. If you try to cheat their system, you are not only out of business, but you might end up in a Brazilian prison! They've made huge changes in their forestry practices over the years and are now considered the world leader in sustainable forestry.
Our commitment to sustainable forestry is so strong we also carry FSC certified decking for LEED certified building and any other green building requirements. Please, read more on our environment page.
