Gap Spacing for Ipe Decking

You might be surprised to know that hardwood breathes. Well, not literally, but throughout the course of the year hardwood decking will absorb and release moisture from the air. This process makes the wood expand and contract. So, when installing hardwoods like ipe decking, it’s important to know how to properly space each deck board so that, when the wood does “breathe” you won’t run into problems such as a warping, or the deck boards butting up against one another.

Here’s our recommendation for Gap Spacing Ipe Decking:

Allow 1/16″ gaps between deck boards. This space is ideal for proper for air circulation, water drainage along with wood contraction & expansion.

For ipe decking, the average rate of shrinkage is roughly 1/16″ on 4″ wide boards and 3/32″ on 6″ wide boards.

Now that you know what gap spacing is good for ipe decking, you can install your deck with confidence knowing that you’re using the best hardwood for decking and that it will have a better chance of lasting over 40 years with very little maintenance required.

5 thoughts on “Gap Spacing for Ipe Decking”

  1. Ron, Here are the moisture content levels for decking that we ship

    Interior T&G Ipe is kiln dried to 8%-6% moisture content.

    Exterior T&G Ipe is air dried to 14%-16% moisture content.

  2. Is there a deck clip For grooved ipe available for 1/16” gaps? Or is the 1/16” gap intended for adhering the deck boards vertically from the top face?

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