Category Archives: Brazilian Walnut

4 Cost Effective Ipe Wood Alternatives

Ipe Wood Alternatives

Due to supply and demand Ipe wood has become the most expensive hardwood decking option.

Many homeowners now find it’s out of their price range.

Some homeowners are still willing to shell out the money because they know it’s going to be a great investment that they’ll only have to make once.

Don’t be discouraged there are 4 other wood species that are much more cost effective and nearly identical to Ipe.

Some of these species once they are oiled and exposed to UV rays become almost indistinguishable compared to Ipe.

The first specie people substitute for Ipe wood is:

Cumaru

Also known as Brazilian Teak, Cumaru is nearly identical in terms of hardness. The janka hardness of Ipe is 3,680 while Cumaru is 3,540. For comparison Red Oak’s janka hardness is 1,290 so Ipe and Cumaru are nearly 3 times harder than Red Oak.

Cumaru has a little more color variation with colors ranging from a lighter yellowish brown to reddish brown.

Choosing Cumaru for your project will give you a very similar look to Ipe as well as all the same durability benefits at a significantly cheaper price.

Massaranduba (Brazilian Redwood)

Massaranduba (pronounced Ma-Sa-Ran-Doo-bah) is a hardwood native to South America. It is one of the most beautiful and hardest woods in the world.

One surprising fact about this natural hardwood is how well it performs under heavy load (bending strength) tests.

These tests revealed that, as a decking material, Massaranduba is over three times stronger than California Redwood and is even stronger than Ipe wood.

Massaranduba is also nearly 8 times harder than California Redwood.

This is also another great cost effective alternative for Ipe wood. It starts out looking more red but once it’s oiled and exposed to UV rays it becomes more brown and closely resembles the look of Ipe wood.

Garapa

Also known as Brazilian Ash, Garapa is one of the finest quality hardwoods available that features a fine-grained timber that is light yellow to a warm golden hue.

Garapa is an exotic hardwood that is naturally resistant to rot, decay and insect attack.

It’s also naturally scratch resistant which allows the surface to remain smooth for many years, making Garapa an perfect wood for exterior decking.

Compared to the dark brown color of Ipe, Garapa starts off a golden yellow but once oiled and exposed to UV rays it becomes a beautiful light golden brown.

Garapa is also significantly cheaper than Ipe making it another great alternative for Ipe.

Tigerwood

Tigerwood is one of the finest quality hardwoods available that features a unique light golden-brown to reddish-brown coloring with exotic black and brown streaks.

This beautiful hardwood is naturally resistant to rot and decay, is the third hardest decking we sell, and offers a 30+ year lifespan without preservatives!

Our Tigerwood Decking is responsibly harvested from managed forest to provide a truly renewable resource. Tigerwood offers similar benefits compared to Ipe and is available at a fraction of the cost.

Most hardwoods are photosensitive which means they can lighten or darken when exposed to natural or artificial light.

All of the alternative species listed here are photosensitive, they all start out lighter and will become a little darker and will more closely resemble Ipe as they age.

All of these hardwood species are excellent alternatives to Ipe wood, most of our employees choose Tigerwood because as true wood workers they all love the beautiful grain and Tigerwood is the best value.

How to Seal Ipe Wood

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Ipe wood does not need to be sealed like traditional softwoods such as redwood, pine and cedar.

These softwoods have an open grain structure that allows water to penetrate deep into the wood cells like a sponge.

As a result softwoods need a waterproofing sealer that forms a top coat to keep water from penetrating the wood.

If softwoods are left unsealed for prolonged time periods they can deteriorate and rot much faster.

Homeowner sanding deck stain and sealer off an old cedar deck

These top coats will flake and peel off after only a year or two. Then ideally you would sand the entire deck and apply another sealer on top of the deck.

This is a lot of maintenance and what most people think of when it comes to sealing a wood deck.

What Maintenance Does Ipe Wood Require?

Unlike softwood decking Ipe wood does not require a waterproofing sealer to keep the wood from rotting.

Ipe is over 3 times harder than Teak and if you leave Ipe untreated it will turn a beautiful silver grey.

When Ipe turns grey it still shows the beautiful wood grain and maintains all of its durability and will still last up to 75 years or more.

Ipe is so dense and contains a natural oil that if you tried to seal it like you do a traditional wood deck it would peel right off.

Maintaining The Color of Ipe Wood

The sun will bleach the color out of most materials and wood is no exception. UV rays are what causes wood to turn grey outdoors.

To stop Ipe wood from turning grey we recommend applying a special oil that’s specifically formulated for hardwoods like Ipe wood.

This is what most people mistake when they think I have to seal my Ipe wood.

The oil keeps the sun from bleaching the rich brown color from the Ipe wood. It’s basically like sunscreen for your Ipe.

Ipe Oil will not flake or peel off like a sealer on a traditional wood deck so it’s much lower maintenance.

Ipe Wood Maintenance Instructions

Maintaining your Ipe wood is typically very simple and these steps will help you keep your Ipe wood looking good for many years.

Step 1 – Wash your Ipe wood deck

You want to make sure our deck surface is free from dirt, debris, pollen and etc… before applying the oil on your Ipe wood.

Follow all the instructions on the can of Ipe Oil. You want to make sure you have adequate weather with the right temperatures and no rain in the forecast.

If needed you can pressure wash your deck with a wide angle fan tip nozzle. Do not use a concentrated fine tip as those can even damage concrete.

Step 2 – Apply the Ipe Oil

After allowing your deck to thoroughly dry you can apply the Ipe oil using a brush or roller. Make sure to follow all the instructions on the can of Ipe Oil.

This process goes pretty fast since the oil spreads very easy and saturates the Ipe wood evenly.

This is not like water sealing cedar or pressure treated where you need to brush it back and forth to work the sealer into the grain to make sure everything has a top coat.

Ipe Oil has a viscosity very similar to water and Ipe wood is so dense the roller will easily coat the boards.

Step 3 – Wipe up any excess Ipe Oil

Ipe wood is so dense it will only soak up so much of the Ipe Oil. You need to go back with a clean rag after 10 minutes and wipe up any excess or wet looking spots.

This will keep your Ipe deck from getting tacky. After that you can dispose of the rags properly (follow the instructions on the can) oil based rags balled up often can start on fire.

Top 5 Best Decking Materials

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If you are looking to build a new deck on your house, there are 5 different decking material options you need to consider.

These top five decking options are all natural hardwoods from South America that are more durable than Teak and much more affordable as well.

Our number one recommended decking material is:

Ipe Wood Decking

Ipe (pronounced EE-pay) is an all natural hardwood that is more than three times harder than teak. It has shown to last up to 75 years or more on many commercial applications such as the Coney Island boardwalk and the Brooklyn bridge.

This hardwood is one of the strongest woods in the world and naturally resists wood boring insects. It also does not splinter and will not get incredibly hot on your feet like plastic decking.

In addition it’s also naturally slip resistant, has a Class A rating for flame spread, is scratch resistant and naturally mold and fungi resistant. As you can see from the picture above Ipe wood is incredibly beautiful as well.

Ipe wood is our number one recommended decking material. It’s competitively priced against most composite decking materials if not cheaper. Ipe Wood Prices

Watch this short video to learn more about our Ipe wood decking:

Our second recommended decking material is:

Cumaru Wood Decking

Similar to Ipe Cumaru decking is nearly identical in terms of properties and durability. The main difference is the color color ranges from a golden tan to a reddish brown.

You can still expect all the same excellent properties as Ipe.

This excellent decking is also low maintenance, resistant to wood boring insects and naturally resistant to rot and decay without chemicals.

One other benefit to using Cumaru is the price can be upwards of 40 percent cheaper compared to the price of Ipe wood. You can view the current Cumaru wood prices here: Cumaru Decking Prices

Watch this short video to learn about our Cumaru wood decking:

Our third recommended decking material is:

Tigerwood decking

This beautiful wood also comes from South America and is incredibly durable and beautiful. You can expect a 30+ year lifespan with Tigerwood.

Similar to the other woods we listed above Tigerwood is also resistant to wood boring insects, mold and mildew and does not splinter. This is another excellent low maintenance deck material.

Watch this video to learn more about our Tigerwood decking:

Tigerwood Decking California

Tigerwood Decking Prices

The fourth decking material we recommend is:

Garapa Decking

Garapa is harder than teak and is made for the outdoors.

Also known as Brazilian Ash this incredible hardwood decking material is one of the finest quality hardwoods available that features a fine-grain that is light yellow to a warm golden hue.

Garapa is naturally resistant to rot, decay and insect attack and offers a 30+ year lifespan.

Watch this video on Garapa decking:

You can find more info and pricing here: Garapa decking prices

Last but not least our fifth decking we recommend to our customers is:

Massaranduba decking

Also known as Brazilian Redwood Massaranduba is much more durable than California Redwood, has a longer lifespan and requires much less maintenance.

In fact Massaranduba is over 7x harder than California Redwood. With a janka hardness of 3,190 compared to California Redwood which has a janka hardness of 420.

California Redwood is a softwood and requires annual maintenance of applying a water sealer to keep water out of the grain of the wood to prolong its life and prevent rot and decay.

Just like the first four species of hardwood decking that we recommended, Massaranduba naturally resists rot, decay and wood boring insects.

In addition Massaranduba is also a very low maintenance deck material and offers a 30+ year lifespan.

Watch this short video on Massaranduba decking:

Current Massaranduba decking prices

Best Wood for Outdoor Kitchens

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Building an outdoor kitchen is a major investment. You want to make sure you are using materials that are going to hold up to the outdoor environment as well as the abuse of kitchen wear and tear.

You are probably looking at spending thousands of dollars on top of the line stainless steel appliances for your outdoor kitchen.

The last thing you would want is to spend a lot of time and money on an outdoor kitchen and have your grill in your outdoor kitchen rust out after 5 years and force you to redo your outdoor kitchen.

Many homeowners want their appliances to sit in cabinets or an outdoor bar built out of a beautiful long lasting wood.

Woods You Should Not Use for an Outdoor Kitchen

We suggest staying away from softwoods such as pressure treated pine, cedar and redwood.

These softwoods are all susceptible to rot, wood boring insects and are can catch fire quickly. In addition they require yearly maintenance with waterproofing sealers that will peel off.

This will leave you scraping and sanding all the wood and then reapplying the sealer each year. Waterproofing sealers help keep water from penetrating the grain of softwoods which would lead to faster rot and decay.

Additionally your outdoor kitchen will more than likely be placed on a concrete slab foundation. Depending on the design of your outdoor kitchen your cabinets or bar will be sitting on top of the concrete.

Concrete wicks moisture so softwoods sitting on top of concrete will rot faster at the base.

These are just a few reasons why we don’t recommend these softwoods for an outdoor kitchen.

Best Woods for Outdoor Kitchens

There are a few species of wood that we’ve found to be proven to perform incredibly well in outdoor environments such as outdoor kitchens.

These species are Ipe, Cumaru, Tigerwood, Garapa and Massaranduba. They all come from South America and have proven to last up to 75 years or more with very low maintenance.

**Ipe wood decking and Ipe outdoor kitchen cabinets**

Above you’ll see a picture of an outdoor kitchen built with Ipe wood deck boards. The deck is also built with Ipe wood decking.

Ipe wood decking is one of the most durable, long lasting decking woods available. It is more durable than teak and is more cost effective as well.

It is also naturally resistant to mold, mildew, rot and decay, wood boring insects can not chew through the wood, It has a Class A rating against flame spread, does not splinter like softwoods and it has proven to last 75+ year on commercial boardwalks like Coney Island boardwalk in New York.

Here’s another outdoor kitchen built with Ipe Wood:

The second most durable wood we recommend for outdoor kitchens is Cumaru which is also known as Brazilian Teak.

Cumaru is almost identical to Ipe it’s just got a little more color variation which ranges from golden brown to a reddish brown. Ipe is more consistent in color which is a chocolate brown.

Many people are drawn to Cumaru because it’s typically 30% cheaper and also a very beautiful and durable wood. It has all the similar properties like Class A rating against flame spread which makes it an excellent wood for outdoor kitchens.

While we don’t have pictures of an outdoor kitchen built with Cumaru wood most of the jobs we supply are used to build decks.

Just like Ipe wood is most commonly used to build decks both of these woods are great for a wide array of outdoor projects.

Here’s a picture of a deck built with Cumaru:

Tigerwood Outdoor Kitchen

This is our 3rd most popular option for an exterior hardwood that is great for outdoor kitchens.

Tigerwood is not quite as dense as Ipe or Cumaru but it’s still a very dense and durable hardwood that’s great for outdoor use. In fact Tigerwood is more than double the Janka hardness compared to Teak.

These 3 wood species are the best woods that we recommend for outdoor kitchens.

When building an outdoor kitchen with wood you can often use short length boards depending on your design of course.

We sell short length boards at a significant cost savings that can save you up to 50 percent. Click here to view these discounted hardwoods

Ipe Decking Cost

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If you are searching for the cost of Ipe decking you have come to the right place. For nearly 30 years we have been transparent about publishing all prices and all costs associated with ordering Ipe decking directly on our website.

You can find the most up to date pricing here: Ipe decking prices

Looking for the Cheapest Price on Ipe Decking – Read This First!

Ipe decking is one of the most well known decking materials. It’s one of the only proven decking materials to last up to 75 years in some of the harshest commercial applications such as The Coney Island Boardwalk.

As a result of its durability and beauty, Ipe wood prices have steadily increased over many years due to the increase in demand as well as many other factors such as fuel costs, increased government regulations to ensure sustainable logging as well as increased importing costs to get the Ipe wood into the USA.

As the leading importer of Ipe decking we are the only American company that owns our own lumber mills in Brazil.

We opened our own mills in Brazil for many reasons including being able to ensure the highest quality Ipe decking is being shipped to our customers.

We are also able to ensure all logging is being done legally and sustainably as our staff in Brazil are working everyday to ensure all aspects are legal and sustainable.

Being the largest importer also allows us to offer the best pricing on quality Ipe decking. We have seen others offer Ipe for a cheaper price to entice a customer on buying “cheaper Ipe”. Be warned that not all Ipe decking is equal.

Some will offer cheaper prices on the decking while everything else is more money. We are also one of the only Ipe decking sellers that consistently offers free shipping on many items.

We also do not have any minimum purchase quantities on Ipe wood. Some sellers impose expensive minimums so they can focus on making more profit and not be bothered with a smaller order.

We are glad to package and ship $100 worth of Ipe so you can build planter boxes or an Adirondack chair.

Yes it costs us more money to package these smaller orders but we are happy to do it so we can prove and show our commitment to customer care and satisfaction no matter how much you spend.

We have even seen some sellers that are drop shipping Ipe selling other cheaper species as Ipe and charging a premium for it. They have no control over what they are selling since they are a middle man with a website and don’t own any inventory.

These sellers simply have other brokers ship you what they have left over and could not sell to their own customers.

The people that fall for that found they got what they pay for… “Cheaper Ipe Decking” or sometimes not Ipe at all but some other cheaper specie.

We welcome all of our customers to stop into one of our 4 US factories to view what you are going to purchase ahead of time. We also welcome wholesale buyers looking to purchase large quantities to tour one of our Brazil mills.

Make sure you are going to buy from someone that is very transparent and willing to show you their operation and what you are purchasing.

Ipe Decking Grading Standards

For nearly 30 years our customers have come to rely on the quality of Ipe decking that we have consistently delivered.

We pioneered the grading standards of Ipe and are the only ones to offer (SMR®) Select Mill Run® Ipe decking.

SMR® Grading is Ipe decking that we sort because it does not meet our standards for our premium Ipe but it is not B grade either. So we created SMR® which is a grade between the premium and B Grade.

We offer this grade as a cost savings for those customers that don’t mind a little more character but want to save some money on their Ipe decking purchase.

Below is a picture of our SMR® Ipe deck tiles. They are very beautiful and just as durable as our premium Ipe wood decking.

If the cost of Ipe decking has really got you sweating we took it one step further. We also offer B Grade Ipe decking which offers you a significant cost savings on your Ipe.

Our B grade Ipe exceeds most of our customers expectations since our grading standards are the highest in the industry.

Watch this short video below to see what a customer built with our B grade Ipe and see what he has to say.

Ipe Wood Discounts

Having 4 factories in the US and 2 in Brazil gives us a large quantity of Ipe wood that we offer at huge discounts.

We have a lot of short length materials and odd lots of Ipe wood that are perfect for many projects but do not meet our most common requested sizes.

We sell these Ipe wood boards and many other species for prices up to 50% Off. Check out our Ipe decking discount prices

The Ritz Carlton in Naples Florida Adds Advantage Ipe Wood

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Resorts such as The Ritz Carlton often call us looking for the best wood for their exterior living spaces.

For resorts like this our first recommendation is Ipe wood decking and that what they decided to use.

The resort did have pressure treated pine and found that was not holding up in the harsh Florida sun. The grain on the pine would raise and people could trip or get slivers and it was becoming unsightly.

The Ipe wood they ordered from us compliments the beautiful Oceanfront views and will allow their patrons years of exterior beauty and enjoyment without the maintenance issues they experienced with the pressure treated pine.

Stop by and check out their lovely restaurant while enjoying the Oceanfront views they have an awesome Sunday brunch a swanky pool area, beautiful beach and now lots of beautiful Advantage Ipe Decking.

If you have a resort or commercial application and need the best exterior wood give us a call today or stop by the Ritz Carlton in Naples first to see our wood in use

We supply materials to not only resorts like this but also small backyard projects around the world. If you need a board, a bundle, a truckload, or more please give us a call. 1-877-232-3915

Swim Spa Deck Built With Ipe Wood

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swim spa deck

A swim spa can be a great addition to your home. However before you purchase a swim spa you need to consider a deck built around it.

A custom deck built for your swim spa will make accessing and using your new swim spa easy and enjoyable it can also reduce the risk of a slip and fall injury.

This is a Master Spa 15 Deep Swim Spa that a California homeowner purchased. They were looking for the best decking material to build a deck for their new spa.

Whats the Best Deck for a Swim Spa?

We strongly suggested Ipe wood for the deck surrounding their new spa. Here’s a few reasons why Ipe wood works so well for swim spas:

Our Ipe wood has natural slip resistance and has been ASTM-C1028-89 tested so our Ipe Decking exceeds the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for Static Coefficient of friction in a wet environment
Ipe is naturally resistant to mold, mildew and wood boring insects
Approximately seven times harder than Cedar, ASTM-D143-94 tested; our Ipe decking stands up to the harshest conditions imaginable.
Barefoot friendly compared to softwoods that deteriorate fast

These are a few reasons why our customer chose Ipe for their new swim spa deck and railings.

Swim Spa Deck Ideas You Might Like:

The homeowner designed the swim spa deck to allow simplified unrolling of the spa cover. This is achieved while standing on the 3-step side. You can easily fold and unfold the cover on the spa while walking the entire length of the spa.

ipe swim spa deck

Take note of how wide the top platform is, this is an important detail. When you are taking your cover on and off you are usually focused on the cover so a narrow step would leave you more likely to trip.

The wide platform reduces the risk of tripping over a narrow step while taking your cover on and off. One other detail you’ll notice is the height of the top platform.

Your walking platform should allow you to fold up your cover without being hunched over and this deck was designed with that in mind as well.

The upper deck allows for easy spa access and features a wide bench for removing your sandals as well as a nice place to set your towel and smart phone.

The railing is stainless steel cable to maximize the views of the garden. The posts are powder coated which will offer years of maintenance free railing. The top handrail is Ipe wood to match the decking and provide a nice slip resistant grip.

LED lights were built into the steps to illuminate the steps as well as add some elegance. The deck substructure is constructed of clear redwood and was designed to allow removal of the spa side panels for future maintenance of the spa if needed.

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