Deck building tips and tricks. Discussion about wood and much more!
When companies use terms like “buyer beware” and “you get what you pay for,” you begin to tune it out because you hear it so much. Unfortunately, every once in a while these clichés are the only way to describe a situation. We recently had a homeowner reach out to us after he purchased some ipe decking, and the saying holds true. You get what you pay for.
According to industry analysts, the residential market for tropical hardwood decking will account for the vast majority of a 7.0 percent growth in imported hardwoods. More homeowners are selecting tropical hardwoods such as such as Ipe, Tigerwood, Cumaru, Garapa and Massaranduba because of their long term durability, fungal and insect resistance, and imperviousness to damage caused by moisture. They also value the fact that decks made from tropical lumber require much less maintenance than other wood types.
No material comes without its share of challenges, and Ipe is no exception. This includes drilling, cutting, and price. Addressing these problems individually will help you understand why they arise and how you can solve them
Doing a full comparison between Ipe and Pressure Treated Pine for decking is like comparing Kobe beef and a McDonald’s beef patty. Pressure treated pine works well as the frame of your decking but not as the decking itself. Pressure treated pine lasts only for about 5-10 years and must be constantly stained and finished. Ipe on the other hand, is an all-natural wood, proven to last over 75 years without any chemical treatment. The Coney Island boardwalk was in service since the 1940s! Boards from that landmark boardwalk have been reclaimed and reused for many applications from patio furniture to indoor flooring.
Every piece of lumber is unique. No one tree is the same. Every board in your deck is going to have different characteristics. Once installed, you want to give your deck the proper maintenance it needs to increase its lifetime and your overall enjoyment. Be rest assured, even though a deck made of Brazilian hardwoods is proven to outlast and outperform softer materials, giving it a little attention once in a while is a good thing (After all, even a Lamborghini needs its oil changed and tires rotated!) Here are some guidelines to follow to maintain the lifetime and beauty of your hardwood deck.
Advantage Lumber prides itself in supplying high quality, responsibly harvested material to builders and contractors of high-end projects. One such project was the Tigertail Beach boardwalk at Marco Island, FL. The previous boardwalk was an absolute mess, filled with cracks and a slip and fall safety hazard. Because the local government decided to change it, …
A patio is your home away from home. It’s a place to escape where all the worries and stress of everyday life melt away. The perfect way to turn your patio into this get away is to use hardwood. Wood has a beautiful welcoming feel that relaxes and comforts. This characteristic is embedded into our …