e, I've been missing you so I'm calling for your help here!!!

Didn't e just do an ipe deck on his own Seattle house?

dont send it through the planer at the school shop...very loud

for planking on a deck, you can use 3/4" instead of 1-1/2" that you would have to use in other woods.

Ipe rocks when it comes to weathering/durability. can't be beat... difficult to fabricate- all screws need to be pre-drilled - also use a nuisence dust mask to avoid breathing in sawdust. typically left unfinished and weatheres to a elegant soft silver gray.

there is lots of illegal logging in the amazon for ipe & other hardwoods- bad, very bad!!!!! but there are plantations and managed forests that supply high quality ipe for the north american market. specify certified sustainably harvested lumber only...

All public project in NYC use ipe, the Williamsburg bridge has millions of board feet for the pedestrian walkway. Need any rougher use/environment examples? don't know about marine/submerged use, i'd only use it for wear surfaces.

most local lumber yards can supply ipe... it's fairly pricy but has excellent lifespan

use carbide tools- will dull regular steel quickly.

mdler - I can imagine any wood that is as hard as this to be extremely loud in a planer.

treekiller - thanks for the info. I found a place that claims to only sell products from sources that use selective harvesting (I think that is what it's called). His site showed him in brazil visting his source.

We use it all the time (for exterior decks, screens & fencing), usually at 5/4" thickness.

The material costs are relatively cheap, but installation costs are higher than your typical PT wood deck. Because Ipe is a very dense species of ironwood, it has to be pre-drilled for fasteners (you can't nail it) and it takes its toll on sawblades - this causes some creep in install costs, but not too much.

As for finishes, we usually spec a clear oil based sealer, but this has to be maintained regularly to preserve the deep orange/red/purple color of the wood. Allowed to weather, Ipe will take on a gray/silver color very similar to weathered cedar.

Maintained regularly? Would you say it needed to be applied every few years, every year, 6 times a year, or so many times a year you need to hire some staff...

Depends on the exposure and owner's preference. If it's getting hammered by weather and the client wants that beautiful, rich wood color, then it's a once-a-year application.

We get it milled with a groove and use a blind fastener clip to avoid all the predrilling.We install it without finish - it weathers to grey eventually.

That's some mighty fine detailing, thrifty!

The comment about ipe escalating install costs is obviously going to be more true with some contractors and less with others. I've used it as a decking and as outdoor cabinetry for barbeque areas. My experience has been mixed and always contractor dependent. At least in California, you have to find a contractor who is familiar with the product. I had one project that literally put a contractor out of business. He was on the verge before hand but he got really backwards trying to learn how to work with it.
Also, I havent seen it mentioned above, there is a wax product that should be used to coat all cuts made against the grain. This will prevent small checks from turning into huge cracks as the wood dries out. Most milled ipe will come with the ends coated in this stuff and you should coat all of the cuts made on site as well. It does age beautifully, though - silver grey like teak.
Ive used it near the ocean (not in the ocean as the photo above shows) and it seems to be fine with the salt.

Chch- not mine...but yes, it is really well done.

207moak- I've seen the 'milled with groove' stuff but i would be concerned that the wood could start to cup a bit and as the deck shrinks and moves, these wouldn't hold up. However, I've also heard that this wood doesn't shrink much because it is a hardwood?! True?

if it does cup a bit, just fill it with caulk, with the crew you hired to refinish the deck once a week.

purrrrrrrr.........................see you at the xmas party.........................purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..................bring your laptop...................purrrrrrrr.........

Used it many times, as a carpenter. I thought it was called like Pau Lope - I know its dense as shit and its a Walnut species who's internal oils make it naturaly water repelant. You got to piolet all the holes because it is a hardwood.

A couple years ago I had to drive deep into the heart of Ind. to get it cause the place that sold in Chicago was sold out.

I heard it all comes through one distributer in NJ as well. Its like a monopoly on this stuff.

You might also look into another species called Red Balou, similar properties to Ipe but only about $1 or so a board foot. I don't know about it's environmental bona fides but it's good stuff.

Oh and TWP(total wood protectant) is what we used on it for a siding sealant.