Any Ipe deck owners?

[roblloyd]

Does anyone here have an ipe deck? I'm thinking of putting one in around the pool.
If you do:
Do you put UV sealer on it every year or so or let it go gray?
Hidden fasteners or face screw? Any issues with either?

Just wanted to know what everyone thought before I place the order.

 

[Wade E]

I work with Ipe wood often, not exterior though so Im not sure what you need to do as far as sealing but I can tell you this, You will need to pre drill everything and I mean everything!!! Dont even think about putting a nail into this stuff by hand or with a nail gun!! This stuff is very heavy and like a rock and wear a face mask when cutting or sanding it as some people are allergic to this wood and have breathing problems due to the greenish dust from cutting it. If I were you if you can use the hidden fasteners underneath, it takes a little longer and youll have a stiff neck from doing it but you will be so glad later!!!

 

[roblloyd]

I was planning on using the hidden fasteners - eb-ty. Have you used those?

My hard part of this is going to be making the railings. How tough is the stuff to cut? I'm making the railing from 1x4 decking material so I'm ripping and routing grooves. I know I need carbide but other than that?

Thanks for the advise on the dust mask.I know it's heavy - the rail cap is 4lb/ft! I'm not looking forward to unloading the truck w/ 4000lf.