The Geroge is a VP for East Teak He also takes sales orders. The number for East Teak is>> 800 338 5636. I just talked to Him today it cant be all that hard.

East Teak sells Lumber and advice about lumber not tools.

The under deck drain systems all leak and are very spendy. For a sure thing and less money install a torchdown/stringers.

Its better to ask about tools over here. What have you got now?
John Hyatt www.deckmastersllc.com

John
maybe it's because your a serious buyer?

Are there alternative knowledgable names at East Teak you know of?

I plan to get an IPE quote/s soon

Thanks for the input John. I am not looking to buy tools from East Teak, but rather get advice on the proper tools to use with ipe. type of screws, saw blade, sealant for new cuts, and what to use to keep that ipe "wet" look versus allowing to weatheror grey. I have been working with Eddie, but will specifically ask for George.

Our structure will be PT pine, with ipe deck boards, ipe railing posts, and steel cableing instead of ballusters.

Eddie is plenty good to sell you South American lumber if the George was tied up I have ordered from Him several times.

There is really no reason to ask about tools at East Teak, like I said they sell lumber and give lumber advice. Asking them tool questions is like calling the water dept and asking about your garden sprayer.

Again,what tools do you have now ? Or just forget it and deal with it on your own. J.

Thank you for all of your input John, I've followed your posts on another website and saw your website. Your work is beautiful, too bad we don't live in OK! My husband and I are building a covered front porch and would like to use ipe. What do you find is the best way to fasten it: nails, screws, or fasteners? Our builder has never used it and is trying to talk us out of it. He would prefer we go with mahogany, cedar, or composite. He even spoke to me about garapa. We live near the ocean so we feel the effects of the saltwater elements. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, Kim

South American lumber should be face fastened with Stainless steel screws, Pluging/ screwing works well. Do not use the clips installing SA material. These Guy's sell SS fasteners>> Fasco fastener 886 327 2633 If your builder is giving you trouble over Ipe, find another builder Garapa installes the same way with the same tools.Mahogany has become a generic term if he is talking about Lawan dont even think about it. Cedar is not even close to the same leauge as S. A. Lumber. One good composite >> www.moistureshield.com

Thank you so much for all of this info! My husband and I really appreciate it and find it quite helpful. If you don't mind, I'd like to pick your brain a bit more. All of the Brazilian woods look so beautiful when they are first installed. But I am having trouble finding pics of what they look like if they are left to weather on their own. We've seen Ipe, but I am curious about the others, specifically Garapa, Cumaru, and Massaranduba. I've also looked into Jatoba, but was told it is used primarily for inside floors. Have you worked with any of these woods?

One other question, does the composite you recommended fade? Is is comparable to Azek, Timbertek, or Fiberon? Our concern is it is on a front porch and want the wood look. Sorry for so many questions! Thank you again, we really appreciate it, Kim

Google up Atlantic City Boardwalk, they dont do anything to that ipe project but hit it with a fire hose. All SA lumber weathers to a silver gray with no finish like the picture will show you.

Cumaru is good for Com work. Its very long lasting but has some movement and checking that most folks would not understand.Jatoba is an inside wood for a lot of reasons way too much movement for outside projects.

Ipe is of course the King of outside lumber no movement at all, very stable, lasts way past our lifetime and has a long track record. Its also in demand and is geting price heavy and a little rare latley even to East Teak. I really love the stuff and respect working with it.

Garapa and Masenranduba have very long service installed exposed to the weather as well, Mas is even better for ground contact than Ipe. Both are good for decking,cost less,install the same way,and work the same way. Latley I have been puting down a lot of Garapa and geting back into Mas.

Moisture Shield Composite actually started manmade decking, dont even get me going on how trex ripped them off like sneak theives, Anyway they put out a high grade product. All actual composites will fade in color 10 /20 % over time the MS Co has a wide span of color including ipe look alikes like they all are doing. I am not a big fan of Azek. TimberTech is a quality outfit as well its just geting so high dollor I dont pitch it anymore. Moisture Shield and Timber Tech stand right behind you in a quick manor if problems come up I have seen this first hand.

There is a way to keep any of the soft composites color from fading. J.

Thank you for all of this helpful information, we have some decisions to make, but you have provided us with a great deal of valuable information.

Am reskinning a deck---16" on center joists--PT wood in good shape

I have contracted with a builder for cedar decking. this contractor has done many cedar and composite decks--and does a good job--I've seen a couple.

I got onto this website and am strongly considering Ipe-or Garapa decking. The contractor has never worked with either--but he says he can handle it based on his reading.

Question--how difficult (or risky) would it be to proceed with Ipe/Garapa for this guy's first try. Are the HD's really that much harder to install than typical cedar decking?

put another way
what is the degree of difficulty--1x6 Ipe deck install vs 2x6 cedar--on a 1-10 scale with cedar being a 1 (the easiest)
OR---the degree if difficulty of a composite deck install vs Ipe--cedar---again with cedar being a 1

maybe a stupid question---and I know very subjective---but am wondering

What is a HD? becides a Harley Davison

Difficulty is not the issue, installing South American lumber is different. There is no scale thing going on If your Carpenter has a few dings in his hammer He will get into SA pretty easy, I did, its not a whole lot different than triming out red oak compaired with white pine if your guy knows the differance He will do just fine.

I use ss trim head square drive screws the # 1 7 x 1 5/8'' work well on 1X6'' SA with a 5/32'' pre drill thru the decking not past it into the pt frame.

Ya see Cedar can be put down with a nail gun bang bang done. Its also very soft and will start to show damage exposed to the weather in a very short time. SA is hard,like red oak, installed in the corect manor it will never start to show damage in our life time.

John Hyatt www.deckmastersllc.com

Can anyone tell me whether the surface of an IPE outdoor deck must be sanded after installation?
Thanks

The deck does not have to be sanded after installation. Here is a link to some IPE information you may find helpful. IF anyone has recommended updates, let me know

Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: Ipe information

Way to Go Sal!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you save us a lot of keying in.

One good update >>> ss fasteners/screws Fasco they have a site but its really complex better to call them 1 866 327 2633 John Hyatt www.deckmastersllc.com

Thanks John - It's updated

I think I am going to try the Woodrich stain this summer. I tried hard to get the good TWP but all sources were a no-go for shipping to California.

Yo Steve, twp has a water base finish I have tested it out to the max with very good results the green mafia is bound to leave you alone with that stuff.

After my behind the shop time test I used it on a Wallet's job last winter the damm stuff looks like I just put it on right now. One down side it sets up really fast extra care is needed to not have some streaks going on.

Like I have said before the twp/galxey Folks dont spend a lot of time/ money adverstising and sometimes dont know what they have in a lot of ways.

The woodrich is not bad either Im just saying. J.

Thanks, I can say from personal experience (in the climate I am in) the Messners is very expensive and not worth a dime. It lasted 2- 3 months before needing recoating and the weather was not appropriate to putting another coat on (foggy/misty- coastal)

I will see what the water based TWP goes for ($'s). the woodrich is not inexpensive but if lasts, would be worth every cent. I have 5 gallons and the stripper/brightener in my "cart now" as well as 5 gallons of stain to redo part of my fence etc. $600+

Salmon
Super job on the Ipe sumnmary sheet

thanks dsommerl

A contractor should be able to put in Ipe. I did it and am not in the business and the results were very good. The key to success is the information from the professionals on this website. I captured it as best I could and used the information in building mine.

Here is a picture of the lower deck being built
{{!gwi}}From deck

{{!gwi}}From deck

Here is a link that might be useful: Ipe Information

Salmon
gorgeous job---

what balluser material/make did you use

thanks

Balusters were powdered coated aluminum. Bought them from Lowes (easy to return -or get more as needed. I'm pretty sure you can get a better deal but convenience won over on that item. I believe the brand name was Deckorators. Good luck. The hardest part for me was coming up with a formula for ensuring all the balusters were equally spaced. I'm kinda anal about those things. I figured one out and found one on the internet that works using excel. After that, it was a breeze

If the posts are all the same leangth apart,this almost never happens, all the balusters will be equally spaced and you only have to figure it out one time.

Its really easy say the figure inbetween is 52'' the center is 26'' thats where the first one goes. If you want 8'' reveal you get three 8 11/16'' on either side of center. Simple. J.

Another update that might be short lived. East Teak and the George have taken over another exotic lumber Co along with the buy came a whole bunch of older ( thats a good thing ) Masenranduba.

The 5/4 x 6 is less $ than 1 x 6 ipe. I am geting this deal like a duck on a june bug. J

I jumped on that deal - thanks John, and thanks to George...

Deck is Ipe - railing will be Massandaruba...

So funny!

You people will never win!

Why take it upon yourself to micromanage a job, sourcing material one place and labor from another, if you don't know good from bad in either case!

If you paid one contractor $16K to do the floors, you would have a case. But the way you went about the job, you took on responsibility of the general contractor. You should blame the installers for using the defective product. They are the ones with a license, right?

1. you can't measure.
2. your installers do crappy work.
3. you paid them extra for their crappy job.
4. nobody, not you or your installers noticed any defects with the product until after most of the installation was complete? Had anybody ever done this before?

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

Its is very strange why you put the stuff down at all knowing the mill was wrong. I am not understanding this.

Speaking of the Mill thats probley what happened they shiped your material from different set ups on the shaper in other words they dident mill the order all at the same time.

Of course we are only hearing one side of this but Aidan what the Customer is saying they said sounds a whole lot like what trex would say. On the other hand a little sugar goes a long way when something goes wrong if this is a sample of the way this Customer talked to them in the begining I can see why they stonewalled.

Going back to the begining the first mistake was puting it down in the first place. J.