Hello, and thanks to anyone responding.

First, I found a company in VA that claims to have a virtually maintenance free sealer for Ipe. It talks about other issues with regular Ipe sealers and why this is different. It is called Super Shield. Has anyone heard of this or tried it? Here is a link to the page describing it:http://www.vadeck.com/supershield/finished-sealed-ipe-wood.htm

Second, we are thinking of upgrading our deck from pressure treated pine to Ipe, because we plan on being in this house for as long as possible. Our deck is about 538 sq ft, basically two long rectangles put together, one narrower than the other, across the back of the house. We got a quote for an additional $7200. Does that seem reasonable, or should I ask our builder to compare his current supplier to someone like Advantage Trim & Lumber Co?

Finally, he mentioned that he would try a hidden fastener with this deck, although in the past I know he's used the standard stainless steel screws. I saw varying comments on the hidden system (Deckmaster seemed bad, unclear on Camo). Have there been any updates on that approach, or should I ask him to stay with the SS screws?

Thanks much!