IPE decking boards checking - normal? (with pictures)

15 years ago

I finished my IPE deck at the end of last summer.

I stained it in September with Penofin for Hardwoods. As expected, the color has faded and requires another treatment.

BUT I've noticed some checking. Since this is my first IPE deck, I wanted to know from the experts if the checking I am seeing on the decking boards is normal.

Is the checking normal?

Do the checks make the wood structurally unsound?

Do I need to worry about the checks getting bigger and the boards splitting?

Should I expect the checks to get worse?

Or are the boards done checking after one winter season?

Does the stain help prevent the boards from checking?

Thanks for the help....

Here are some pics:

Featured Answer

mrmichaeljmoore
Original Author

15 years ago

John --

thanks for the reply....

You're not saying the checks in the boards are caused by using Penofin, are you??

And yes, i've read all the posts on the "fight over the finish."
But, is the checking that I am getting on my decking boards normal, no matter what stain I use?

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Comments (10)

john_hyatt
15 years ago
Completly Normal using penofin.

Ipe Finish far as what to use is intersting, I my very own Self have bowed out from finish topics over here. I leave it up to all the Folks bashing me over the years. I am sure they have a lot more hands on/job site things to offer. J
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aidan_m
15 years ago
The boards will do that as they lose moisture. Penofin did not cause that. The cracks will open up most on a hot dry day as the wood loses moisture. Then as the board reaches a stable level of moisture the checks close up a bit as the width of the board shrinks. This is a dynamic process of shrinking- first the checks appear then the board shrinks and the checks disappear- for the most part. The large pronounced end checks are permanent, but they will close up. Don't worry about the strength of the wood.
dooer
15 years ago
I'm curious, did you wax the ends or seal them in any way.

Ipe does check like any other wood used outside, but in my experience it is much less noticable then other woods, due to it's density. I have not seen the ends crack like your pics, but we do wax the ends, as a precaution.

Mark
mrmichaeljmoore
Original Author
15 years ago
Dooer --

I did put anchorseal on the ends.

So do you think I got some bad wood? Do I have anything to be worried about...as far as long term with the wood?

thanks.
mrmichaeljmoore
Original Author
15 years ago
Another issue.....

I prepped the deck for another coat of Penofin by cleaning it first with a wash of Dawn dish soap and bleach.....then did an oxalic acid wash.

I let ir dry for about a week, then I applied the Penofin with a staining pad.
After 30 minutes of dry time, I wiped off the stain with some old t-shirts. What I found was the fuzzies or whiskers I've read about on the boards here. The t-shirts were filled with the little buggers as I wiped down the deck.....

A few quetions:
1. Are the splintering/fuzzies/whiskers normal?
2. Should I sand with my RO sander every year to knock them down?
3. Does the oxailc acid wash cause or contribute to the fuzzies?

I will also post some more pictures of some other decking boards that seem to have checked pretty bad. One split right along the edge....I had to fill the crack with some TiteBond glue and shove shims in the gap between the decking boards to keep it from splintering off completely!
carolina_prowash
15 years ago
Whiskers :) I like that term better than fuzzies LOL. What's normal for one deck may not be for another but what those are is loosened up dead fibers that you dislodged when cleaning. It is okay. Typically, in our restoration of any wood, we always run a defelting pad or an osborne brush across all the surfaces. For us it seems to be an added step in providing the quality we would want for our own deck. This is not sanding, but rather a buffing.

Celeste
mrmichaeljmoore
Original Author
15 years ago
So, celeste....

did the dawn soap/bleach mixture cause the fuzzies? or was it the oxalic acid? or both maybe? I assume there is no way to prevent them when I do my annual cleaning next year, right?....

Defelting pad? Osborne brush? those sound like pro tools...
All i have is a 5" Ridgid random orbital sander.....do they make defelting pads with the velcro backing?

Since I already put down the stain, I assume I probably can't do anything like defelting or osborne brush this year....right?

Will they go away over time? I'm primarily thinking about my 18 month old daughter walking barefoot on my deck.....ipe splinters hurt.....

Thanks for the help!
carolina_prowash
15 years ago
It's kind of like your skin....if you go out in the sun without protection, you get a little burned. You shower and the dead skin comes off. Think of the fuzzies like peeling after your burn.

With that said, even with good protection, your skin is still exposed to UV rays and other elements that cause it to "sluff" off. Same with the top layer of wood. Sun, weather, foot traffic etc will cause the very top layer to degrade. Washing can cause these little fibers to stand up so it's not necessarily the specific detergent or method....it's more of a time thing. Doing your maintenance sooner than later causes less disturbance to the top layer.

Now to your deck - we've actually used a defelting pad over stain and it worked out. There are companies that don't ever do this step because they say that over time, they will lay down. I absolutely get baby feet on ipe with splinters because you are right - they really hurt! Let me do some looking around - I'm betting that there is some way to fashion an attachment for a defelter....if not, it sure sounds like something that would sell well! We don't use a random orbital - but you know those car buffers? Something might attach to that :)

Celeste
deckman22
15 years ago
Never use bleach to clean wood, it breaks down the wood fibers ruining the boards.

Al