DECKING OPTIONS – PART 1 – WOOD OPTIONS

IPE - An extremely dense, tight grained wood. Generally a deep rich brown with some pieces displaying red and amber hues.  Ipe decking offers benefits such as low maintence decking material, durable, scratch resistant surface,  all natural, chemical free decking.    Ipe has a high rating for insect and decay resistance and a 40+ year lifespan.  Sealers are not necessary! Ipe deck treatment is only needed if you desire to keep the rich brown colours that exist in a new installation. Ipe lumber will age to a natural silver gray patina, and outlast most woods with no chemical coating.

Check out Ipe lumber at www.ipedepot.com

TIGERWOOD - Light golden brown to reddish brown with irregular black and brown streaks.  Tigerwood is naturallly mold and decay resistant and is so dense that it holds together over many years of use. This kind of strength means that you won’t have to worry about splinters. Also, because Tigerwood dries fast, it’s also slip resistant.  Tigerwood offers a 20+ year lifespan.  A tigerwood deck will age well – it will slowly undergo a color shift if left untreated and attain a distinguished silvery-gray shade over time. 

If you want to keep the deck looking new all you’ll have to do is use a deck oil with a U.V. inhibitor twice the first two years, then once every other year after that. That’s it.

Check out Tigerwood at www.tigerwooddecking.com

PRESSURE TREATED WOOD - Very pronounced grain. Dusty yellow-green palor due to chemical treatment of the wood.  A chemical preservative, chromated copper arsenate is forced into the wood.  Offering resistance to decay, but also potential health concerns.  Amine Copper Quat (ACQ) and Copper Azone (CA) – Since 2003 these two chemical combinations have been the two most popular choices for pressure treated lumber deemed for residential use. Not much at all is known of the health risks of these chemicals. On paper these chemicals sound better than ARSENIC but at this point in time whether these new chemicals will turn out to be less hazardous than CCA in the long term is anyone's guess.

The effects of the elements on pressure-treated wood are no different than with ordinary wood. So a preservative is a must, and should be applied as soon as possible after your project is completed.  Pressure-treated lumber is shipped to the lumberyard in stacks that are tightly bundled and damp... sometimes even wet. If you go and pick through a bin of pressure-treated lumber, you will see some pieces are straight, and others moderately to wildly warped. The warped pieces are invariably the pieces that were on the outside of the bundle... exposed to the sun and air and dried on one side.  Once installed in your project and subjected to freely moving air and the sun, the same effect occurs. Shrinkage of deck boards can be excessive, in both length and width, and twisting can loosen railings and floor boards. Railings can become cracked and splintery, making them uncomfortable to use.

CHECK BACK IN NEXT WEEK AND WE’LL LOOK AT SOME MAINTANENCE FREE PVC DECKING OPTIONS.

Lenny & Lisa