All About Decking Materials

Decking Materials- Buy Which one?   (Part 1 of 6 article series)

Today’s market for decking includes  50 or more manufacturers and steadily growing. Since there is an array of decking material choices, it can make the market rather confussing.  Of  course this makes deck buying decisions much harder for the consumer.

 For your benefit, this report will acquaint you with the overall picture of just what is out there.   This  guide will help  you to make a good buying decision according to your needs and budget. Plus-SAVE MONEY!

 So what’s out there?  Decks come  basically  in wood , composite and Plastic/Vinyl.

Lets start with Natural Wood

As of this writing, prices of course will fluctuate some.
Your choice may come down to your preference for real wood and the look it gives to your existing house and backyard. Some prefer to spend time in the yard with all natural materials.

The drawback when using wood decking, is the yearly maintenance and cost of pressure washing, and staining the deck, plus removing any deck furniture and protecting the house from overspray/stain from your yearly maintenance. 

You probably know that redwood in time will grey out too.  You should be able to get at least a good 15 years of dependability from redwood depending on how you maintain it.  And possibly more years—depends on the climate, stain, maintenance etc. Also take into consideration the structure of your deck. 

 If you have build the deck with say Doug Fir, you must seal this boards to protect from water which over the years can rot certain areas of the structure.  More can be found here on protecting  your structure.
 
Another advantage of using wood, you can usually build your deck with a joist span  span 16 inches on center.  Composites and Plastics will require a  span of 12 inches. That means you have to use more wood underneath to support the deck surface increasing your cost.  However, if your choice is plastic , then you will save money over time because it is maintenance free, that is-no staining of the deck boards or plastic rails.

Exotic and Imported Woods

 In the search for wood that looks great in decking please continue reading. These woods must be able to be used structurally to meet the building codes, able to resist rot, decay and must look very attractive.  Here are the main players in this market:
Our first one is Ipe (is pronounced "ee-PAY") it’s the old standby mahogany. Others include Teak ,Tamarack,  Cumaru and Jarrah.

 Beautiful, durable and requiring little maintenance, Ipe leads the pack.      This deck wood is so durable that, left untreated, it’s felt that it will last over 40 years, and up to 100 years if  you apply deck oil to it.

Ipe  wood, Comparably  hard as Oak wood.  ( commonly referred to by the brand name Iron Wood) /span> , hardwood decks typically have a deep, rich brown luster with some pieces displaying a golden hue giving the wood beauty and character.   

ipe comes in this color shown on right.

Ipe is most commonly found on the coast. It’s attractiveness lies in It’s rich deep, color tones that making  it a source for a unique deck wood. Maintenance free.  No coatings or treatments required.  Although in time it will turn slightly gray, and  the color will fade over time but will look mahogany when wet.  I’ve been told you might want to stain it with an oil preservative shortly after installing to help keep its original lust and maybe again in the future.  But still that’s not too bad because your getting a solid deck and a very strong one otherwise.

Other Considerations:

It's tight grain makes it impervious to water.

The wood has very few knots.

Expect variations in color and wood tones.

If left unsealed, it will weather to a silver patina

Ironwood brand Ipe comes with a 25 year transferable warrantee.

Average cost around $26 per square foot, not including the substructure.

 Ipe is very resistant to decay, splintering, fire , insects, and damage from ice.  It originates form South America, Ipe wood (also know as cambara decking, Brazilian walnut, green heart wood, jatoba, purple heart wood, massaranduba, and ironwood). Ipe’s price range is about 2.50 and up , more expensive if you want to use fasteners on the side so as to have no nails, wood plugs, or screw holes showing on the top of the boards. Which means there will be an extra charge to het Ipe  made with grooves on the side to accept these fasteners.  Again a beautiful deck.

 IF YOU CHOOSE TO STAIN IPE---important :

 Be careful in choosing a stain.  Remember Ipe is also called ironwood and is a very hard, dense wood.  Some penetrating stains that are put on Ipe will wash off when it rains because they simply dry on the top of the wood.  Again Ipe is hard and dense.

So what stains will work if any?  Do your homework as you see this becomes very important. 

One product notable is  Duckback Products (www.superdeck.com). They have been making deck treatments for more than 20 years.

Duckback claims to have developed a new product specifically for exotic hardwoods. Superdeck Exotic Hardwood Finish and Sealer is a water-based urethane coating (not a penetrating stain).  They say it contains ground transparent iron oxide pigments that will prevent Ipe type woods from graying and fading.

A surface sealer may well be a good choice. Please investigate further, it does make sense since a penetrating stain doesn't  work.  Again investigate all your options.  As more information becomes available, I will update information on this subject.

This is a suggestion that makes sense, since Ipe is not a great penetrating wood for stain.

INSTALLATION FACTORS:

Ipe is a dense wood requiring it to be drilled prior to nailing or screwing.

Clip systems (hidden fasteners) work well for installing deck boards.

Shrinkage between deck boards is minimal.

Use a 10 penny nail  as a spacer or 1/8 - 3/16 inch between boards.