Different Ways of Laying Brazilian IPE Decking

Posted by ABS Wood on January 19th, 2018

Decks are a part of garden landscaping, extending living areas of houses, for luxury and a deck can beautifully match the gap between indoors and outdoors. Decks provide comfortable space from which the backyard can be enjoyed. And far from being a basic rectangle at the back of the house, a deck can be customised to fit any house and lifestyle, and the best choice is Brazilian Ipe decking. Laying a wooden deck is not as arduous as many people believe. A deck made of Brazilian Walnut will give decades of solid performance, if maintained well with deck oil and other treatments it can almost give seventy-five years and plus of lifespan. Here is a brief outline of Brazilian Ipe deck laying.

Steps: Before the installation

When delivered, the Brazilian IPE is air dried and it must be stored out of direct sunlight and should be allowed to stabilize. It needs to acclimatize to the humidity levels of the environment prior to installation.

Check the new deck’s ventilation and the air flow. It’s critical to provide adequate ground area ventilation in the design of the deck. Proper air circulation beneath the deck is important to ensure dimensional and mechanical stability of any decking board.

Ipe as a material is extremely dense and pre-drilling for screws is required. Stainless steel screws should only be used. MCQ compliant screws will cause tannin weep from the Ipe which is unslightly.   Do not use nails as Ipe being so dense it is impossible to drive them in. Some of the tools to use when working with Ipe wood are carbide-tipped saw blades, Protective eye wear, carbide drill bits etc.

The Building Process

When planning the deck, be sure to allow for gaps between the boards. A good rule of thumb is 2.2 Ipe 1x6 (5/4x6) boards for each running foot.   Also, be sure to buy 7% - 10% extra for waste, mis-cuts, mis-measure, mistakes and such. Too many times I have sold 1 or 2 boards when a customer did not allow for waste. As a final note, suggested spacing is a 1/16” to 3/32” gap. Due to changes in humidity, slight shrinkage of the boards is expected.

The cutting and drilling must be done using carbide tipped saw blades. A 80 tooth blade will help insure smooth cuts. Like all woods, end checking will occur once Ipe is cut. The ends should be immediately sealed using a clear aqueous wax end sealer to reduce end checking.

Fastening the deck

The boards should be pre-drilled to help prevent splitting of the wood by the fasteners using stainless steel fasteners. There are three fastener methods, The Hidden Fastener Method, The Screw and Plug Method, and The Finish Screw Method. The look you want to achieve will dictate which way you will fasten the boards.

The finishing of the deck

Once installed, deck oil needs to be applied to air-dried decking applications that are exposed to the elements. It also helps in stabilizing the material after installation. Apply a fresh coat once a year to maintain and protect the wood.

While different styles of deck laying may be employed, to suit the aesthetic requirements of the individuals, it is important that the basic requirements of a deck are fulfilled. The layout in terms of style differ, such as the use of stunning handrails and posts etc. But behind all the designs lies the need for structural stability.

About the Author:

This article is written by Bruce Master. He gained an interest in woodworking at an early age. Bruce Master started working with contractors in the 1970s as a salesman at Ace Hardware in Miami. Over the years, he discovered and fell in love with Brazilian woods. He has built decks, docks and specialty items using many of the Brazilian woods. Today, Bruce loves his job as Operations Manager for ABS Wood, a Brazilian wood retailer.