buzzyng 14 Report post Posted June 20, 2005 Here are some close-up pics of the wood. Also, on closer inspection, many of the pieces have cracks at the end and throughout the middle. Is it possible to fix the cracks or is it too late? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted June 20, 2005 All you can do at this point is help to keep them from progressing. Yearly maintenance is the best for this type of wood. Rod~ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 buzzyng 14 Report post Posted June 21, 2005 So, do I just clean them with oxalic acid or percarb and then seal after drying? Should they be cleaned before screwing down or can we put them down first and then clean? What to do about the boards that are already cracked? Will they continue to crack after sealing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 RPetry 564 Report post Posted June 21, 2005 Buzzyng, I'd clean the wood after installation with percarb then brighten/neutralize with oxalic or citric. Ipe is very dimensionally stable and you should not have a problem with further cracking of the wood, treated with an oil or not. Make sure that you put a special wax product, I use Anchorseal, on the ends of any cuts. Ipe will check badly on the ends if this is not done. Make sure you use carbide tools and good stainless steel screws. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 buzzyng 14 Report post Posted June 21, 2005 We purchased trimscrew SS screws for his project and using Dewalt carbide blades. Is the cracking throughout the middle of the boards common? There are about 15 out of 40 boards that are cracked so he was thinking of replacing them altogether even though they were really cheap Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 RPetry 564 Report post Posted June 21, 2005 Buzzyng, No. I don't think small cracks in ipe are anything to be concerned about. My ipe has a lot of small cracks and I could care less. This wood is as close to indestructable as it gets. If you have the time and $ in the job, counter sink the screws. Use carbide drill bits and monster clamps if you have to straighten a board. The wood is a horror story to install but if its done right, IMO there is nothing better. Period. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted June 21, 2005 Agreed! Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 RPetry 564 Report post Posted June 21, 2005 Terrific wood. Composites be damned... Nature has a way of putting all of us in our place... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 PressurePros 248 Report post Posted June 21, 2005 Rick, tell us how you really feel about ipe. :lgbounces Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Russ Johnson 141 Report post Posted June 21, 2005 I'm going to show my ignorance, but what is IPE? I have seen it referred to many times but have no idea what it is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 RPetry 564 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 Russ, Ipe is a hardwood, sometimes called Brazilian Walnut. A decent link to info is ... http://ipe-wood.com/index.html Ken, Aside from teak, I have not seen a wood as durable as ipe. BTW, I'm leaning getting off Aussie oil for hardwoods. Protected mahogany porch I stripped and finished last year looks bad. I'm redoing it next month at my own expense. My ipe deck with Mahogany Flame looks bad. I'm afraid to visit others... Think Ready Seal may be better, but I know that hardwoods will not accept a lot of stain and are difficult to maintain for more that a year. Gotta be a better way... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 RyanH 14 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 So I don't sound like a goob when I call asking for ipe, is it pronounced I-P-E seperately, or all together, like the ipe in "stripe," or is it like "ipey." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 seymore 90 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 sounds like this"ipey" is spelled Ryan :cool: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 James 624 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 It's I- Pay alot of money for wood Ipe'. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 PLD 14 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 Here are some close-up pics of the wood. Also, on closer inspection, many of the pieces have cracks at the end and throughout the middle. Is it possible to fix the cracks or is it too late? Those look an awful lot like "sticker" marks. Stickers are the slats used to seperate wood during drying. If cured at the wrong rate, sticker marks occur. All the woodworking magazines say that sticker marks are a chemical reaction, cannot be removed except by sanding, and may run as much as 1/4" deep... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 PLD 14 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 We purchased trimscrew SS screws for his project and using Dewalt carbide blades. Is the cracking throughout the middle of the boards common? There are about 15 out of 40 boards that are cracked so he was thinking of replacing them altogether even though they were really cheap Checking is a function of the type of material and it's drying cycles. Some species check badly, orther very little. Some check alot of little checks, while others check a few big ones. FWIW, When you are curing new wood, checking is caused by dehumidfying too quickly. An open air wood dryer (no heat, no forced air) will take 2-3 months to properly cure (typical species). An open air dryer is also covered to provide shade 24x7. Slow and steady being the goal. Being on a deck unstacked in the sun is the equivalent of drying wood with a heat gun... Anyone who is interested in wood should pick up a few issues of American WoodWorker or Wood magazine. These guys have been dealing with these types of issues for centuries and their work is generally a lot less tolerant of movement, humidity, defects, and differing stain adhesion rates. One thing I have wanted to play with on a deck is sanding sealer. We use it in furniture making before we stain. It fills the tubes and creates a much more even appearance colorwise. One last note. Wanna try something fun with wood? Get a 1"x3"x18"(ish) piece of red oak. Rub some dish soap on one cut cross cut end and blow in the other. It's quite amazing to blow bubbles through a piece of "solid" oak. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 seymore 90 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 Those look an awful lot like "sticker" marks. Stickers are the slats used to seperate wood during drying. If cured at the wrong rate, sticker marks occur. All the woodworking magazines say that sticker marks are a chemical reaction, cannot be removed except by sanding, and may run as much as 1/4" deep... I've see them stick marks on PT wood a lot lately and tried sanding them but didn't budge. I was told by a deck builder the only way to get rid of them is to let the wood grey then they should fade.If you seal them before they fade they are there forever! I'll try to stress the stripes give the wood character :cool: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 Rick, Have seen RS on Ipe, it hold up less favorably than the Aussie Oil. Saw RS fail in just 3 months on Ipe... Nothing will last well on Ipe or on other hardwoods compared to softwoods. Poor penetration. Beth p.s. pronounced E-Pay (long E, so I sounds like E) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 RyanH 14 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 It's I- Pay alot of money for wood Ipe'. ...Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 JFife 14 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 Doolittle, There are products on the wood market (mainly for log homes) that act as or are sanding sealers. WoodIron has one, www.woodiron.com, but I've only seen these for waterbase and for interior use. The WoodIron requires about 5 different apps. for a start-to-finish interior, and I can use a different product and it look just as good with 3 coats, so I've never dealt with it. A guy on Deckguide (Laroy Williamson) uses WI exclusively. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Here are some close-up pics of the wood. Also, on closer inspection, many of the pieces have cracks at the end and throughout the middle. Is it possible to fix the cracks or is it too late?
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