what is 'palupa?'

[Aaron Sullivan 14]

i have a deck to do a proposal on and the customer says the wood is 'palupa.' one, i don't know if i am spelling it right because i can't google it, and two if it is a type of wood, what is it?

it appears very dense, like ipe, and i am not sure i have to know what it is to work with it. but, if it is a super dense wood like ipe, i would like to be upfront with the customer on longevity of stains on the surfaces.

thanks in advance,

[CDR17 14]

From S. America thats all I know.

[Neil_Asheville 114]

Aaron.

Pau Lope (pow-lowpay) is in the ipe family of brazilian hardwood. It also appears to be a trademarked name? Restoration and finish expectations should be just like your regular ipe jobs.

Pau Lope Decking - The World's Finest Decking

I've seen samples, however have not yet worked on a Pau Lope branded project. Hope this helps.

/neil

[James 624]

I have many customers named Paul U Pay Me !!

[bigchaz 157]

Its just a brand of ipe similar to iron wood which is also a trademarked name. Treat it like ipe

[HotShot 34]

What is Palupa?

that's the sound you hear right before the water splashes on your backside :D

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

What is Palupa?

that's the sound you hear right before the water splashes on your backside :D

oh, that's not right.

:eek:

Rod!~

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

You mean... Pau Lope

Pau Lope Decking - The World's Finest Decking

We have a couple deck and a porch we maintain built with this.

Beth

[Aaron Sullivan 14]

You mean... Pau Lope

Pau Lope Decking - The World's Finest Decking

We have a couple deck and a porch we maintain built with this.

Beth

how do you maintain them?

[bigchaz 157]

how do you maintain them?

Same way as ipe

[Aaron Sullivan 14]

could you be more specific? my understanding is ipe technically does not need 'treating' as nothing will penetrate the surface. but some customers prefer cleaning and tinting. do you do it yearly? do you try to talk them into a yearly cleaning instead? do you charge the same as a normal strip and stain?

some more information would be appreciated.

thanks,

[bigchaz 157]

Although ipe is a much more resistant wood to say rotting or insect damage it still turns gray extremely quick from UV. Assuming there is no other stain on it you still want to do a cleaning (some will say just a bleach soap mix) or a precarb cleaner to get rid of the gray and dirt

Definitely still seal it. Woodtux is by far the recomended sealer for ipe. Visit esproducts.net for info on it. One coat on ipe and wipe off and puddles. Finishes well.

Not much ipe around me, so maybe someone else will chime in with more information. Try searching here also. There are several contractors that do primarily ipe and may have posted better information