BRAZILIAN WOOD DEPOT
The Southeast's Premier Importer of Brazilian Hardwoods
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Tabebuia Spp-Lapacho Ipe hard wood – RealIpe - decking is one of the most durable woods in the world. Ipe (aka Pau lope, Ironwood and Brazilian Walnut) is known for its strength and natural resistance to decay and Ipe hard wood – RealIpe - can be used in ground contact without preservatives or additional treatments. Ipe decking is used in commercial exterior construction like boardwalks, piers, and benches it is also an excellent choice for residential decks due to its low maintenance, attractive color, cost effective pricing and smooth surface. Ipe hard wood decking – RealIpe - is extremely durable and will last a lifetime. Ipe decking is very heavy, sinks in water and has a class A fire rating –the same as concrete. Color: Ipe hard wood decking – RealIpe - boards range in color from brown-tan to olive to black brown. Boards differ in color from each other and some boards display the entire range. So, “sorting” boards by color is not feasible. Oil-based finishes on Ipe hard wood decking like Messmers, Cabot and Penofin enhance the color immediately and provide UV protection .
Ipe hard wood – RealIpe - decking is extremely resilient, durable, rot resistant and insect resistant. Brazilian hard wood trees must endure standing water for months at a time and voracious insect attacks. If a wood species can survive and thrive there . . . they can last a lifetime anywhere. The U.S. climate is mild compared to the climate from which they are borne. Ipe hard wood decking – RealIpe - boasts a janka hardness of 3640 making it one of the hardest woods in the world. Beautiful & Versatile: The pronounced grain patterns and variety of colors make ipe hard wood – RealIpe - one of the most beautiful choices for decking. The tight grain displaying very few (if any) knot patterns, and consistent hardness throughout the boards make it ideal for many woodworking applications. Besides decks and flooring, ipe hard wood – RealIpe - is used commercially in timbers, bridges, benches, pier and dock building. Cabinet makers build stunning pieces of art with ipe hard wood building interior trim and finish work for the finest homes.
Ipe decking – RealIpe - dries easily with minimal cracking, checking and warping. Decking is often dried with stickers (spacers) between boards allowing air to pass between boards. Stacking and acclimating boards to a new climate after shipping from one region to another is recommended before deck installation. Stickers between boards leave marks on boards that can be sanded off after installation. Ipe hard wood – RealIpe - decking displays minimal shrinkage after installation because of its density. A small space of less than 1/8” should be left between boards during installation to allow the boards to acclimate. RealIpe' compared to other decking products
for a more comprehensive comparison to composite decking Visit: Composite Decking vs. RealWood
Joists and support beams - Pressure treated (PT) pine lumber is most often used for joists, beams and posts underneath ipe hard wood decking because it is cheap and is protected from weather by the ipe decking. This protection extends the expected life of the support lumber dramatically. Fasteners - After choosing the hard wood decking species that you prefer, you need to decide on using screws through the face of the board or a type of hidden fastener that conceals the screws. The hidden fasteners cost a little more but many feel that spending a little extra for the beauty of hidden fasteners is a good investment since the deck will last a lifetime. Ventilation - When planning the layout of your deck, be sure that you allow for ventilation under your deck boards. This will ensure the long life and extended beauty of your deck. Railings - There are many choices to make when designing your railings and balusters (vertical pickets). Vertical balusters are more desirable than horizontal balusters (like cable) because of safety and ease of installation. Horizontal balusters enable children to scale the railing and require precise tautness to prevent children from squeezing between them. BW Depot stocks wood balusters that match the decking and last a lifetime unlike PT or cedar balusters. Aluminum and galvanized steel balusters are beautiful cost effective choices and can be mounted with matching hard wood rails, posts and handrail. Galvanized steel railing baluster sections are much easier to install, much stronger and possibly the most cost effective option. The Fortress Iron provides these steel railing sections at a fraction of the cost of having them custom made. Matching hard wood handrails and posts go well with any railing choice.
For design tips visit our Cutting Edge Tips Blog. For information on fasteners, railings and finishes visit the Accessories Page. Shipping and Delivery Ipe (Brazilian Walnut, aka Ironwood or Pau lope), is very heavy hard wood decking lumber. Shipping this lumber requires special attention to engineer every crate according to the specifications of the shipment so that the hard wood lumber arrives in excellent condition. Receiving damaged lumber is inconvenient, costly and will delay completion of your deck project. Brazilian Wood Depot takes special care to properly crate shipments of Ipe hard wood lumber decking to ensure delivery of your lumber in excellent condition. Brazilian Wood Depot is ideally located to receive hard wood lumber shipments through the most cost effective ports when shipping from Brazil. In Georgia, we also enjoy some of the lowest overhead costs in the nation and “right to work” wages. In addition, our lumber crating prevents against damage to the ipe hard wood shipments. No damage, no damage claims and our large number of shipments earns us the best shipping rates available. All of these cost saving factors enable Brazilian Wood Depot to ship hard wood lumber decking everywhere in the United States from our own stock in Georgia at the best prices. Our sales continue to expand with consumers’ growing awareness of the attributes of our naturally beautiful hard wood decking material. Call us for current prices. The quality of grade and milling is just as important to supplying the highest grade of hard wood decking lumber as careful crating and shipping. Brazilian Wood Depot sells all of its lumber under the RealWood brand. RealIpe, RealCumaru, RealJatoba, RealTigerwood, RealGarapa and RealMassaranduba hard wood lumber is distributed in the U.S. solely by Brazilian Wood Depot. All other providers of these brands are supplied by Brazilian Wood Depot. Please go to RealWoodDepot.com to see more about the assurances of grading, milling and origin that the RealWood brand provides customers.
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