 |
Ipe Lumber Benefits |
|
|
|
Ipe Lumber Benefits |
|
After learning about it's unique characteristics for outdoor furniture projects, I've been utilizing ipe (pronounced Eee-pay) for an increasing number of clients. Here's an excellent description from a retailer who sells ipe lumber for outdoor decks and furniture:
"Ipe is an extremely dense tropical hardwood with excellent durability and performance characteristics. Ipe is the finest quality decking material available, with a distinct patina and fine grain. This fantastic and durable South American hardwood is rated by the US Forest Products Lab for 25 years plus. It is naturally resistant to fire, having a NFPA Class A rating and a UBC Class 1 rating (the same as steel and concrete). This wood resists insects, moisture and movement, and it can be used in ground contact without preservatives or additional treatments. Testing by the US Navy in a 1962 Panama Canal study showed Ipe to be one of the top performers in resistance to decay, termites, and borers. It is perfect for exterior residential and commercial applications such as boat docks, decking, boardwalks, outdoor furniture, pool decking, foot bridges, etc. It can be sealed to maintain its natural color and beauty, or allowed to weather to a beautiful silver gray color. This very dense wood requires no sealers or treatments for durability, ever. Because it is one of the earth’s most dense woods, Ipe remains smooth and splinter free. It will not absorb water, twist, splinter, or bow like softer woods. This means that if you use Ipe for your deck, you will be able to walk on it barefoot for a lifetime!"
The
benefits describe above would be sufficient to convince me to use ipe, but it's
appearance makes the final choice an easy one. Also known as Brazilian
walnut, ipe has a chocolate brown color that is slightly darker than American
walnut (see photo on left). When clear coated with an exterior spar
varnish, the wood acquires a warm, golden glow. The only challenging
aspect of using ipe for furniture projects is it's density. It is a very
difficult wood to machine and finish, requiring very sharp carbide tooling and
careful sanding. Due to the extra cost of this imported lumber and the
difficulty in working with it, my furniture pieces that use ipe are not cheap.
However, when factoring in the appearance and long lifespan of these pieces, the
extra cost becomes very insignificant.
