Messmer's is a great oil-based stain, and makes stripping the deck to re-stain is unnecessary. Hardwood stain by Messmer's is available in Natural and Red Mahogany

Hi lambslamb,

We agree with both Advantage, as it pertains to oiling vs not oiling in the Texas climate, and we agree with Pro Deck & Patio about Messmer's. No stripping involved and we recommend both Messmer's UV + and their Caribbean Extreme for Texas. If you go to our video gallery there is a "How to Oil" video that shows just how easy it is to apply if you choose to maintain the natural wood color. https://www.soluslumber.com/gallery-how-to-videos/

We've done a lot of jobs in Texas, and whether you let it turn grey or keep it brown you will be very happy with Ipe. If you have any further questions don't hesitate to give us a call and please share pictures of the project when it's all said and done!

We have an Ipe deck that we let turn to it's natural grey color. After a few years, we decided to have someone come restore it. It looks beautiful the brown color and we decided that is our preference. You can let it go and if you decide it's not the look you are going for, you can always bring it back.

When you had "someone come restore it", what did they do? What oil or other product did they use? And - now that oil has been applied once - when you want to do it again a few years later, will you have to strip the old stuff off first (or get the problems with stickiness, etc., described above)?

Hi Colin,

if you go to our video gallery you will see two videos in our "Deck Maintenance" section that will show you jut about everything you need to know on cleaning and oiling. https://www.soluslumber.com/gallery-how-to-videos/

when we had our house repainted, the did a very light sand on our deck and another coat of sikkens. i agree a heavy coat makes it sticky, slow to dry. you need to have a rag to wipe the boards after you brush on whatever you use, some of them are very dense and nothing absorbs into it.

i like the dark brown better than the grey, also.

We have an ipe deck and screen porch. It's 8 years old. We re-oiled it about every other year, probably 4 times. We used a water seal (like Thompson's) and maybe Sikkens the last time. The last application was poor, probably not wiped off. It dried tacky and left foot prints. We left it a full year. This year they tried to strip it with Acetone (tests showed it was doing better than alcohol). It didn't work. They had to bring in a floor sander to get the stuff off. I'm not a fan, too much work to keep it up and then a disaster. We're trying the leave it unfinished this time.

We have a new Ipe deck that is ready for its first treatment. Is oil based preferred over water based? I am willing to clean in between treatments with a wash of some sort but the oil based seem to need stripping? Is that a lot more involved? Want it to be low maintenance the than occasional recoating

There are water-based treatments that work with ipe (WiseCoat from DeckWise comes to mind), but my preference is for oil-based. You should not need to strip the deck between treatments. A properly applied finish like WiseCoat or Ipe Oil does its job by soaking into the wood; not really something you can just strip off. The one instance I can think of when you might have to strip the deck is if the finish wasn't applied properly (eg. any excess wasn't wiped up, leaving a tacky surface when dry).

We just finished installing an Ipe deck and decided to try Ipe Oil. Applying it was easy. We started by brushing the spaces between the boards (cracks), then used an extension pole and pad to coat the top side. I went back and towel dried each board (approx 20 minutes after applying oil). I guess time will tell how it holds up. I've included a photo so you can see the color.

Dan-why did you choose Ipe Oil vs other products on the market like Messmers? I am trying to figure out the best to maintain the natural coloring of my new Tigerwood deck. Thanks!

pilatesmom, no reason other than it was highly recommended by the hardwood supplier that I purchased the wood from. My friend recently installed a tiger wood deck and used Ipe Oil as well. For some reason his deck turned out much more red than mine. I've attached a photo.

Also, when using Ipe Oil, put extra effort into rubbing off ALL excess oil. I got lazy and left a few juicy spots to dry naturally, but unfortunately they never did, and turned sticky. Luckily I was able to somewhat rub them dry even after 4 days after application.

Dan or anyone else - How did the Ipe Oil perform over this past year? Do you plan on using it again this year? We have used Messmers UV Plus for Hardwoods for 2 seasons and are not happy with it. Messmers only had our deck looking great for a couple of months. It also seemed to dull out the classic Tigerwood characteristics we fell in love with. Thanks.

Ipe Oil only lasts one year and I’ve never been able to get my deck looking as nice as it did during the first season. It has lost the original clarity. Here’s a recent pic.

Oh man. That's discouraging! I was hoping IPE Oil was the ticket. It is such a frustrating endeavor. Is that with all of the deck prep that they suggest? How is your friend's Tigerwood that you were kind enough to share a picture of last year.

Yes, I lightly power washed, and scrubbed with an all in one cleaner/brightener. My friends Tiger wood has the same issue. I was just there last night and noticed how similar it looks to mine. Let me know if you figure something out. I would love to bring back the original shine and rich coloring without having to sand.

Wow! UGH! Sorry to hear your friend's deck is having the same issue as the IPE. I will keep you posted on what we end up doing. Thanks for your help.

I would use penofin hardwood oil. Ensure they stain all sides for dimensional stability. We just installed an ipe deck with this.

That looks beautiful - our deck did look like that but not for very long - I have just ordered the Penofin today and hope it has longer protection that the IPE oil

Installed Swiftdeck IPE deck tiles on a large porch a few years ago (on top of an EPDM roof underlayment on top of original porch floor). Mop-clean every spring, and apply (with a long-handled roller) a coat of IPE Oil to bring back the "brown" color -- do not want to let it go "grey." Easy process; no stripping required. Looks like new, but a spring treatment lasts one season -- by the next spring, need to do again -- porch front that gets considerable sun has faded, but looks good through the fall. (Failed to let the wipe-down rags dry one year and had a spontaneous fire in the trash can -- they aren't joking about that on the label warnings!).

@dan @pilatesmom3 were you able to figure out a way to solve for the dulling in your wood? We are installing an IPE deck in a month and I am curious what is the best form of maintenance.

No, sorry, but if you figure something out please let me know. :)

@Dan have you tried the DeckWise deck brightener?

No, I wasn’t aware of it, but I’ll give it a try this spring. Is it any good?

I don't have my deck installed yet, but it is recommended by my deck supplier under the maintenance.

Hi Donnie. I recommend putting into your contract to stain both sides for dimensional stability and then prep (power wash, tighten screws) and restain top side in 3mo. The initial coat will wear off quickly. We used Penofin verde which is no VOC.

The deck is Ipe and the fence Garapa

It will require restaining q6-12mo depending on weather, sunlight and usage

@David F I am using IPE deck tiles and doing the install myself.

@Donnie Kostar No, we haven't figured out the "perfect" solution yet ourselves. Last year we tried Minwax Teak Oil for hardwoods. We loved the way the deck looked initially. So much better than the Messmers that we had previously applied. The Teak Oil was also easier to apply. We had such high hopes. It looked really nice for only about 2 months before it started to fade. It seemed like every rain storm would wash more and more of the teak oil off the deck. We did clean the deck prior to the teak oil with a deck brightener. We are still on the hunt....

We have tried both Penofin and IPE oil. The finished product looks similar. So far the Ipe oil has lasted longer but I haven’t come to the conclusion nothing lasts more than a year on IPE horizontal surfaces. I can go much longer on vertical surfaces.

We have also tried Penofins and Ipe Oil. Like Wendy we prefer Ipe Oil but it still requires annual care. Anyone tried reapplying the oil every few months to build up the moisture content of the wood? Seems to “dry out” quickly so I am wondering if it would help. Thanks!

How long does the darker brown color last for you? Like 6 months?

Donnie Kostar - It has been 2-3 years since we have done anything AND it went through Hurricane Dorian. This refers to Ipe furniture. We have cleaned, sanded and brightened. Put one (1) good coat of Ipe Oil (wiped excess although there isn't much). Looks good for about a week but now looking dry so i am thinking of a second coat AND possibly reapplying in a few months?

Rebeccacaff....Interesting thought. If you reapply every couple of months, you would need to go through all of the deck preparation all over again. I can see doing that if you had a small deck. How did you prepare your deck? Deck wash and brightener?

My Tigerwood Deck with Messmers UV Plus would only stay really nice for maybe 2 months. We would apply the Messmers late Spring when the weather meets the needed requirements. I live in the Midwest. It always looks like it needs to be refinished before the end of summer. I would be very happy with 6 months. I am thinking maybe we will try the Penofin that David F recommends.

pilatesmom - This refers to Ipe furniture NOT a deck. We have cleaned, sanded and brightened. I have tried Penofin and Ipe Oil but prefer Ipe Oil. I am thinking that i would not go through the whole process again but not sure.

If it helps, we last stained with Ipe oil about 9 months ago and been through a full winter. No gutters so deck takes a lot of snow and water. This is what it looks like today.

@David F I am confused on which Penofin you used. In the first picture with the can and deck, it is not the Penofin Verde you mentioned later. Did you use a color or just the natural? What does your deck look like now compared to your original post 5 months ago? Thank you so much for your help! I am excited to try a new product this year that hopefully will last longer than a couple of months!

@Wendy do you have a picture of how it looked right after you applied the Ipe oil?

After speaking with the DeckWise company (located in Bradenton, FL), I have decided to try DeckWise Wisecoat this time for the ipe furniture that is exposed to the elements. We get a lot of rain and sun in the Bahamas! Let me know if anyone has any experience with this product and I will post when it is complete. I have already used ipe oil on some of the pieces so will be able to compare in 6 months time!

Donnie

This is my upper balcony but it shows what it looked like freshly clear coated. It pretty much looks the same with Penofin or IPE oil right after staining and then fades gradually over about a year. So far IPE oil seems to have lasted a little longer.

I have IPE tiles on my patio, about 400sqf. I live in Ontario Canada. Each year in the spring, the oily finish from last year gets moldy. So what I usually do is to use chlorine to wash it. I tried to use 50% with water but it didn't work. This strips the moldy finish and leaves the bare wood. Then I power wash with a small electric power washer- so not so much power, to clean the residue. This leave the wood in a great condition, Then I apply again another layer of Penofin Marine Oil, I used before the regular oil from Penofin . The whole process takes about 6-7 hours of work. My tiles came originally with a strong finish on them, some sort of varnish. This varnish is the best finish I have ever had. Although the color is the same with the oil, in the spring, the finish is not moldy and I don't need to do such a drastic cleaning of my tiles. It's mostly stripped by the snow and by spring the tiles are clean. Then I can just do another coat of varnish. Does anyone know what type of varnish/ finish is on the IPE tiles when you buy them? Some of my tiles even after 6 years, still have some of the original finish on them. This is my deck today, the color is very vibrant, I've just applied the oil. I am really concerned about the chlorine treatment, as I am not sure if it is too drastic for the wood and how will it fare in the long run. I find this oily film that we use it's not that great with the snow and i would like to replace it.

just curious, are those ipe tiles floating on a concrete patio?

So, this summer we are experimenting with Armstrong Clark Hardwood Stain in Semi-Transparent Amber. We sanded and cleaned the deck so we had a clean slate to start with the new stain. The stain was very easy to apply. The biggest difference with the application is you let it dry 24 hours before wiping up any remaining puddles. These pictures are about 1 month after the application. Fingers crossed that we finally found THE right stain!

@pilatesmom3 our deck is finally almost finished being installed. I purchased IPE Oil, but still have time to switch to Armstrong Clark. Have you noticed any other advantages besides the application process? Is the color better after 1 month compared to past products you have used? I appreciate any help as this is my first time dealing with IPE.

Sorry, I didn't see your question sooner. I have found that the color is maintaining itself longer than our other products we have tried. I live in the Midwest. Part of deck is in the sun most of the day. So far it's doing great! I'll post more updates as time goes on.

I own a wood restoration company in Southwest Florida I have purchased every hardwood stain on the market and tested them side by side on test boards. The longest lasting oil based stain was Messmers UV Mahogany Hardwood stain. The longest lasting water based stain was Defy. You will be lucky to get a year with an oil based hardwood stain in direct sunlight. Water based stains on hardwood seem to hold up twice as long.

Armstrong Clark Amber Update - our Tigerwood deck looked really good for 2 summer years!!!! We will be re-doing the deck this year (3rd summer) with the Armstrong Clark Amber. We are still very happy with the product! Good luck everyone!