Thank you for asking this! I'd love to know what TWP is too... I've already gotten ATO - Australian Timber Oil =)

Google up>> ipe decking Ipe is a tree from S America they make lumber out of it, put it on a boat and ship it over here and all over for us Folks to use. Twp is a Wood finish for use mostley outdoors.Both of these things will come up all over with a google search.So will ato but it will direct you back here. John

Ipe is not an acronym. It is pronounced ee-pay and is a hardwood. TWP on the other hand, is a sealer which stands for Total Wood Protection.

IPE comes from the Brazilian rain forest. The IPE industry claims, and I don't doubt they try, that they monior how much wood is harvested. Yea, like they can control that.
My personal decision was to not harvest those trees for my backyard.

Sorry if I bothered anyone with such a stupid question. I am quite aware that I can Google anything but I find it that little more personable by asking the the people in the forums. I thought that is what the forums were all about. Oh well!

Hey Ontario, don't sweat it. Some of the people on here are a bit strange and SOME of the info found on this forum is actually useful.

Ipe is an extremely dense hardwood that originates from Brazil. My husband and I just had 1600 SF installed on our deck and dock. It is absolutely gorgeous and I'm told it will last 50 or more years. If it even lasts 15 years then we got our moneys worth. Our contractor used screws with tiny little heads,screwed from the top, that are barely even noticeable. After it was completely installed, he applied a Cabot product that makes the wood look stunning. Hope this answers your question.

You can also check out the website where our contractor got the wood as they have more information about the tree/wood. www.bannerelktrading.com Our contractor, Dennis Crowder with Landscapes To Love, did an outstanding job. Admittedly, this was his first experience with Ipe and I think he got most all of his tech. help from the supplier as we contacted them as well to keep tabs on Dennis as this was an expensive project. In the end, everyone is happy and Dennis has 3 jobs booked from people seeing our project.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ipe Supplier

Ontario....You got 3 answers.. the ONE post that gave you an answer... also said about googling for more information. This suggestion came WITH an explanation of ipe. So, after all of these replies, you get insulted.
This is a free forum and you got more than your share of free aid.. and responded harshly. You're one of the reasons people charge fees for even consultations.

Hey gorilla,

I asked a simple question and got some good answers which have aleviated me of my ignorance concerning IPE (ee-pay), and for which, I am grateful. The only answer you seem to see is the ONE which not only gave me a lesson on how to google and oh yes, don't forget to push Enter, but also enlightened me as to the fact that " Ipe is a tree in South America that is made into lumber, put on a boat and shipped over for us folks to use" You call that an explanation of Ipe? I would suggest you read the other answers and compare the quality of the content. What I have since learned about Ipe, I certainly did not gain any of it from the Okie boy. I do not intend to use these forums for bickering but had to respond to your rant, and by the way, I didn't get insulted after all the answers, only Mr. Hyatts. The others I greatly appreciated.

John means well and is a very nice guy. I think the heat is getting to us all (especially those of us still going out and working in it).

This is a good forum and a nice community. The last thing I would like to see is homeowners apprehensive of asking questions for fear of snide commentary. There are no moderators here and unlike many boards that go "unmanned" this one is not filled with spam and trollers. I will be sure to keep that in mind before I post. Debate is good. Jumping on someone with less knowlege is egotistical and petty.

I didn't see anyone jump on ontario. I been reading John for awhile and he didn't mean any insult. The way he explained ipe and where to get more info is how he is. You viewed this incorrectly as some sort of attack.

' Ipe is a tree in South America that is made into lumber, put on a boat and shipped over for us folks to use" You call that an explanation of Ipe?'
=========
Yes I do. So sorry this didn't meet your free standards of an explanation. Beggers can not be choosers. You had other people enter their input. What kind of explanation would you accept concerning ipe? I would luv for everyone to be my free search catalog too.I would luv to type something in a forum and have someone type 5 paragraphs, with links, pictures and sources... but it doesn't happen. I take bits and pieces from others, put them together and search. I'm also thankful for anytime someone gives me for any leads. If you'd like more questions answered, follow up in this thread about them. Look into the threads here.. no one has been more helpful, with no motivation to sell something, than John Hyatt.

In ontario's defense, a lot of people here mistakenly type "IPE" instead of "Ipe," thus implying that it's an acronym for something.

Gorilla, you're pretty new here bro. I have been on this site for three years every day answering questions (yes with paragraphs and pictures and detailed explainations) in addition to answering emails from homeowners with absolutely NOTHING to gain from it. I just started selling the product RAD this spring because homeowners asked over and over again what to use to clean their decks. Your assumption about alternative agendas is assuming and its a wrong assumption.

There are contractor forums you can post on if you are looking for higher skill level questions. On here you will see the same questions month after month, year after year. If your agenda is not to help, what is it?

Gorilla,
Kens right. All kinds of people come here. Most want free advice. Some are here to give it. In a perfect world, all of this advice give & take would be done in a polite manner. Online forums are not a perfect world. You can't always jump on people because they don't like the advice, or the way it was delivered.
Me, I'm here to help and learn...and have some fun. An occasional confrontation is necessary...I even like them when they happen, and usually participate.

so mellow out and save your energy to fight the good fight.

steve

OMG,,I just drifted on over here again,,Sorry about that ol diyguy,Guy,I am just a poor simple craftsmen trying to eek out an honest living in a dishonest world with a few simple tools,no education I really thought you were new on the machine,no harm no hurt its just natural for me to use the google and a lot of Folks dont know a lot bout the Pooter so I was just thinken you were one of them.Keep the Faith Bro, ride safe,ride hard,stay away from the high side.
And if you know how to use the machine use the damm google or the search on this site. So Funny....J

Hey John,

Really glad you jumped into the frey. I'm just a average Joe as well. Let's just say there was a little misunderstanding on both parts. These forums are about the best I have found and I think we would both agree that they are no place for bickering. Whether one is a pro or an amateur, this is the place to be. Another acronym....OMG...I think I can figure that one out.

If Gorilla sees this, lets bury the hatchet buddy, I'm really not a bad guy.

IPE is an acronym... see below:

I.P.E.
Incredibly Painful Experience (splinters)

I.P.E.
Insanely Priced Exotic

I.P.E.
Imagine Pure Elegance

Just thought I would add a little humor to an uneasy post. hehehe

Geoffrey
Outdoor Dreams, Inc.
Colorado

Your assumption about alternative agendas is assuming and its a wrong assumption.
====================================
First of all pressurepro's... why did you think my message applied to you?..I was explaining to ontariodyiguy that he misjudged John hyatt as being rude with him. I explained that he mistook John's style of giving advice as being short with him.
You're right, I haven't been at this forum 'long'.. but long enough to know John helps alot of people and didn't deserve to be insulted by this guy.
I told him there are alot of salesmen here and read many posts of you saying the same thing.. questioning where alot of guys were coming from. I was referring to them, not you in this message. If you were attacked, I'd have said the same thing in your defense, because you're also one of the most helpful guys with your time here.
Pressure pro's -
Debate is good. Jumping on someone with less knowlege is egotistical and petty.
------------------------------------
I don't know why you said this and who it was applied to.. me or John...
Ontario was not jumped on based on his knowledge, but on his attitude. Big difference there.

--------------------
brooklyndecks

Online forums are not a perfect world. You can't always jump on people because they don't like the advice, or the way it was delivered.
so mellow out and save your energy to fight the good fight.
------------------------------
Again.... are you talking about ontario jumping or me jumping on him jumping first? lol
If I see any of you guys giving advice and someone gets snotty with you, distorting your intention... I'm going to call it wrong and stand by your record of helping people here. If that offends you.. for whatever reason... fine, I'll take you off my defense board. lol
-------------
Ontarioguy..
No hatchet at all.. just thought you didn't know John and jumped a little too fast on him.
Once you read the history here and if you hang around, you'll find just about every message has John answering in a wide variety of subjects. He has his own style, which sometimes is misinterpreted. I think he put enough time here to have people defend him and respect him.. Unfortunately, it was basically the bro who wasn't here that long standing alone in this. Fine with me.
So, enjoy the forum... alls well.. alls done... next subject.

Gorilla,
Now I see why they call you gorilla.

I think you are the jumper, and he's the jumpee, but it don't matter. John can defend himself if he feels slighted.

I'm not offended by your comments. This is a good forum, and I like to hang out here. There aren't any forum police, so we have to regulate it ourselves.

steve

Anyone who has regularly posted to a forum needs to check this site out for a good laugh. Humans are interesting creatures.
(Btw, my Tiki Hut and deck look awesome!!! Not intentional, but the muddled look of the deck and the PTP (pressure treated pine:), somehow all work when you have a tiki hut sitting on it- kind of all has a camouflage-y appearance.) I'll post pictures soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Flame Warriors Home

Interesting, yes. Like building Tiki Huts on a deck for instance? LOL. I would love to see some pictures of your project shelley. Do you have a website up? (this is a serious question btw, not a flame. It sounds very cool)

Gorilla, my bad. Your statement was actually "no one has been more helpful, with no motivation to sell something, than John Hyatt" Since the term "noone" is very defined as excluding everyone else, and noone besides John is as prolific a poster as I am I took offense to that statement. I put my heart and soul into everything I do, including something as simple as this forum. I hope you can understand from where I am coming. No foul, gorillabuilder.

As a final note, the statement about pettiness was more generalized. It was not targeted at anyone but was made to address a feeling I have been getting from the overall tone of more recent posts (made by various posters).

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee John

Steve INCORRECTLY WROTE....
Gorilla,
Now I see why they call you gorilla.
I think you are the jumper, and he's the jumpee, but it don't matter. John can defend himself if he feels
slighted.
---------------------
Maybe you need it spelled out for you Steve... so here is the message again... as it occurred in this message.

1 A. Ontario said.....
Hi all,
I notice that there are a lot of acronyms used in the forums and I either have seen ..blah blah

1 B. John said..
Google up>> ipe deckingIpe is a tree from S America they make lumber out of it, put it on a boat and ship it over here and all over for us Folks to use. Twp is a Wood finish for use mostley outdoors.Both of these things will come up all over with a google search.So will ato but it will direct you back here. John
1 C. Ontario said.
Sorry if I bothered anyone with such a stupid question. I am quite aware that I can Google anything but I find it that little more personable by asking the the people in the forums. I thought that is what the forums were all about. Oh well!

1 D...I see this remark.. and call him on it.
it was snotty because he further explains below in 1E..
Now...... if anyone JUMPED...it was ontario on John. If you read John's comment, he wasn't being rude and this guy took it wrong. HOW... in the HELL... do you translate this into me jumping?..I didn't even f'n get involved until the guy got rude first?.. I said my peace and moved on... you come in and try and paint me as a jumper.
Now, of course you'll say I'm jumping on you... you weren't even involved in this and say "i see why they call you gorilla and you're the jumper.. Well that is a jump on me... making you the new jumper.. All of this crap because I tried to stand up for a guy here that is supposedly your friend?..
Where I'm from you stand by the truth.. and people who give of themselves. I am an attack dog when I see people getting a raw deal. I guess you're not that way.
John got a raw deal in this case. Next time it could be you.. and you'll stand alone.. I can guarantee you that. lol

1E.
'''''He also further explained to you....''''
1Ontario again...
is the ONE which not only gave me a lesson on how to google and oh yes, don't forget to push Enter, but also enlightened me as to the fact that " Ipe is a tree in South America that is made into lumber, put on a boat and shipped over for us folks to use" You call that an explanation of Ipe? I would suggest you read the other answers and compare the quality of the content. What I have since learned about Ipe, I certainly did not gain any of it from the Okie boy.
==================================

pressure pro's..
Gorilla, my bad. Your statement was actually "no one has been more helpful, with no motivation to sell something, than John Hyatt" Since the term "noone" is very defined as excluding everyone else, and noone besides John is as prolific a poster as I am I took offense to that statement.

---------
Well.. when you're trying to make a case for John.. to explain to Ontario..... I don't want to make a huge list of people who are helpful here... lol
My only point to ontario was that John wasn't the type to direct everyone to google. My God... everyone here should know that...
I said noone is more helpful.. I didn't mean he didn't have equals of helpfulness. You and John run a tight race in taking of your time in aiding countless people here. Like I said, If someone jumped you, I'd have to promote your record here too... I'd hope John wouldn't get offended at that...lol
I know Steve from Brooklyn would.

gorilla builder (do you build gorillas?)

you really are being a pit bull about this. If it was important to me, I'd address your points 1A-1E. I actually have a life, so I'm letting it go, because it matters not who jumped on whom.

You need not ever come to my defense, because I can take care of myself, if it's important enough.

steve has left the building. last one out, turn off the lights.

I think Elvis is still in there and he always forgets to turn out the lights.

Ipe trees are several species of Tabebuia that come from tropical american forests from Central and South America. Brazil has a lot of forest and therefore a lot of trees. The decking material starts to be made when someone puts a chain saw to a tree and cuts it down. Since the trees normally are up to 150 feet high and many times over 3 feet in diameter they make a real crash when they hit the ground. They are then pulled out to a clearing and moved to a sawmill and made into lumber. In a forest with a good concentration of ipe you will find maybe 2 trees per acre. So, you need a lot of forest to produce a decent amount of deck. It is not that no one cares nor that there is no control. Things could be better. But, with proper forest management and harvesting there will be ipe lumber for a long time. There is law in Brazil and it is actually being more effectively enforced and the law controls forest harvesting for all tropical wood trees. Proper management actually preserves the forest, but predatory practices convert the forest into soy bean farms that produce cattle feed for feedlot beef in the USA and Europe. So, when one buys beef they are actually contributing more to the elmination of ipe lumber than buying deck.

dk

Hmmm...I think I'll bar-b-q my deck for dinner.

WOW you guys are funny

Third thread I've read here this morning. It's obvious there's lots of good info, but some of y'all don't make it easy. I have a headache and I need a drink. And it's only freakin' 11am. BBL

LOL, natal.. rough third post. Hopefully you had a better experience with the remainder of the posts. There is some great experience and information on this board.

Pressurepros, I took a break, but I'm back for round 2. lol Shelly's flame warrior link will help me keep things in perspective.

We bought our Ipe from Advantage Trim and Lumbar Co. Many of my questions about Ipe were answered at their www.IpeDepot.com site but I learned about the material from reading the threads in this forum when I googled decking material. Thank you, John. We're only about 40 mi. from the Advantage Trim and Lumbar co. on Ohio St. in Buffalo, so we rented a truck a picked up the lumbar ourselves. Our deck isn't finished as yet.

Char..
Good People at advantage that where i get all my stuff for my decks and I live in S. Cal it good to see that the good people there can help people local and like me a whole country away...lol...take care all

Hi everyone!
I have a question about IPE. I just moved into my home last year. The house has a deck and I'd like to clean and stain it within the next couple of weeks. How can I find out what material the deck is made of - if it's an IPE deck? Do I need to be able to answer accurately to pick a suitable stain?

I got my ipe from Victory Building Products. It's the only ipe I have ever purchased, but I've seen a board before. I am very happy with the material and they were the cheapest that I have seen recommended. Do any of the installers have an opinion of their quality vs. East Teak or otherwise?