I would defently go with the 3/4 ipe. John

You are not limited to what your local supplier offers. I went opposite coast, the freight was offset by no tax, and I saved $2000 over all for exactly what I wanted.

Thank you...do you have a suggestion for a supplier? I've been calling California lumber yards and they either can't get it, or don't return calls, even after they said "oh sure, we have it in stock, I'll get you a bid." I'm ready to build, but can't find the material.

East Teak Lumber 800 338 5636 J.

Another source to try, Austin Wholesale Decking, 512-834-1200, ask for Fernando. Shipping from Tx. to Ca. would be offset by tax savings as stated above.

I have used mangaris here in Austin & it does make a nice looking deck, however imo ipe is the top dog in the decking world. It's got a nice redish color with straight grain & no knots. It does need to have a finish put on right away as it does tend to check more so than ipe.

I use 3/4" ipe on most jobs because of cost savings, on low to the ground decks I recommend using 5/4 decking tho.

Al

How did it turn out? We are in SB as well and are having the same experience. Did you order out of state? Are you happy with the Ipe?

Thanks

Charlie

When I built my deck I went with Advantage Trim and Lumber in buffalo they also had free shipping when I ordered. I don't know if they still do but it seems they always had some sort of sale going. It took me along time to decide if I really wanted to order online because I could not see what I was getting. After the wood arrived I was glad I did it looked better than my local supplier and a lot cheaper too.

My husband and I own a small construction company in Camarillo, California. A lot of our work is done in Ventura, so sea and sun are always considerations to be dealt with.

He has constructed three Mangaris decks of various sizes and the clients are extremely pleased with them. We have four calls from friends of our clients who also want Mangaris decks.

The oldest of these decks is a couple of years post construction and it looks as good as the day he completed it.

We have a really good guy at Stock Lumber who is more than helpful at procuring materials. David loves working with Mangaris.

I'm starting a deck in 5 days and I still can't decide between ipe or mangaris. The deck will be about 18" above ground (clay), wrapping around an above ground pool, with at least 6 hours exposure to direct sun and scorching heat in the summer months. The ipe I can get is air dried, 3/4 inch thick and costs $3.25 lf while the mangaris is kiln dried 1 inch thick at $2.25 lf.
I wish to go with mangaris because it's more attractive, affordable and thicker than ipe. However, I need more evidence that mangaris is just as good as ipe in my particular conditions (around the pool, hot sun). I read that it cups and warps more than ipe. Is that happening regardless of the quality of installation and method of fastening? Also I read about ipe checking, and is 3/4inch for ipe good enough for close to ground decking?
I am hopping to get some current opinions as the information I read about the ipe vs mangaris is quite a few years old. Please help, time is running out..

It may be a bit too late for you, but I've built two decks in the San Francisco area using Mangaris. Both decks looked great until the first winter and then cupped horribly. On the first deck, I cut groves and used ipe clips to secure the boards. The next summer, I went back, rented a floor sander and top-screwed/plugged everything. The second deck was just top-screwed. I don't know how it managed to do it, but it cupped just as badly as the first. I'm about to hit it with my orbital sander to at least take down the ridges.

bhalper,

Top-screwed decking can only cup in the following situations:

1. the screws snap
2. the pilot holes are drilled into the joists
3. the screws are too long. 2 1/4" is absolute maximum length screw to fasten decking. Shorter is better because as the framing moves with the seasons the short screws are less affected by the joists shrinking 1/4" as they dry out.
4. the ventilation is so poor under the deck that all kinds of moisture is causing havoc on the wood.

Top-screwing is the MOST reliable way to fasten deck boards. If you are having a problem with top-fastened boards, refer to the above.

My guess is #4, because the deck is very close to the ground and there's a solid wood skirt around the joists. I'm still amazed, though, that the force of the boards cupping was strong enough to pull all those screws loose.

I'm going to pull off the skirt and replace it with 1/4" welded-wire. I doubt that any of the cupping will reverse itself, but the added ventilation can't hurt...

While the skirting is off run a couple of fans through the frame for a few days. J.

We installed a 12x33 Mangaris deck 2 years ago. Our house is in West Los Angeles. The deck gets partial sun. Ipe was tempting but several thousand dollars more expensive. The beautiful red-orange color doesn't last, but it's still a tough and beautiful wood. No signs of wear from our 50 lb dog. No signs of termite intrusion, mold or rot. The deck is a low platform against the house. 2 sides have a double step down to the backyard. The other side has a high railing with box benches.

We just cleaned it for resealing with Biowash deck oil. The deep cleaning brought out its original red. We'd love to find a way to keep that color without chemical sealants or expoxies. Also, it just rained before the oil could cure. Waiting to see if we have to start over when the rain clears up.

We finished with Biowash a couple of years ago, and just spent a day scrubbing it all off to reapply. It doesn't cause water to bead up after about 6 months, but fortunately we haven't had problems with mold or cupping, probably due to the local climate which is dry most of the time.

This question for The Clam on your installation on the West Side. We're looking at installing the Mangaris after looking at the options at Stock Lumber. With the cupping issues some folks are noting, I am curious about how you secured your wood to the joists. Top Screw, clips, etc.? Also, what thickness of Mangaris did you use? They're having a special right now at Stock on 1x6 so it's tempting.. but we want to make sure it's going to last.

I built a deck for a hot tub approx 12'x12'with 1"x6" mangaris about 7 years ago. I used 2 1/2 inch stainless steel screws. I used a tapered pilot bit for predrilling and countersinking. The screws were then plugged. I finished the deck with a natural oil based stain. Pressure washing and staining every other year has maintained the deck in good condition. It is located in Oak View Ca.

We live in San Francisco & we are putting a rooftop deck on...we are trying to decide what would be the best looking & lasting deck material.
Today we looked at Mangaris 1" X 6"- 16' planks. After reading this forum, I'm not sure Mangaris (or even Ipe..which I haven't heard of) would be the right product. We will have limited, if any, ventilation below our deck.
It's a roof deck, so it will only be raised slightly above the sloped roof below to allow for the deck planks to be level..maybe 1" on the one side & 3 1/4" on the other side.
So much was mentioned above about cupping related to ventilation & I'm not sure if we will have much ventilation.

Any suggestion for rooftop deck material with this type installation?

Thanks!

Hello my name is Scott Morris and I have previously posted comments on here before specifically about Mangaris (Red Balau) and Ipe decking. I have spoken to and met with several people in the Southern California area. I have worked for BlueLinx (a wholesale building materials distributor of Mangaris and other decking products) for 8 years as well as 20 years experience on the retail lumber side.

As in my earlier post, the biggest issue with any hardwood decking is in the installation. I have included the complete installation guidelines for you to read. The biggest issues always seem to be,

#1 Improper or lack air ventilation under the deck
. #2 Gapping in between each board. Kiln Dried product will require 1/4" gapping on a 1x6 board while products like Ipe that are only Air Dried will generally require only 1/8" because they will shrink up over time and become 1/4".

#3 Fasteners used on the decking. Hidden fasteners are usually not recommended for hardwood decking. Screwing the board down through the face has about 4x the holding power of a hidden fastener. You should either use a stainless steel screw, a plug system with stainless steel screws or a system like the Kreg Deck Jig that screws in at an angle on the side / edge of the board.

#4 Is oiling / sealing the product. You either need to oil all 4 sides prior to installation with a good penetrating oil, or, leave all 4 sides raw and allow the board to weather to a natural silver gray color. This is popular in larger commercial applications like the LA Zoo, Disneyland, boardwalks near the beach and several larger outdoor shopping centers about the LA area.

I have recently opened my own wholesale direct to the public distribution for hardwood decking products. I offer Kayu Batu (Red Balau, same as Mangaris Red) which is a Class A flame spread rated hardwood decking with a 25 year warranty and Siap (pre-finished) hardwood decking exclusively in Southern California. I also have deck tiles available in 20"x20" and 40"x40" sizes, as well as 6' & 7' "shorts" than can be used for fencing with an additional savings of up to 30% compared to the longer length materials. All my products are at very competitive pricing, usually 20-30% less than what you will find at the large retail lumber yards. This is because I buy direct and I'm the exclusive distributor of Kayu International decking products in Southern California. You can call or email me to check pricing on all my products, 818-456-9777 or hardwooddeckingdeals@yahoo.com . I'm in the Los Angeles area in Pacoima. Will call or delivery is available to all of Southern California.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kayu International

I live in a Ca Fire Zone, so need decking which meets the State's requirements for 'ignition resistance.' Do I have choices other than composite? I had decided on Massaranduba, but my Planning Dept. won't approve it unless I can offer verification it meets the State standards.
PLEASE HELP!

Yakker
did you ever find your certifications

I'm a contractor in Ventura. I have done too many decks to count. I work in Malibu and S.B.. I have used Teak and Redwood. I switched to Epi at first glance it looked like the perfect solution it's very hard and oily but for some reason it checks and shrinks and is not as stable as it appears. I switched to 5/4 Red Mangaris It is much more stable and doesn't cup or check like Epi. I order my material from Mayan Hardwoods in Oxnard Ca. Thay can provide you with the lengths you need. Hope this is helpful.

Marvin D 805-908-5474

Hi Marvin

My name is Scott Morris, I formally use to sell Mangaris (For BlueLinx, the wholesale distributor that sells to the retail yards like Mayan) as the Territory Manager for LA, Ventura and Santa Barbara and to Veronica at Mayan.

I started my own wholesale distributor a few years ago and I specifically deal in hardwood products for decking, fencing and siding. We are the exclusive distributor for Kayu hardwood products (www.kayu.com). If you are using Mangaris Red, that is the same as our Kayu Batu, both are Red Balau. Or is you use Mangaris Diamond, that is the same as our Kayu Sapphire, both are Merbau. We also sell 3 other species, Kayu Golden Balau, Kayu Mas and Kayu Red Mahogany which they do not sell. All of our product, like Mangaris are all Indonesian hardwoods, Kiln Dried and clear with a 25 year warranty against wood rot and termite damage, Class A Fire Rated and listed with Cal Fire as well.

Our 5/4x6 Kayu Batu(aka Mangaris Red) goes for $3.10 per lf for 8'-'18' lengths and $2.25 for 6 & 7' lengths. Please feel free to call me at 818-456-9777 or email me at HardwoodDeckingDeals@yahoo.com We ship all over Southern California and beyond by common carrier.

Thanks

Scott

You should try Truitt and White lumber yard in Berkeley. I use ipe on many projects and it hold up the best. You don't even need to stain or seal (except for each cut). If you want to stain it does look nice. Def pre-drill and use stainless. Mandarins is a more cost effective way to get the same look. Almost 1/2 off per board foot. Ipe is from Brazil and Mangaris I think is from Thailand. Good luck!

We have Ipe in stock in the L.A area. interdecking 424-394-8546 in case anyone needs this material

I used mangaris for a rooftop deck because it was a fraction of the weight and less money. To me it looks exactly the same and has weathered beautifully and is resistant to bugs and decay.

Is it possible to use wood as coping for an inground pool? Would you put it over poured in place pool coping?

My husband and I are very disappointed with the Mangaris deck we had installed this past year. The boards have curled and are starting to split. After applying the recommended oil finish, every bit of dirt sticks to the deck. The wood is very splintery which did not improve after a light sanding. Unfortunately, we topped our handrails with it which is a concern when using the stairs. Initially it was gorgeous, but perhaps it could not handle our wet winter and harsh summer here in Southern California.