Stainless screws. We've tried to attach from below, but have had problems with the wood moving later. The srew heads are small and not noticable.

It moves and doesn't stay fastened? Have you heard of Tigerclaw stainless steel fasteners? I'm debating between those and the IPE plugs...

What is the stain you used on the IPE to get it to grey that way?

Hi antonschiff,

To get Ipe to weather to grey no stain is required. Simply let it weather under the sun. The patina grey you see is the effect of UV rays taking away the coloration of the wood.

Fortunately, Ipe is so dense that the UV penetration is only on the surface, so it won't crack like other woods; plus you can always restore the wood back to the original color!

jojomichaud,

It's dependent on the amount of sun exposure it has, the more sun exposure the faster it'll gray. You can expect graying to occur on average between a year or two. However, we do recommend you maintain the deck with Ipe Oil for the first year as it continues to acclimate to the environment throughout that year.