I love the look of real wood and IPE would be my choice

Hi ashsmth,

It's honestly up to your tastes and what you prefer. There's no substitute for the feel and look of real wood. Ipe is the best natural hardwood you can use for exterior use. It has over a 75 year lifespan, low-maintenance, and it's rot and insect resistant.

Zuri is a product that can work for you but make sure it's installed properly. Most synthetic materials once they are installed they can't get scratched or damaged because they can't be repaired.

Keep your options open and make your decision based on what your needs and wants are.

I had a 600 sq foot IPE deck for 11 years. It got direct sunlight and harsh NE winters. It was awesome. We never had so much as a splinter or a warped board. It was beautiful. However... because the wood is so dense, It didn't really absorb the stain very well and we would refinish it every 2-3 years... only because we loved the darker tone it would take with the clear stain. If you don't mind it turning a silverfish color over the years, you'll never need to stain it. I give it a thumbs up. The beauty is well worth the effort in my opinion. Guests (and even misc contractors) would always comment on the Beauty of the deck.

follow up to previous post... we tried every single formula out there to "properly stain the deck so that the finish lasts for longer periods of time". we tried the most expensive stains, the cheapest stains, stains directly recommended by IPE specialists... none was better then the other in my opinion.

http://zuri.royalbuildingproducts.com/zuri/premium-decking/compare/exotic-hardwood/

Zuris website seems deceptive at best here.

under their exotic hardwood page, it says that "exotic hardwoods show color fade over time, are not scratch resistant and are not slip resistant". All of which is not true for Ipe. Ipe can be brought back to a natural beauty for 75 years, is naturally slip and scratch resistant. It also says "Comparatively high repair, upkeep, and replacement costs". There is no upkeep cost to Ipe as it requires no maintenance if you want it grey or a once a year maintenance if you want to keep it a beautiful dark brown. Because it is a natural wood it is very easy to repair also, but if replaced they are right. But considering the Ipe has a Class A fire rating, and is one of the densest, longest lasting and durable woods in the world it would be hard to imagine why you would replace it in your lifetime.

Let's do a factual comparison.

Ipe

-Class A Fire Rated.

-Lasts up to 75 years

-Real natural wood

-No maintenance required

-Proven over the test of time

-One of hardest woods in the world on the Janka scale

Zuri

-Not Class A Fire Rated.

-Will not lasts up to 75 years

-Not a real natural wood

-Maintenance required

-Not proven over the test of time

-Can not find information on stability/hardness/sustainability or actual number on how long they claim it lasts.

Just another one of hundreds of synthetic/composite or modified wood companies popping up that claim to be "better" but where are the facts? Don't get me wrong these companies do a great job of marketing and have a nice looking product. But if you can not compare Ipe to a fake wood. There is a reason these companies try to make their products look real. Because the best look is real wood.

Can you install Ipe (or any wood deck) without seeing the screws every 16"oc? That's a big sell for me. Zuri has Invisible fasteners.

Yes there are hidden fastener jigs.

Thanks. I've been reading about the Camo fasteners. But wondering how to brace the deck laterally since those don't provide structural attachment of deck. Any thoughts?

We only suggest using Ipe clips for Ipe decking. They were specifically designed for hardwoods such as Ipe as implied by their name. We have been selling Ipe for nearly 30 years and have seen a lot of failures from other hidden fastening products so we stick to what we know will works for our customers. Hope that helps!

When you say Ipe requires no maintenance, that is a lie, it looks like garbage without a power washing and the forever pain of re-staining. The time and the cost of the maintenance add up quickly to equal and exceed the cost of any composite. What maintenance does Zuri or other composite require other than a yearly washing?

There's plenty of people here on Houzz that have had very negative experiences as well as positive experiences with Zuri decking. Read here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/467366/zuri-decking, if there were not such mixed experiences we would probably stock it. As of now we've really yet to find a plastic/PVC decking product that would live up to our customers expectations so we don't stock any.

There's plenty of home owners that enjoy the silver patina of Ipe and they don't have to do much maintenance other than clean any debris off. There really is no such thing as no maintenance for any product, even a stamped concrete patio you would have to power wash the dirt of at least yearly and apply concrete sealer.

Here's the maintenance instructions on Zuri's website: https://www.royalbuildingproducts.com/sites/rbp/files/2019-02/rbp_zuri_maintainingthebeauty_brochure_us_2019.pdf 

Some parts are concerning like the spraying of sunscreen and insect repellent. We've all entertained guests while preparing appetizers in the house and your guests are on your deck spraying their kids down with these products. You then come out to serve your guests and you would never know they sprayed themselves or their kids with one of these products that could cause damage to your deck.

The other part is the semi-annual inspection of your fasteners and framing and that failing to do so will void your warranty. How do you prove you inspected your fasteners twice a year so you don't void your warranty? It's generally a good idea to inspect your framing each spring to make sure everything is structurally sound but this twice a year inspection of your fasteners is a bit overbearing especially for some of our customers that have seasonal vacation homes.

We get calls on a regular basis from customers who have to replace their composite deck after only a few years. The problem is once they fade, get scratched, stained and etc... there's really not much you can do to them. If you Google search "composite decking complaints", "composite decking problems", "composite decking reviews" you'll read a lot of issues home owners have experienced after a short time frame. These products just don't seem to have it nailed down yet.

We favor hardwoods like Ipe because at least you can bring them back to like new condition for 50+ years with a little power washing and a light coat of Ipe oil which soaks right into the wood and won't flake off like the stains and sealers you have to use on softwoods.

If your deck ever does get scratched which is rare because Ipe is so hard you can lightly sand the scratch right out. If your guests did spray something that stains and a pressure washer won't remove you can lightly sand the affected area and rub some more oil on it and it looks brand new again. You can not do that with plastic or PVC decking products. Many of the home owners we deal with like investing in something they can feel confident will last their lifetime and don't mind putting in a little bit of labor to keep their homes looking great.

"When you say Ipe requires no maintenance, that is a lie, it looks like garbage without a power washing and the forever pain of re-staining."

i would have to disagree. We have chosen to let our deck weather naturally and think the gray color and smooth surface is quite attractive. Here it is on its third year in Minnesota. It has never been washed.

@juliab51 That looks absolutely beautiful! Minnesota gets some harsh winters.

To each his own. Rich and vibrant or old and grey.

@juliab51- your ipe deck beautiful. Did you use hidden fasteners?

Thank you! Yes, we did, and designed the deck so that it could be seamless.

Thanks! One other question. Do you know the brand of the railing you used?

No, I don't. Our contractor hired a local fabricator to make it.

We spent over $30K of Zuri decking, and within weeks of installation it has faded and gained a milky discoloration in various disjointed places. Installed 100% as per mfg requirements. Royal refuses to honor the warranty and now we're proceeding to litigation. BEWARE! Do NOT do business with ZURI or Royal Building Products!!!