One of the things our customers here at Ipe Woods USA like so much about ipe wood, is how easy it is to care for. Deck owners rave about how it easy it is to care for a deck made of ipe. You can stain it annually if you want, but most contractors say don’t worry about that. Keeping it clean is practically a matter of a broom and a hose. You may have paid a little more than what you usually pay, but stop and think about what you got for that little bit of extra money.
Less Work
One of the biggest hassles of using an all natural wood for anything–decking, siding, fencing–is you have to restain it every year, or it starts looking bad. Because of its dense nature, ipe wood doesn’t take a stain easily, and when staining you have to be careful not to put too much on, or it makes a mess. That’s not a problem though. Brazilian walnut, as ipe is also known, takes on a beautiful silver grey tone as it ages, and is just as gorgeous aged as it is new. So that means less work and expense for you, and still have a great looking house. Ipe wood siding saves you all that hassle.
No Creepy-crawlies
Another disadvantage to other typical all natural wood siding products is insects love eating wood, and so you have to be careful about that as well.
Once again, ironwood comes to the rescue!
Because of its dense nature (8Xs harder than California redwood), termites, and other nasty insects that like making dinner out of deck and siding, stay away from ipe. One less thing for you to worry about.
Like Water off a Duck’s Back
The same dense nature that repels wood munching critters also makes ipe siding great for keeping the house dry. Ipe is such a dense wood, that it actually sinks. That means the water just slides right off and doesn’t work its way inside. It keeps your house nice and dry. Don’t believe me? Check out what Matt Risinger has to say about this.
Because the water just slips away, the wood stays dry, which means that molds and fungi don’t attach themselves easily to your ipe wood siding.
A Flame-thrower maybe?
There is no all-natural substance that is completely fireproof, but ipe wood gets really close. Studies have given it a Class A fire resistance rating–the highest possible. Having ipe siding on your house is great fire protection. Unless you live in a neighborhood like what you see in the Lethal Weapon movies, where homes are shot up and blown up almost daily, chances are with ipe wood siding, it will take a lot longer than usual for the siding on your house to catch fire.
Ipe Woods USA carries a wide selection of ipe boards for all kinds of purposes so that you can rest easy once you’ve got your house covered in ipe.