How to Stain and Maintain Ipe Wood

[@BigTravis573]

Recently did a deck with Ipe wood. Looked great when it was wet but the moment it dried, it looked like it wasnt even done.

[@yardbuddha]

Hey Travis I have had my deck for 15 years and it looks great when stained. However I'm not staining this year because there are some thick layers of stain I can't power wash out. The sun will break the stain down over this year and I can wash them out next year. Some people like their decks to go natural grey but nothing looks better than freshly stained Ipe wood.

[@spatel3783]

thanks for the really helpful video

[@yardbuddha]

Thanks for watching!

[@thelmajansen4121]

amazing work!!!

[@Rick-se5qm]

Our tongue and grove IPE porch floor buckled in one area after power washing. That will be the last time I try that. I used a commercial machine, maybe the pressure was too high.

[@yardbuddha]

Sorry to hear about that. I would think that it was probably from the wood absorbing water and expanding rather than the power of the pressure washer. I have 2 ipe lids in my deck for my septic tank and I know they expand when wet and its hard to get them open.

[@kathynofal4157]

Your deck is gorgeous and the exact color I want my ipe deck to look like. Can you tell me what color stain you used?

[@yardbuddha]

Thanks Kathy! It would be Penofin Marine Oil which a lot of people use on their boats. It lasts longer against the sun and rain. Good luck!

[@ritapray1559]

We rehabbed our ipe wood deck, flipping some boards and removing box seats from others---left some ugly spots that have never been treated as well as drip spots from previous staining jobs. Advice for removal of the old stains that were improperly used? We have used the Penofin marine oil in the past with good result and will do that again once the surfaces have been evened out. I really don't want to sand, but will a liquid stripper (Penofin has a product) do the job on actual stains?

[@yardbuddha]

Thanks Rita. I haven't used the stripper but I know the Ipe is so dense that you just have to remove a light layer to get to normal wood. Sorry sanding would be your best option if you can't use a power washer to rip off the top layer. Get the orbital nozzle for the power washer and try it.

[@fivestarpainting7182]

can you just sand it and then stain it or do you have to wash it?

[@yardbuddha]

I sanded it for the first 5 years and then just stained it after hosing it down. However that process is about 10 times harder than power washing and staining. For the last 10 years I've just been power washing and staining. It looks about the same as sanding and everything turns grey in 6 months no matter what you do. Good luck!

[@bartosullivan8050]

Ipe is class A Fire Rated, not fire proof. It will definitely burn when exposed to consistent flames. Good choice not putting a burn pit on a deck.

[@yardbuddha]

Thanks! It would have been surrounded by stone below the deck with decking around it but I'm very glad I didn't do it because I use my fire pit 3-4 times a year. Would have been wasted space.

[@rochelleb4341]

I read that it was not advisable to use more than 1200psi on ipe because it will damage the wood and cause it to be fuzzy. How many times have you power washed your deck at 3000psi? have you heard of any splintering or problems with fuzziness? Thank You

[@yardbuddha]

Thanks for the question Rochelle. Nope I've never seen any damage (or fuzziness) to my deck from power washing. I've done it at least 20 times over the past 12 years. Ipe is so dense that I don't think anything can hurt it. I can get the power washer nozzle very close to it with no problem.

[@rochelleb4341]

@@yardbuddha thank you!!

[@AndYetHereWeAre]

Ipe is bomb proof. Hard to hurt it. If it does fuzz up ... it'll look almost white on the board. Grab a small sander with some 100 grit and go over it. Will remove it.

[@rochelleb4341]

@@AndYetHereWeAre thank you so much!!

[@louismorejohn586]

I have owned an ipe deck for 15 years. I didn't know how to maintain it, so I let the finish deteriorate. The board surfaces became very fuzzy with raised grain. So, I had to sand w/ 60 grit and 120 grit to get that original smooth surface back. I would be concerned about years of power washing w/ a 3,200 psi machine too.

[@jordanracey9063]

What did you clean the brass light covers with?

[@yardbuddha]

I use Brasso metal polish. Spread it all over the metal, wait 1 minute and use a scotch bright scrubber pad to wipe off. Rubber gloves are nice also. Thanks for watching!