Ipe Deck Finish: 5 Things Not to Do
Ipe Maintenance Tips from the Wood Pros at Topcoat Finishes
1. Do not use film forming coatings. Period.
Todd massages out another ipe deck.
This rule, in my strong opinion, applies to all decks, including ipe. We have stripped far too many failing film coatings (like the old Sikkens formulations) to think it is any kind of a good idea. Sure, it works on boats, but is way too high maintenance for a home. Owners of boats with exotic woods generally have very good maintenance habits prior to each season, which attributes to the success of films on boats. Home maintenance hasn’t achieved that level of mainstream fashionable enthusiasm…yet. May your ipe deck finish be the one that shoves the whole neighborhood in the direction of wood snobbery.
