Best Finish For Ipe’ and Other Hardwood Decking and Siding

Of the decking choices available in the U.S., hardwood decking is gaining popularity more than any other. The durability, beauty and price make Ipe’ (the most well known), cumaru, jatoba, tigerwood, massaranduba and garapa hardwoods the best choices. The varied characteristics between the species provide color and grain patterns for all tastes and budgets.

Finishing the deck correctly is a key factor to maintaining the hardwoods’ beauty. There are popular finishes designed for hardwoods in oil-based and water-based formulas. We’ve tested all of the products on the market that we’ve heard of. We’ve found that while the water-based formulas hold color longer during the first year after application, the premium oil-based formulas give the wood the best luster and perform better over years of continued applications on ipe, cumaru, tigerwood and all of the hardwood species.

Water-based finishes, Flood Company’s UV Hardwood being the best, seal the boards nicely and penetrate well but never bring out the luster of these beautiful hardwoods like oil-based finishes.Follow-up applications do not penetrate as well and leave an opaque color to the wood, which covers that grain’s beauty. Some contractors have noted that oil-based follow-up applications to the original water-based application bring out the luster nicely for ipe’, garapa, massaranduba and other hardwoods. The finish manufacturers do not support mixing products as noted on their web sites and technical support.

The oil-based finishes made specifically for hardwoods performed better over the long term than water-based finishes. Cabot Australian Timber Oil, Penofin Hardwood Deck Oil, Ipe Oil and Messmers UV Plus For Hardwoods are among the top brands that we tested. We found thatMessmers outperforms the others for penetration, luster, long life and ease of application. We tested these products on Ipe’, jatoba, garapa, massaranduba, jatoba, tigerwood, angelim, tatajuba and sucupira with comparable results. Oil is best applied when the sun is low, the wood is dry, above 50 degrees and being sure to back brush or otherwise leave no puddles. Follow-up applications should always be applied after the wood has begun to weather or fade. This could be as soon as 6 months in hot full sun situations or 12 months on boards having less sun exposure.Successive applications will be applied with continually longer periods between applications. The oil and UV protection accumulates in the hardwood without covering up the hardwoods’ natural beauty. If the wood is left to gray, a good hardwood cleaner can be used to lift the gray out without the need to pressure wash or sand your deck. A new application of deck oil brings back its natural beauty.

Notice this selection of boards that we tested in a HOT full sun environment. After 5 months, the oil-based finishes began to fade while the water-based finish held more of its color. When the oil was applied, the oil-based finishes came alive and back to its original luster in the 2^nd photo.

Courtesy Brazilian Wood Depot