How to Buy FSC Ipe without Getting Ripped Off?

Undoubtedly, in this new era of Green building, environmental friendly woods are very much in demand. There are many options available to buyers namely Cedar, Pine, Ipe, Tigerwood and others.  With so many choices, buyers are really having a tough time to settling on a choice that is both stylish and affordable. Another thing that adds to the anxieties of is that there are many companies which are claiming environmental friendly woods.  Buyers are finding it tough to choosing the right company that sells a green product.

FSC to the rescue. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was created to develop the standards and processes, of the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide.  FSC sets forth principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environmental concerns. The FSC standards represent the world’s strongest system for guiding forest management toward sustainable outcomes.  FSC standards for forest management are applied in over 57 countries.

FSC Ipe is a clear choice when looking for Green decking.   LEED Certified building requires the use of FSC products.   However, not all the ipe wood companies are dealing with environmental friendly products.  To put it simply, many ipe wood companies are in an effort to cash in on the environmental friendly point for their benefits. One simple solution for buyers to avoid this trap is to buy FSC certified ipe.  Websites of companies selling FSC products will display the FSC logo with accompanying certificate numbers. The logo alone is not enough.  Check to insure they have the certificate numbers and are in fact FSC certified. We are lucky to have the internet.  Even novice buyers can find and buy products that qualify in areas important to them, be it quality, price, or environmental friendliness.

Finding companies that sell Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved ipe wood for decking has become lot easier as the United States Government has become quite strict in this area. Only few sellers manage to acquire FSC ipe. Remember, FSC is a non profit organization working in the direction of promoting environmental friendliness and sustaining the ipe trees.  Buyers can be rest assured that FSC ipe wood is going to add some more natural beauty to their homes with no harm to the planet.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you want your home to have natural ipe wood then you must work with companies that have dedicated themselves in preservation forestry practices. ABSWood is one such name that has gained acknowledgement due to their fair practices and affordability factor.

Buyers who want to know more about FSC certifications can simply visit the official website of abswood, http://www.abswood.com. There is information you need to make informed decisions. Buyers understand that for any seller to acquire the FSC certifications, they have to follow the forestry practices that are vital for balancing the environment.  This includes on-site inspections and chain of custody certificates that follow the wood from forest to your home.

Companies who sell the FSC certified lumber generally care about the environment.  Their is a lot of work to become FSC certified and only sellers who care about the environment overall will go to that amount of trouble.  As far as the buyers are concerned, even if buying  non-FSC, it is always advisable to pick a company that would sell FSC ipe wood.   These companies care about the environment.  Remember even non-FSC Ipe wood is not as damaging to the environment as composites, will enhance the overall appearance of your home and last for many years to come.  

Benefits of Ipe Decking

Are you feeling that deciding on decking material is overwhelming? Yes!!

If you are feeling overwhelmed then you have been doing a lot of good research.   You are considering all options not only wood, but plastics,  installation, environmental issues, and others.  You are seeing a trend with two common themes.  They are ipe decking (or other Brazilian deck) and composite decking.  If you are still considering composites, then you need look again and compare them with ipe decking.  First remember why you are checking these options.   You want to enhance the overall appearance and feeling of your home. For that there is no question, Ipe is the perfect decking material.  Ipe wood, in addition to its natural beauty comes with long lasting benefits that every home owner will enjoy.  These include rot resistance, strength, hardness, durability, and it is environmentally bio-degradable.

What are the benefits of Ipe decking?

Apart from the affordability factor, there are even more benefits of ipe decking that have everyone's attention;

      Ipe decking can last for years with the same finish and appearance as it hardly requires any treatment.

      Ipe decking is 3 times harder than oak.   Ipes’ scratch resistance cannot be approached by composites.   If you have grills or dogs, you need to use Ipe.

      Ipe decking has a natural ability to resist fungus, mildew and mold or any other flora enemies of wood.

      Bio-degradable.  The environmental friendly traits of ipe wood as a whole make it a much preferred one as compared to any type of plastic decking material.

      An ipe wood deck generally is nearly impassable to insects and termites.

      Ipe decking can give your home a rich feel and luxurious look without spending loads of money on composite decking.

Truly, ipe decking comes with many convincing benefits that cannot be ignored. If you want not have the hassle of getting a deck installed after every few years, you need to install ipe.   With ipe, your decking will last a long time without you giving it a second thought.

Well, now that you know the benefits of ipe decking, one question is where to buy ipe decking.  Well, ABSWood is the name that all the homeowners can trust as they are well known for both quality and affordability.  This perfect combination of affordability and beauty will let you enjoy the natural appearance of your ipe decking for years with minimal maintenance.

To find out more, just go to the ABSWood website http://abswood.com .

So, opt for an ipe deck and prepare to enjoy the benefits of decking that looks exceptionally beautiful as well as complements the overall appearance of your home.

Abswood, Happy Holiday for you and yours

If you cannot view this in your email, please click here to see our Ipe Decking holiday greetings.      Please forward this on to your friends who are planning a new deck in the upcoming year.  We will strive to provide them the same attention to detail and service we have provided to you.

This email was sent by ABSWood, 30017 Johnsons Point Road, Leesburg, FL 34748, using Express Email Marketing. You were added to this list as abswood.bruce@blogger.com on 10/8/2008.

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Mold on your decking

Occasionally customers have asked about mold on their decking. This occurs where the decking is being used in a high humitiy environment. The simplist solution is a weak bleach solution. Use about a 10:1 solution of water to bleach. This is a quick and easy way to solve this problem and it will not hurt the decking

The 5/4 vs 4/4 Decking Debate

I am frequently asked if 5/4 is better than 4/4 for Brazilian Hardwood Decking

 

There are two thoughts on 5/4 vs. 4/4 decking boards and it seems to depend upon where you live.  It is almost like a cultural influence.  For example, if you live in South Carolina 5/4 seems to be the standard.  In the Georgia - Florida area 4/4 is what people want.   When I started asking for reasons, no one seemed to have any as to why they used 5/4 vs. 4/4 or vice versa.  Everyone had their opinions but no one had anything definitive.

 

To best answer everyone, I can share my personal experience with Cumaru.  I did similar research as you are doing as I built my dock prior to selling Brazilian wood.  (Actually, I loved the product and that is how I got involved with selling decking).    I found very few people sold Cumaru, Jatoba, and Tigerwood.  Most retailers sell Ipé as their only choice in Brazilian decking.   Ipé is a very colorful wood but liked the soft brown hues of Cumaru.   After deciding upon my decking wood, then the choice was 4/4 vs. 5/4.  I found that some people swore by 5/4 and others swore by 4/4.  I finally let the hardness of the wood decide for me.  The Janka scale of hardness tells you how hard wood is.  It is complex for me so I just used the scale to compare woods that I knew to the Cumaru.    http://bwdepot.com/Pages%20Document/janka.htm   That showed me that Cumaru is several times harder than Oak or Hickory.  I know that Oak and Hickory are very hard and decided that with so much 4/4 sold it must be fine for my application.  From there I used 4/4 x6 for my dock with 16" centers for the joists.   The outcome is my dock is solid, just like walking on the ground.    I am very pleased with the result.

 

I know that is a long answer to a short question.   But the real answer seems to be personal preference and cost.  Because of my experience I only sell the 4/4 because I feel the 5/4 is overkill and a waste of money.  It is also not as environmental friendly as you can make more 4/4 boards than 5/4 from a tree.  Now if you decide upon Ipé, it is even harder than the Cumaru.   So the answer of 4/4 over the 5/4 becomes even more valid.  To summarize, 4/4 Brazilian Hardwood Decking is ample for most if not all applications.

Router on Brazilian Hardwoods

The question this week was about using a router on the edge of Ipé.   Specifically, our customer wants to use a router on the top railing to cut a fancy design.  I checked with the millworks guys and they confirmed using a Router is no problem at all.  They told me it is easier than Pine as the Brazilian woods are so dry they do not clog up the router bits.  I told them specifically the customer would be using a hand held router.  Again they said no problem.   While Ipé is hard, it is still easy to work with.  If you want to do some router work on Ipé, Jatoba, or any of the hardwoods we sell you should be pleased with the results.   For information on buying Brazilian Decking go to www.abswood.com

 

Cost of Brazilian Hardwood Decking

I had a customer contact me about Brazilian Hardwood. They really loved the colors, grain, and hardness. They specifically wanted Jatoba as the beautiful red color would compliment their existing home. The problem they were facing was a concern of the cost of Brazilian hardwoods. On the phone we had a discussion of the true cost of any deck or dock. What we concluded was that the decking is not the only consideration when it comes to costs. Actually, a deck has many costs at many levels. To name a few are;

• Time you are shopping for, and pricing decking
• Time to pickup the decking (or cost to have it delivered)
• Removing the original decking - do not forget disposal
• Replacing rotten or damaged joists on a rebuilt deck
• Insuring foundation is level - checking footers
• Installing the beams and hanging the joists on a new deck
• Installing the new decking
• ACQ Screws will cost you about $150 for 300 sq ft of deck
• Installing the railing posts, railings, and balusters
• Wrapping the deck

You can see from this list that the decking boards are actually just one component in the building of a deck. In addition, their is a large amount of time, either the DIY or a contractor involved. However, the most visible part of a deck is the decking. That is what your family and guests will see. Once we came to this conclusion, the customer bought his Jatoba.