Looking for advice on finishing Ipe for deck.
Used Flood CWF-UV, which didn’t make it through the summer here in NC last year.
Looked for a article in FHB, but couldn’t locate it-thought it tested some finishes for use outdoors on Ipe, etc.
Any help in either direction would be apprieciated,
Ed
Replies
Ed, my first choice would be Penofin brown label, for hardwoods. Penofin has always held up well for me.
CWF by Flood used to be a good product back in the 70's before the poisons were outlawed, now it's useless. There are many new products formulated for species like ipe. Ipe is very dense and doesn't allow coatings to penetrate or adhere well.
One of the reasons ipe is so popular for outdoor work is that it doesn't need any coating. If you choose to coat it, use something that is easy to renew, avoid film building finishes. You will need to remove what is left of the CWF. This company carries a variety of deck finishes and has good info on how to prepare before applying.
http://www.opwdecks.com/
Penofin Tropical Hardwood formula worked great for us.
Follow the directions and make sure you sand off any greyed wood.
We sold the house but after one treatment the deck looked amazing for two years.
After two years you are supposed to recoat then recoat again after 2 years and then
supposedly never again.
I originally used a product called SunFrog that was useless and faded after less than a month
in the sun!