Replies

1. 
   Sphere | Apr 28, 2006 05:53am | #1

   Good finish. Other wise toxicity for a prep surface.

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Damm, I miss that stuff

2. 
   zak | Apr 28, 2006 06:40am | #2

   What sphere said- lots of people are allergic to that stuff, and that's a concern in the making of the counter and the finished product.  You'll want to use epoxy (like West System) to glue up, yellow glue won't work.  And I think Ipe does machine well, it will just dull all your blades and bits quickly.

   I've got a Maple and Jatoba counter (long grain, not end grain) that I use for prep, cutting, you name it.  It's crack free after 3 years now.  My father has a Maple prep counter in his house that came out of a bakery, I think the counter is about 80 years old now.  No cracks.  But Ipe is an attractive wood, I'm not trying to talk you out of it.

   zak

   "so it goes"

3. 
   rr_mdi | Apr 28, 2006 06:53am | #3

   It will certainly be strong enough! You could probably chop fire wood on it without damaging it too much either. hehehe. I hope you don't think you'll be lifting that monster by yourself do you? They don't call it 'iron wood' for nothing.

   Keep us posted. Interested to hear the outcome.

   Richard

1. 
   tsailordog | Jan 26, 2008 08:43pm | #4

   We finally went with oak stained black and coated with a three component system provided by a local company the formulates industrial finishes. So far we have had no problems and a lot of compliments. I still would have liked to try the ipe but perhaps on something a little less important to start. The counter was 17 feet in length with a wavey front.
   John

1. 
   reinvent | Jan 26, 2008 08:47pm | #5

   How about some pics. We like pics.

1. 
   tsailordog | Jan 26, 2008 08:57pm | #6

   I'll do this. What is the best way?
   John

1. 
   reinvent | Jan 26, 2008 09:03pm | #7

   When you reply you will see a blue box below that says Attach Files. Click on that and choose the jpegs you have placed on your desk top. Thats just one way.

2. 
   tsailordog | Feb 02, 2008 12:59am | #10

   This might be a shot the new counter

3. 
   sarison | Feb 03, 2008 06:01am | #11

   bump

4. 
   hipaul | Feb 03, 2008 08:09am | #15

   I'm glad this thread got bumped....I definitely missed it the first time around. I built some Ipe countertops a couple of years ago. They look beautiful. The one problem they've had is a bit of splitting at the joints around the sink and stove cutouts. They're assembled plank style, so there's 5 1/2" of wood to move even though Ipe is pretty stable. I had bad luck joining it with Titebond III so I went with Gorilla glue. Still some problems; if I do it again I'll use a 2 part epoxy, as that seemed to work great for some smaller ipe glue ups. I finished it with a german hardwax oil (natural product by german company OSMO). The ipe absorbs so little oil that I had to use a bunch of really thin coats before it built up enough to stop water spotting.I built a small bookcase using the ipe cutout from the stove countertop. The fir is all remilled from some 70 year old framing lumber I took out of a dormer addition remodel, and some old fir shelves that another homeowner gave me. Finished that with hardwax oil as well.I also just finished building a kitchen island with a maple top (came from an old flooring display) and a solid ipe base. Finished that one with h2o poly on top and oil poly on the base to give it the nice white maple to rich red brown ipe contrast.I love working with ipe and I hate it. It takes a lot more work for sure, but it's kind of challenging and fun as well. When I routed out the undermount sink cutout I hit interlocked grain a few times and even with the router firmly held and sped-down, I nearly got thrown...I was seriously white-knuckled after finishing it. The router caught and ripped out a big chunk of counter right at the faucet side of the cutout as well....it took some creative shaping and filling with elmer's white glue and ipe sanding dust to get it to look good again.Paulhttp://www.pauljohnsoncarpentry.com

   
5. 
   alanj | Feb 04, 2008 12:30am | #16

   Beautiful stuff, nice work. I really like the island.
   Sounds scarey to work with!Alan

2. 
   IdahoDon | Jan 27, 2008 12:19am | #8

   Ipe is used for furniture down south, much like we use oak, so there's nothing that would indicate it wouldn't be a great counter top.  Unless someone is making sanding dust on a daily basis or chewing on the stuff, I'd be very surprised if anyone would have a sensitivity to the wood, especially under a finish of any kind. 

   Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

1. 
   sarison | Feb 01, 2008 06:08am | #9

   what finish should be applied.  I am thinking of making a small top out of it but I don't know what to put on it.  Salad bowl oil might work?! 

   Dustin

    

1. 
   IdahoDon | Feb 06, 2008 03:31am | #21

   Whatever finish you want be sure and test it first.  Ipe works best with an oil-type finish and something that forms a hard shell, such as poly, just won't work nearly as well.  Something as simple as paste wax will work well if you don't mind reapplying it.

   Cheers 

   Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

4. 
   RobWes | Feb 03, 2008 06:05am | #12

   Don't cut on it unless you mount a permanent knife sharpener to it. Stuff is tough as nails on cutting edges.

   I'm not saying it won't look great if you pick out the proper grain pattern.

1. 
   sarison | Feb 03, 2008 06:09am | #13

   I was actually thinking of glueing up edge grain just like butcher block.  I wouldn't cut directly on it.  I have a wall in my kitchen where my fridge used to be that I installed a DW and am looking for a suitable top.  Since I already have the ipe, I thought that might work, I just don't know what to seal it with.

5. 
   Mongo | Feb 03, 2008 06:32am | #14

   I used a fair amount of teak in my house for countertops. Similar look as ipe, but a bit more friendly.

   View Image
   Above: Used West Systems to epoxy everything tigether. 5" thick end grain butcher block, about 3' by 4'.

   View Image

   View Image
   Above: Put about 18' of 30" deep countertop in the kitchen, all 8/4.

   View Image
   ABOVE: Used it in the bathroom as well.

   For the kitchen countertops I used mineral oil. Easy to renew, doesn't get dinged like a film finish might.

   In the bathroom, for the countertops and the teak tub deck, I used a film finish. Not as likely to get dinged in the bath as it might in the kitchen, an more durable in terms of makeup and toothpaste, etc.

   No regrets. Mineral oil in the kitchen gets renewed maybe every 4-6 months, takes about 10 minutes or so.

   Mongo

   
1. 
   DougU | Feb 04, 2008 07:12am | #17

   Mongo

   View Image

   That is one sharp looking bathroom!

   I'm curious, why teak for the butcherblock?

   Doug

1. 
   Mongo | Feb 04, 2008 08:34pm | #18

   My wife wanted wood countertops, and I wanted them as low-maintenance as possible. The wood needed to be great around water with the undermount sink and the numerous teenage kitchen get-togethers that my kids have with their friends. The kitchen is used daily, we're not take-out or microwave folks.Naturally darker woods were preferred as the kitchen flooring is a dark brazilian cherry. No light wood and staining was considered. I didn't want a film finish.The road eventually lead us towards teak.Didn't want to mix woods in the kitchen, so I just kept everything teak. Some wacky grain here and there, a couple of spots of "cross-grain" etc, but it's held together fine. No failed epoxy lines and it gets daily (ab)use.The butcherblock? No damage at all to the end grain, it's as rock solid and pristine looking as it was when first installed. No chipping, etc. As for the knives on teak, I usually take 10 seconds and use a steel to sharpen prior to prep work, so dull knives are not a problem. The butcher block is higher than normal, as I'm 6'4" and it's my prep surface. My wife who is 5'1", uses the other lower countertops for prepping, and she always cuts on a cutting board.Mongo

1. 
   user-148875 | Feb 04, 2008 10:34pm | #19

   just throwing it out there... Teragren makes and end grain bamboo butcher block top. i've got it on my kitchen island, and I love it! sorry no photo though...

1. 
   Mongo | Feb 04, 2008 11:59pm | #20

   Teragren is the only type of bamboo I recommend. They've really expanded their product line over the past 10 years, and in my opinion have maintained a quality product.

2. 
   Douglisiano | Jun 14, 2014 11:55am | #22

   Bathroom Sink

   My wife admired your sink in this bathroom picture.  Are you able to provide a manufacturer and model number?  Thanks.

3. 
   Mongo | Jun 14, 2014 09:43pm | #23

   It's the 30" Kohler Memoirs sink. Designed as a pedestal sink, I bought just the top and dropped it in the countertop. Love the sink. Large bowl, wide rim. Works well for us.

   http://www.us.kohler.com/us/Memoirs-Stately-30-pedestal-bathroom-sink-with-8-widespread-faucet-holes/productDetail/Memoirs/417549.htm;jsessionid=2F98E6E3AD1E898F0165F3A3919CC779.kohler-prod2-ecom2