Discuss Deck-building: composite or Ipe? on IKEAFANS.com. We're Personalizing the IKEA Experience. Deck-building: composite or Ipe? - How'd you like a place to consult with your trusted forum friends about matters not entirely or necessarily related to kitchens or IKEA? Here it is! Use your discretion and remember that these forums are moderated and PUBLIC!.
My son learned the hard way this week that we need to replace our cedar deck. (no injuries, just a surprise plunge of the foot through a rotten board!) I know there's a ton of info out on the web about environmentally friendly decking materials, but I'd like to hear from any of you with knowledge or experience on this topic. What I can glean from places like gardenweb is that composite is controversial, some brands are better than others, and some have had mold or mildew issues. Ipe (an import from Brazil) seems to be very popular, is harder to install, costs about the same, and is supposedly going to last forever, even if I don't seal or stain it. I like the look of Ipe better than the Trex (to name just one of the composites), but I actually have no problem with the more artificial look of Trex for our homely mid-century house.
The question I need help with is the environmental impact of choosing Ipe, which I like better, on balance. Proponents say, of course, that it's sustainably harvested, but that is hard to verify and it still seems like it contributes to deforestation in a crucial part of the world. Sure, maybe some of it is harvested only when agriculture is expanding and the forest will be cut anyway, but wouldn't I still be contributing to the problem? But apparently Ipe gets used in public projects all the time (boardwalks in Atlantic City?), which makes me wonder if it's more benign than I realize.
Trex is 100% recycled material, and something like 90% post-consumer waste.
The cost of transport should also factored in, I suppose, and the composite decking (I think) is more locally produced.
So what do you know about this issue? Thanks in advance, and happy independence day!
The only thing I know is that my mom had a gigantic Trex deck put in 2 years ago and I covet it... It looks so nice and the only bad thing about it is that dog's nails scratch it. I'm looking forward to watching this thread!
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I'm not sure why being utilized in a public project would make you think the use of ipe is more benign? As far as I can tell, there are very few places in this country that take green concerns seriously when it comes to building and bids.
Ummm... I certainly wouldn't look to Atlantic City as a model of Environmentally conscious public policy. It's kinda the Los Vegas of the Eastern seaboard.
My gut reaction would be the Ipe, as I pretty much always prefer organic materials, and it's really nice wood. That said, the Trex may very well be a more responsible choice given it's recycled content. One thing might be to see if you can get references for folks that have had one or the other for a few years and see what they think? I totally agree on the iffyness of the "sustainably harvested" claim, I wonder what kind of documentation the dealer/lumber yard can produce?
James
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We're using composite lumber for the deck and the railings on the deck and porch on our new house. I like that it is made from recycled materials and that it is not being shipped from another continent.
Another factor for me is that there will be next to no maintenance, I don't have to worry about rot or warpage, AND according to the warranty, it should outlast me.
I figure choosing materials that will last a long time and not need frequent replacing is an environmentally responsible concept. That's why the exterior of my house is Hardie planks, metal roof, concrete floors and Azek trim.
Thanks! Originally I was going for a house that during our lifetimes would need little maintenance. Given my parents' ages, that would mean that materials would need to last at least 30 years. But over in the THS House Building Forum a while back there was a thread about building to last versus disposable houses, and I realized that was what I was doing.
We have a concrete slab and ICF (insulated concrete forum) walls, so the basic structure is extremely solid. I did cheap out on windows - vinyl - so those may have to be replaced in my old age. But everything else should not need a lot of replacement or maintenance.
Somebody asked me if the IKEA cabinets would be replaced. Frankly, we've lived in a mobile home with the original cheap, cruddy cabinets, and only replaced them because we were replacing the floors. So I figure, the IKEA cabinets should last me the thirty years I am shooting for.
There are some pictures of our house building process on my web site and my blog. I'm way behind on posting pictures, but I've been sorting and editing them this week and should get caught up by Monday.
If you like the look of them equally well, I would go with the Trex because it is recycled, and it's warranteed, so if it fails, you have recourse. If the Ipe acts up, I'm not sure that there's anything you can do about it.
ita about the trex for recycled... my thoughts on recycled vs sustained is the products being recycled are already here, the forest needs to be cut down, even if it's "sustainable"
Read the wikipedia entry for ipe, or other Google searches, and though there does seem to be a lot of FSC ipe out there, I think there are lots of reasons to not trust that it is really a sustainable product. It's difficult for me to believe that much/some of the illegally harvested wood isn't making its way into the FSC stream. Probably a more difficult task than certifying diamonds and ivory.
Also, I would think that the carbon footprint of the ipe, traveling a few thousand miles more than Trex, would likely be much bigger.
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