We explain how to maintain an IPE deck so that it keeps its rich color. We have discussed IPE deck maintenance before but wanted to provide an update on Brian’s 4-year-old Deck.
Annual Ipe deck maintenance is a two step process – Clean and then oil.
Step 1 – Cleaning your Ipe deck
You will clean your Ipe deck with the following mixture
You can reduce the bleach (cut in half) if you do not have mold or darkened old oil finish.
Use a deck scrub brush
You must give you deck a really good rinse. You don’t want any residual soap.
Let the deck dry for a couple days.
Step 2 – Oil your Ipe Deck
Oiling the deck will bring back the color, make the wood grain ‘pop’ and make it look really awesome gain.
Handyguy Brian has tried a few different products. The product used in this video is from Penofin
Handyguy Brian has also used “Ipe Oil
You can apply the oil with a brush, roller or sprayer. Brian like a large brush that can attach to a pole
Follow the manufactures directions. You oil then wipe off extra within about 30 minutes. If it’s hot or you are in direct sun it may be less than 30 mins. Do not let the extra oil get tacky or dry, wipe it off.
Thanks for watching and enjoy your deck! Remember, this clean/oil process will be yearly if you want your Ipe deck to not look gray.
Really helpful info about deck maintenance. The video made the procedure much more easy for me. Thanks Handyguys! Keep it up 🙂
Hi
I have been following your site for suggestions to keep my IPE deck looking the rich mahogany color it was in the beginning. I cleaned and oiled it with the Penofin as suggested in the Fall following the installation in June. We cleaned and oiled it again the next Spring. However it began to look gray and dirty anyway. We finally decided that this was way more work than our old deck which only required a power wash each Spring. So we decided to let it go gray naturally. (I was told that if we oiled it then it would last about 75 yrs and if we didn’t it might only last 50 yrs. LOL Since we are already 68, I think 50 yrs will be fine!) I don’t mind the weathered look since we have a granite chimney and black iron railing, but it looked spotted and dirty. We cleaned it again this Spring with TSP no phosphorus formula (since we live by a lake) with little effect except for the 1 spot where the bucket leaked. It was lighter and cleaner so I washed it again but this time I tried your bleach (1cup not 2) and regular TPS and it is somewhat better but mostly still gray with red highlights…which is fine with me.
This is really my question…could we stain the IPE wood when we stain the house? Would that protect the wood? Will the wood absorb the stain or is it too dense?
I would NOT stain it. The stain will fade/fail quickly if in direct sun. It will look really bad until all the stain has faded evenly.
If my IPE deck is already grey, do I need to apply an oil after I clean it?
Only if you like the look of the oiled deck.
Our new IPE decks were installed about a year and a half ago but were never coats only the ends were sealed. We decided to clean and apply a coat of Penofin last October. The guys who did the work lightly water blasted the decks and did do a bit of light sanding in some areas. After three days (it was super hot) they coated with the Penofin for Hardwood with a brush and wiped each area before moving on. It is now April 2018 and the deck is looking very dry and weathered….again we have super hot weather on the decks in the summer. I thought I would not mind the grey weathered look but I realize I prefer the lovely look when it was coated last year with the Penofin Hardwood. They now want to sand, wash and after it drys recoat….
What should I do at this point?
Thanks for your advice : )
Welcome to my world. If you want the stained look then you will need to repeat the process every year. I have never found a solution to keep it looking new.
Hello I have an IPE deck and had not been touched in over 10 years. The board do have a little cracking and splintering on some. The boards are have some cupping, have you heard of people having success sanding ipe decks and bringing them back to life.
Thank you for the help.
You could.
Love all your help with IPE cleaning and maintenance. I’ve let my deck silver because I like this look on Cape Cod! With all the trees surrounding my back yard I have a lot of tree mold and pollen. I scrubbed an area and its seems like the deck reverts back to the lighter color. If left alone after I clean it, will this wood naturally silver again? And is it beneficial to apply an oil after it silvers again?
Thank you for any advice you can send my way.
So Brian, how did you like the performance of the Penofin vs the Ipe Oil. Did it last longer and allow touch-ups? I have a 4 year old ipe deck that we are cleaning for the first time, using your tsp/bleach/water mixture. I’m in the wet PNW so there has been some mold and algae growth in that time. We will oil it for the first time and wonder which you now prefer. Also, how do you wipe up the excess oil? Thanks so much for your detailed video–it helped so much.
I think I like both equally. The Ipe Oil and Penofin are on Amazon https://amzn.to/3ng3Pnb A local lumber yard to me also sold Penofin which is convenient.
Our ipe deck is over 12 years old and after a few years of annual oiling we have let it go gray. Can you tell me if either Penofin or Ipe Oil or another product can stand up to scratches made by dogs running across the deck? This is the reason we let our deck go gray but we do prefer the rich look of the oiled deck. Thank you.
if applied correctly, scratching should be minimal. If you don’t wipe extra off before it dries you will have more issues.