Great news! Ipe price comparisons are showing that, due to the volatile cost of oil, ipe prices are now more affordable than most composite decking and other synthetic decking materials.

How did ipe prices get this competitive?

It’s simple math. Composite decking uses polyurethane as a core ingredient. Polyurethane is a plastic derived from oil. And, due to the rapid overall rise of a barrel of oil, plastics and all other oil-based products have also risen. So, when you go to a large retailer and they tell you that composite decking is cheaper than ipe decking, you can tell them that is not the case any longer!

Ipe decking prices are not only better than most composite decking, but ipe decking in itself is also leagues better in terms of quality, health, and overall enjoyment!

Why? more…

Now more than ever, homeowners are looking at their home and thinking,

“With the housing market the way it is, we may be at this home for much longer than we thought. Is now the time to build a deck or do a room addition?”

In short, the answer may be “Yes!”

After all, if you are choosing rethink the length in which you and your family will occupy their home, then why not make the most of your time there?

There are many practical factors that you may not be aware which will make the decision to build a deck much easier… more…

GREAT NEWS! Ipe decking is now more affordable than most composite decking. For a while, this was not the case. However, since the price of oil is so volatile, the cost of composite decking materials have risen substantially.

Why is this the case?

Because composite decking uses polyethylene and polyethylene is made from oil. So, there’s no getting around it, because composite decking has a core ingredient that is tied to such a volatile commodity, anyone looking to build a deck with composite decking may have to spend a lot more than their budget calls for. A lot more!

What do you do now?

It’s time to consider ipe decking. Simply put, when you do a apples to apples comparison, ipe is far superior to composite decking.

Here are the facts to consider when comparing ipe to composite decking: more…

If you’ve ever tried building a deck one of the most annoying and agonizing things to do is deck board straightening. This is why Advantage Lumber offers the best deck tool on the market, the  Hardwood Wrench™ Deck Board Straightening Tool. This deck tool has been designed to straighten bowed decking boards without any extra effort on your part. I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a deck board wrench that has been engineered to straighten even some of the toughest hardwoods like ipe not too mention decking such as pressure-treated lumber, cedar, etc.

The Hardwood Wrench makes installing a deck really simple since it speeds up installation for a more precise and clean installation process. Plus, because the hardwood wrench cam locks into place and allows you to fasten the deck board while the wrench holds the deck board straight, there is no need for a second person to hold the deck board. I’m sure you can agree that freeing up that extra set of hands is important because they can be off doing something more productive. So, if you find yourself short on manpower, the hardwood wrench can deliver true hands free “one man” operation.

The Hardwood Wrench is a deck tool that has the following features: more…

The LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) was established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to provide the construction and building industries with a verifiable system to define exactly what a green building is. Using a point system, an eco-friendly building can achieve LEED certification. The more points a green building accumulates, the more prestigious the LEED Certification. If you think all it takes to get LEED Certified is screwing in a couple of compact fluorescent light bulbs, think again.  The USGBC has put in place a set of strict policies and procedures that must be followed. The good news is that there are various ways that a building project can earn LEED certified.

Here are the various LEED Certification levels:

• LEED Certified – 40-49 points
• LEED Silver – 50-59 points
• LEED Gold – 60-79 points
• LEED Platinum – 80 points & over

The Materials Resource Credit 7 (MRc7) is a great LEED credit to plan for. more…