When comparing teak to other hardwoods, you'll be surprised how affordable the alternatives are.

You may have noticed that this blog mentions teak quite a bit. This is because we often get people asking us what alternatives there are to one specific species of this popular hardwood, Burmese Teak. There are many high-quality and affordable alternatives to Burmese Teak.

• Ipe Decking
• Cumaru Decking
• Tigerwood Decking
• Garapa Decking

These four species offer better looks, resiliency, and are more affordable. Yes, even ipe is WAY more affordable than Burmese Teak. In my opinion, all of those previously mentioned exotic hardwood species also look better too. They also have the advantage of needing no maintenance thanks to strong termite, mold, and decay resistance.

At Advantage Trim & Lumber, when you want to buy decking, you now have more than one option. Feel free to call us directly (via the info below), or through our online hardwood store.

Buy Tongue & Groove Ipe Decking Today

Advantage Trim & Lumber now offers a quick, easy, and affordable way to find Ipe T&G. Now, buy tongue and groove ipe decking can be as easy as ordering a book from Amazon.com.

We have all the sizes you would need with the best prices:

• 1 x 4 Ipe T&G
• 1 x 6 Ipe T&G
• 1×6 +PLUS ® T&G
• 5/4 x 4 Ipe T&G
• 5/4 x 6 Ipe T&G

Lengths from 3 to 20 feet are available. And, if you have a custom order, you can always contact us directly:

You might be surprised to know that hardwood breathes. Well, not literally, but throughout the course of the year hardwood decking will absorb and release moisture from the air. This process makes the wood expand and contract. So, when installing hardwoods like ipe decking, it’s important to know how to properly space each deck board so that, when the wood does “breathe” you won’t run into problems such as a warping, or the deck boards butting up against one another.

Here’s our recommendation for Gap Spacing Ipe Decking:

Allow 1/16″ gaps between deck boards. This space is ideal for proper for air circulation, water drainage along with wood contraction & expansion.

For ipe decking, the average rate of shrinkage is roughly 1/16″ on 4″ wide boards and 3/32″ on 6″ wide boards.

Now that you know what gap spacing is good for ipe decking, you can install your deck with confidence knowing that you’re using the best hardwood for decking and that it will have a better chance of lasting over 40 years with no maintenance required.