This Pergola made of ipe wood will last for decades and will stand up to the everyday stresses of a hot and humid tropical environment.

Ipe wood can be useful and dependable in many applications. Because this exotic hardwood is so durable it can be used in a wide variety of outdoor applications. With high strength characteristics such as mold, decay, and insect resistance, you can build with confidence and create a truly noteworthy structure of your very own.

Here are the 10 things you can build with Ipe (specifically ipe boards that run from 3′ to 7′): more…

Sometimes, we have people and customers who ask us why we spell ipe, i-p-e. We’ve even had a competitor call to gloat over the fact that our site was riddled with spelling mistakes, “You also forgot to spell epay wood correctly!” He was actually serious. When we tried to correct him, he actually scoffed at us. We’re not trying to call anyone out, but it actually makes sense that people would think we are making a mistake. After all, when you see the letters i-p-e in a word, the common pronounciation is “eye-p” (in dictionaries, “ahyp”).

So, let’s set the record straight, epay wood is really spelled ipe wood:-)

Here’s a fun fact: The word “ipê” itself comes from what people believe to be from the language of native  the South American Tupi-Guaraní. This indigenous people have lived in Brazil and throughout South American countries like Paraguay for centuries. Given that fact and the influence of the Portugese in the area, it wouldn’t be surprising if, upon discovering this fabulous and extremely hard tree, the Portuguese would consult with the local people to find out what they named such a unique wood. Ironically, there is a Guaraní words that deal with trees: ypekũ, when translated into English means “woodpecker.” Is there a connection? Possibly. It’s still pretty much a mystery.

I hope this clears up the confusion. If anything, you learned something pretty cool about the strongest and most versatile decking option in the world today, ipe wood.

Great news out of Wisconsin! The city of Green Bay is well on its way to completed a major municipal project called the City Deck.

Of course, this news wouldn’t make this blog without the additional nugget that this commercial project is using ipe decking.

Yes, this is NOT Green Bay! Just another awesome pic of ipe decking;-)

Think about it…

What other hardwood decking will be able to, year after year, withstand the bitter cold and heavy snow of a Green Bay winter? Pressure treated decking? Heck no! Composite decking? Yeah, right. The plastic will delaminate, then soak up water like a sponge until it finally disintegrates. Ugh. The hardworking people of Green Bay deserve better than that and I’m glad to see that they did their research and chose the perfect decking material for their specific climate.

At Advantage Trim & Lumber, our ipe decking can be purchased at wholesale prices. You can order wholesale decking is available to anyone who needs a truckload or shipping container’s worth of this exotic hardwood.