Learn how to Prevent Problems and Future Decking Maintenance

The best way to prevent decking problems is to ensure that your deck was installed correctly in the first place.

Here are five crucial steps that will prolong the life of your deck:

1) Buy decking that is premium grade. When shopping for exotic hardwoods like ipe, it’s important to know the difference between premium/clear grade and common grade.

• Common/Select Grade – Contains sap wood and visible knots & worm holes. Common grade also can be poorly milled (called hit and miss planing). Common grade also has a huge color variance from very light blond to almost black wood.
• Premium/Clear – Best grade, period. All heart and no sapwood. Zero knots, or worm holes. Carefully milled material which highlights the well-blended colors with some boards showing their natural accents.

2) Use an  end sealer prior to installation. This is a critical part of decking installation and will help prevent future problems. Learn more about end grain sealer.

3) Apply deck oil. Choosing the right deck oil finish for ipe or any other hardwood decking will be prevent many problems including warping, checking, splits, and cracks.

4) Use a deck fastening system. Using hidden deck fasteners not only make your deck surface more attractive, but they also allow your new deck to expand and contract throughout the course of its life without much impediment.

5) Properly straighten bowed deck boards. Installing bowed boards, or forcing them in with flimsy tools and methods might save you some install time, but in the long run, you might also be decreasing the overall structural integrity and look of your deck. Nothing is a bigger pain that having to repair boards that get loose from the joist. Using deck tools like the Hardwood Wrench® will save you the headaches (and backaches) of having to make future repairs.

6) Don’t rush. When you take care in the installation process, you’ll find that you:

• Get more enjoyment out of installing wood decking
• End up with a stronger, and better looking deck
• Gain years of personal enjoyment out of using it

If you breeze through any of these steps, or skip one of them, you might end up having to put more time and work into maintaining your deck. Ultimately,these decking products will greatly enhance the look and performance of your future deck. If you have any other questions, or would like to speak to a professional, contact us:

Building a deck is something that you want done right the first time without any regrets. One sure way to have a deck that you can look at years from now and still feel great about is through making sure that your initial deck installation is done correctly and efficiently.

Let’s face it…how awesome would it be to take that first step out onto your deck and see a clean

and smooth deck without any nails or popups?

If that’s the deck you want to have, then using deck fasteners are highly recommended. One of the most cost-efficient and effective deck fasteners systems on the market today is made by the Ipe Clip® brand.

Ipe Clip® deck fasteners have the following features:

• Created with High Strength UV Resistant material
• Build a deck without laborious and time-consuming “face screwing” methods
• Complete deck fastener kits with screws are available
• Quickly and efficient deck installation
• Deck fasteners allow for proper expansion and contraction of deck boards
• Hidden deck fasteners leave no unattractive screw holes or splinters
• Less deck installation time = decreased labor costs
• Can be used with Air-dried decking, kiln-dried decking, and composite decking

The versatility of ipe clips makes them the perfect option for domestic hardwoods, exotic hardwoods, softwoods, synthetic decking, or composite decking materials.

So, if you’re looking to deck fastening to ensure that your deck looks clean and attractive for years to come, check out the folks at Ipe Clip®. They even have a great deck fastener calculator that will show you exactly how many deck fasteners you will need to build your deck. How handy is that!?!