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Ipe and hardwood decks

Ipe and Hardwood Deck Builders in Toronto and the GTA

The hardest, longest-lasting wood you can put on a deck. Built with pre-drilled or hidden fastening and framing designed for the weight.

Get a hardwood deck quote 647-280-9495
Ipe deck with glass railing in black aluminum posts and an ipe top rail in Burlington
Ipe deck with glass railing, Burlington
Why hardwood

A different category of material

Tropical hardwoods like ipe are dense enough to resist rot and insects without any chemical treatment. On the Janka hardness scale ipe measures about 3,684 pounds-force. Western red cedar is 350 and treated pine is around 690, so ipe is roughly ten times harder than cedar.

  • Will not dent under furniture or splinter underfoot
  • No treatment needed for rot or insect resistance
  • Oil it to hold the brown or let it weather to silver
  • Decades of service when framed and drained properly
  • Hidden fastening leaves a surface with no visible screws
Ipe stairs and glass railing running down to the paver walk in Burlington
Ipe stairs and glass railing, Burlington
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Hardwood against the other decking options

What mattersIpe hardwoodCompositeCedarPressure-treated
Upfront costHighestHighMiddleLowest
Hardness (Janka)About 3,684Not rated the same way350About 690
UpkeepOil for colour, or nothingWash onlySeal every 2 to 3 yearsSeal or stain every 2 to 3 years
If left aloneSilvers, stays soundHolds colourSilvers, softens over timeGreys and can split
InstallPre-drilled or hidden clipsTighter joist spacingStandardStandard
Built right

What a hardwood deck needs that a softwood one does not

Pre-drilling or hidden clips

Ipe will not accept a nail and will snap a screw driven straight in. Every fastening is pre-drilled and countersunk, or the boards hang on hidden clips in a grooved edge so the surface stays clean.

Carbide tooling

The density that makes the deck last is the same density that destroys blades. Carbide-tipped and still replaced more often than on any other deck.

Gapping for movement

Hardwood moves with humidity across its width. Boards get gapped for the season they are installed in, so a deck laid in a dry spell is spaced differently from one laid in August.

Framing for the weight

Ipe is far heavier than cedar or treated pine. The frame and the footings are sized for the load rather than copied from a softwood deck of the same size.

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Other deck options

Composite decks

Low-maintenance boards on properly spaced framing.

Learn more

Pressure-treated decks

The most budget-friendly deck to build.

Learn more

Cedar decks

Natural colour and a lighter, softer wood.

Learn more

Deck repair

Boards, stairs and railings on a sound frame.

Learn more

Hardwood deck questions

How long does an ipe deck last?
Decades. Ipe is dense enough to resist rot, insects and surface wear on its own, without treatment, and service lives of 25 years and more are normal when the deck is framed and drained properly. The frame underneath usually decides the lifespan before the boards do.
Does ipe have to be oiled?
Only if you want to keep the brown. Left alone, ipe weathers to a silver grey and loses nothing structurally. A penetrating hardwood oil once a season holds the deep colour. It is a look decision, not a maintenance requirement.
Why does hardwood cost more to install and not just to buy?
Because it fights back. Ipe will not take a nail, so every fastener is pre-drilled or the boards go on hidden clips. Blades have to be carbide and they still dull fast. The boards are heavy. The material is the bigger line on the quote, but the labour is genuinely higher too, and a price that treats ipe like cedar has missed that.
Is a hardwood deck slippery when wet?
A smooth, dense board sheds water rather than absorbing it, so it can be slick underfoot in rain in a way a softwood deck is not. Grooved board profiles and keeping the surface clear of algae both help, and it is worth thinking about on stairs in particular.
Can you mix hardwood with other materials?
Often the best use of the budget. Treated framing underneath, hardwood on the surface and the top rail, and glass or aluminum for the railing infill. You get the hardwood where it is seen and touched without paying for it where it is buried.

Thinking about hardwood?

Tell us the size and where it goes. We can price ipe against composite and cedar side by side so the difference is a decision rather than a surprise.

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