by Rosi Lehr

Created on: August 12, 2009

Ipe Great for Furniture and Accessories

Wondering what to do with your extra Ipe decking? Looking for outdoor seating? Want outdoor flower pots and/or accessories? What better way to use your Ipe than in those applications especially for outdoor living. Those of us who order a little too much material and feel like you have to do something with it, this would be perfect. What better product to use for longevity, aesthetics and strength? Not only that but a material that is insect and also mold/mildew resistant. This would be a beautiful accessory to your decking making it look all the more custom utilizing a couple flower pots for the entrance and a seating bench for relaxing in front of your garden. Be creative and have fun with it. You can utilize it as a siding to give your home a unique look with rich but warm slats. Maybe a pergola with a lounger underneath would be a nice touch. Whatever the application, it will be a permanent one with no worries of deterioration.

This also applies for your indoor furniture. If you are looking for a kid and pet friendly wood, than this is the wood for you. Ipe is the best hardwood for durability and strength. Whether it is a dining room table or coffee table to your child's dresser, you can rest assured it will be a sturdy and beautiful piece. Also known as Brazilian Walnut, Ipe is warm and rich in color with tight grains for a dense and heavy material. It can be used in traditional and modern applications and designs. This wood is A- rated for fire resistance, same as concrete. FSC certified Ipe is also readily available for those of you who would like some LEED's points for utilizing a product that can be traced back to its selective harvesting forests.

The DIYer's may have a little problem with this wood as it is so hard. Ipe is more than 8x's harder than California Redwood and is so dense it may sink in water so you can imagine what it must be like to work with. Newer technology has given us access to utilizing this wood whereas in the past the density of this hardwood was too difficult to warrant its use. Special tools need to be used to cut through this dense wood. Don't let this detour you from using this exotic hardwood as this is also an indication of the longevity and durability of your future heirloom.

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