Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
finishing Ipe *LINK*
Adam in Kingston
>Hello,
Earlier this wek I picked up 50bf of Ipe for an outdoor trestle table and some benches. Man is this stuff heavy and hard. Hesterday I milled all the stock down and I'm starting to think about finishes. From what I understand, left untreated it will weather to a silver gray. I would like to preserve the natural color. What finish would work well: I was thinking about a spar varnish/oil blend. Any ideas?
Re: finishing Ipe
Steve knight
>remeber the wood may not be dry so you should seal the ends when you cut it.
Re: finishing Ipe
Dick Schmidt, Beaufort, NC
>I've used ipe for several outdoor projects, one of which I finished with marine spar varnish. My first coat was thinned 1/3 with mineral spirits and then I put on 4 unthinned coats. I have since added an additional coat each year after a light sanding. It has done well in partial shade. I suggest you plan on not nailing ipe but predrill for lubricated screws. This is one hard, heavy wood.
Ipe
Alan Stine
>Built an Ipe trestle table last fall and finished it with Mesmers. Gives it some UV protection with a nice oil finish. Have heard good things about Penofin also, same benefits. I sealed the ends with anchorseal during the early cross cutting stages when the wood sat around for awhile. It checks a bit no matter what and has some serious movement. It's a challenge to work, and especially tough on the chisels. Just took some pix and will post soon.