What product should I use to clean and restore my Ipe deck?
Our company Otter Creek located in Ontario, Canada has a couple of product lines the work well when trying to restore or finish a Ipe, Tigerwood or Cumaru deck for the first time or restoring after several years. We have found good results in the Woodrich Hardwood Finishing Kit and the Cutek Green products. Both products have attributes that other stain and sealers don’t offer. The Woodrich product is formulated with natural pigments that are found in Ipe (Amaretto color formula) and with Tigerwood and Cumaru its the (Brown Sugar color formula). When applied because the stain is formulated to the natural pigments found in these tropical hardwood species it takes longer for the UV rays to break down the wood surface which in turn results in graying of the wood surface. Most homeowners and contractors are finding they only need to apply once every two years. The other big plus is the product will not peel and flake which is a very big issue when dealing with stain products for hardwoods.
The Cutek Green works in a similar way but deeper penetration occurs with this product because it has a special wood preservative formula that migrates through the entire pc of wood (not just the surface) and provides additional stability to species such as tropical hardwoods and domestic species such a Pressure Treated Spruce, Pine, Fir and Western Red Cedar. The migration takes place within the living cells of the wood that contain water and drives the water out making the wood product more stable and protected against rot, twist and warping of your deck boards. Its available in 18 different stain colors and the colors come in packets that you mix into the clear product. Decking contractors like this product because it can be wet stacked which speeds up the installation time. Because the penetration rate is quicker than most products there is no worry of lap marks or brush stroke marks appearing from stopping and starting over a hour or days time.
Both of these products can be purchased at Otter Creek by shopping online at www.myocstore.com or by calling 1-800-981-3590.








