The Forest Stewardship Council was founded in 1993 due to concerns over global deforestation. FSC is a certification system that provides internationally recognized standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry. How FSC does this is by putting value behind the product. Marketing the improved social and environmental standards in those select forests through certification, labeling and international recognition, FSC is able to promote responsible forest practices and give consumers something to be pride to purchase. FSC is recognized as the most credible organization in forest management.
The requirements for certification with this prestigious organization is stringent. Your organization must be committed financially as well as make the required changes to affected areas and apply processes to comply with the FSC requirements. Some of those involve setting aside warehouse space and thoroughly labeling the areas that the FSC certified lumber will be housed in, especially if non FSC material will be in close proximity. The paperwork involved in buying and selling FSC lumber must also be accounted for separately as annual audits are performed. The initial audit consists of being well organized in all requirements or be re-audited at your expense.
Ipe is one of the many species that you can purchase with the prestigious FSC certification. Ipe decking and Ipe hardwood flooring are commonly used for many commercial and residential applications, coveted for its strength and natural beauty. This hardwood is originally from South America, Central America and parts of the Caribbean. The janka hardness for this super wood is 3680 compared with the California Redwood at 420. This gives you an idea of the density and strength Ipe has. Naturally resistant to insects, mold, fungus and decay, Ipe has a life expectancy of 40 plus years with no treatment. If you had a UV Inhibitor you can add 60 plus additional years to that estimate. Fire rating for this species is a class A same as concrete and steel. This hardwood is a truly renewable resource.
Ipe with the FSC certification is as good as it gets. You have the strongest wood available with a stamp for responsible forest management and LEEDs points are available for interior designers as well as architects. Advantage Trim & Lumber is an established distributor of this decking and can custom mill to your specifications. Discriminating clients and commercial projects that require a green product will fall in love with this hardwood. What is spent on this wood will more than make up for itself in time with cost of removing and replacing inferior products. Who wants to waste the time and energy doing that?

Eco-friendly, green, recycled, renewable, environmentally friendly, sustainable, bio-degradable and energy efficient are all key words used more and more often these days. This is a positive movement that has grown internationally and is well marketed. We all want to contribute to saving the planet and doing our part to keep our earth clean and free of chemicals and pollutants. There are now many organizations that are set up to help us do just that. Let’s take a look at what this means and how a wood deck such as Ipe can be eco-friendly.

First what is eco-friendly mean? If we don’t google it, I would say it means friendly to our environment, no chemicals no harmful out-gassing and uses only raw materials. The wikipedia definition states it is product that inflicts little or no harm to the environment. This is a very grey area. Now lets apply this to decking. There are several products available; pressure treated, composite and hardwood decks.

Composite decking is the least environmentally friendly product. Let me state that this product is marketed as green but let’s examine a few things first. The decking is man made from plastic or composite that has been recycled. Testing performed on the recycled plastic (High Density Polyethylene ) has confirmed that the recycling process loses some of its original tensile strength and the recycled product does not readily biodegrade in the landfills. The fact that this plastic is made of petroleum also escapes the corporations that tote its environmental benefits. Petroleum is costly and sometimes environmentally damaging. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill is one example of the damages transportation of petroleum has caused. Now going back to the loss of tensile strength, how does that affect the life of the deck once installed in an external environment? What happens when plastic is exposed to heat over a long period of time? Again google one of the composite company names to expose warping, staining, flaking, molding, fungus and other complaints and lawsuits. If you are replacing your deck in less than 10 years time is it really environmentally friendly or if you have to apply chemicals to it to prevent mold and fungus? Do a little homework and you will realize wood is the only eco-friendly decking resource.

Wood is a renewable, recyclable and totally biodegradable product. This product is a primary producer in that it only requires its natural habitat to develop and grow. The sun, water and soil along with the seed produced from another tree is all required to make this raw product. Wood uses less energy to process than steel, concrete, plastic and aluminum. It is used for insulation and has low thermal diffusivity (measure of how quickly a material can absorb heat from its surroundings). The only downside is wood made of certain species of wood will not be as dense and strong as others and would require some type of treatment to be useable outdoors. The new technology now available has opened doors to allow other wood to be available that has otherwise been un-accessible.

Pressure treated decking has been the most commonly used lumber. This lumber is in-expensive, readily accessible and easy to install. The chemicals used to treat lumber, has helped its resistance to insects, decay and mold/fungus. The only problem is the chemicals used to pressure treat the lumber has been chromated copper arsenate, a toxic chemical used until about 2003 and now other chemicals are used such as copper azone but no current information has been supplied as to whether it is any less hazardous also CCA is still being used in certain industrial and marine applications.

Ipe decking is made from a hardwood with origins in South America, Central America and parts of the Caribbean. This hardwood is one of the strongest densest woods available. The janka hardness for Ipe is 3680 compared to the California redwood at 420. The fire spread is rated the same as concrete and steel. Naturally resistant to mold, fungus, decay and insects, Ipe requires no chemicals. The lifetime of the wood without a UV inhibitor is 40 plus years and with the inhibitor over 100 years. Ipe has a slip co-efficiency above the requirement for commercial applications for restaurants and hotels. This is the deck you will get to enjoy without all the maintenance. FSC certified Ipe is also available for the most discriminating clients and projects. The Forest Stewardship Council will certify that your lumber comes from a responsibly managed forest. Now that is as eco-friendly as it gets.

     The hidden deck fasteners have become the hottest thing to hit the decking market. This product gives a seamless and custom look to any deck. The Ipe Clip brand fastener is the one I recommend for several reasons. They offer several models in 3 colors for wood and composite decking and a quick and easy installation process plus they have 3 times the strength of competing fasteners. This product is made in the USA and has many dealers throught the US and internationally.

     The standard is recommended for air-dried wood and composite made with fiberglass-reinforced materials that is up up to three times the strength of the other fasteners. This model as well as the others is available in brown, black and grey to match any of your decking needs. The fasteners work great with decking grooved with a biscuit jointer since the size allows for plenty of tolerance within the cut. The installation steps are quite simplistic. Secure the first deck board to the joist with a 90 degree vertical screw, can install an Ipe Plug if this is an Ipe deck. Place an Ipe Clip fastener into the board groove above the joist, than run a screw at 45 degrees (for hardwoods) or 90 degrees for composite decking. Slide the next deck board over the exposed half of the previously installed fastener. That is it and the process is the same for all models.

    The Extreme Ipe Clip brand fasteners are recommended for air dried wood and composite wood as well but include a premium grade stainless steel reinforced insert molded inside the fastener for increased holding power. This makes it nearly unbreakable and provides maximum holding strength in extreme hot and cold climates. This model is recommended for stronger hardwoods such as Ipe, Cumaru, Tigerwood, etc.

     The ExtremeKD hidden deck fasteners are made out of a pliable material with a hollow leg that compresses as kiln-dried material expands on its width, this model also contains the stainless steel insert. The soft body allows for expansion of the deck boards, while the rigid stainless steel insert maintains maximum holding power to keep the boards held firmly to the joist. This model is suitable for kiln-dried wood and many composite materials. If you are not certain what model to choose from than this is the one for you as it has all the properties available for strength, durability and longevity. The website http://www.ipeclip.com has easy to follow instructions and detailed information as well as contact information for your purchasing needs.

     If you are building a new deck, you want it to look nice without screwholes all over the top of the deck plus it won’t snag your feet.