Tigerwood & Ipé Maintenance
It's exotic natural beauty, sustainable harvesting practices, strength and durability make Tigerwood & Ipé blue ribbon winners!
This wood requires no specific maintenance!
We recommend applying Penofin Exotic Hardwood Oil to your deck three times the first year as it is final curing and acclimating to its environment.
Note: First application upon finishing the deck and then every 3 months, weather permitting, until 3 applications are completed.
After the first year we recommend oiling every year in the Spring and then again in the fall before the heavy rains and snow.
Tigerwood and Ipé are very dense and durable hardwoods and do not require oiling or sealing!
Oiling your deck is for appearance purposes only.
The United States Forestry Dept. conducted a 25 year study that concluded Ipé Brazilian Hardwood left unsealed and weathered naturally should last 50+ years. If oiled once or twice yearly they estimated 100+ year life span.
Ipé and Tigerwood if left unsealed will weather to a silver gray patina within 2-3 years. However, it is a surface graying only and if pressure washed and oiled you will regain the original color.
We recommend that Tigerwood and Ipé should be sealed upon installation to assist in the acclimation process and reduce the potential for surface checking. Penetrating oil based sealers with pigmentation and UV inhibitors like Penofin are generally found to provide superior performance over water based sealers. Do not over apply sealers. Excessive application of oil based sealers may create a sticky surface and will not extend their performance.
