I never got around to showing pictures of this deck we finished over the winter on the house that we have been finishing up:
The deck is made of Ipe, (pronounced ee-pay). It is a Brazilian Hardwood that is extremely dense and strong, (and incidentally, available locally at Voyageur Lumber in Ely).
This deck has already started to atain the silver/gray color of the weathered Ipe. They do make an oil for it, but I think the best thing with this type of wood is to just let it weather.
Overlooking the lake. A perfect late spring/early summer day near Ely Minnesota with the blue sky reflecting in the surface of the water… |
Rather than have the visual obstruction of a railing around the part of the deck that would have been high enough to fall off and get hurt, and also to add visual interest, we dropped this portion of the deck.
The true beauty of the Ipe decking can be seen when you take a closer look. The grain patterns are amazing.
Truly a visually spectacular wood. |
Luna Moth, (Actias luna), near Ely Minnesota.
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More of her photos, (not all bugs), can be seen here: http://pinterest.com/akittelsen/