Meet Our Hardy Hardwoods: Mahogany and Ipe
With decks such an important space in today’s homes, it makes sense for quality-conscious homeowners to seek out premium materials to enhance the appeal and durability of their outdoor living additions. Clients are rediscovering the unique qualities and value of certain tropical hardwoods like red balau mahogany and ipe (pronounced “ee-pay”). In addition to the rich, natural beauty, longevity and scratch resistance of these hardwoods, Colorado’s increasing frequency and severity of hail storms make ipe and mahogany great choices. There can be a lot of confusion about the names of these materials. Like cedar, pine and other types of wood,[...]
A Behind-the-Scenes Peek at Your Red Rocks Seat
Here’s a good cocktail-party question for you – What are the seats at Red Rocks made of? Ipe. What??? Read on for the back-story. DeckTec spoke with Tad Bowman, venue director for Red Rocks as well as the Denver Coliseum, to get our valued customers the insider Red Rocks scoop. According to Bowman, the original Red Rocks benches were made from none other than top of the line old-growth clear heart Redwood. Those “hearty” benches were installed when the amphitheater was being built back in the late 1930s and lasted more than half a century before being creatively re-purposed, as[...]
What is the Best Material for a Deck?
From the beginning of time, wood has been used to build everything from boats to homes. History has shown that wood has the capability to stand the test of time, and a deck made from naturally stable and insect-resistant material, like redwood, cedar, and mahogany, does, too. Don’t be deceived - compared to plastic decking, wood wins out in every category. It not only withstands weather and ware, but it is also friendly to the environment and your budget. Building with redwood, our preferred decking material, fits right in with living green too! Redwood makes it easy to be green[...]
Maintaining Your Outdoor Centerpiece
You’ve created a stunning outdoor space. You’ve made your deck into an outdoor centerpiece using beautiful exotic wood. At Decktec we’re very familiar with many exotic woods but the two we work with most frequently are mahogany and ipê. Mahogany According to eHow, mahogany is “commonly regarded as the world’s leading wood for fine-quality furniture, cabinetry, sculpture, carving, interior trim, and other applications.” The mahogany used for building decks typically comes from a tree called Swietenia macrophylla, also known as the big-leaf mahogany tree. These trees grow in tropical environments and they get huge. Rainforest Alliance says they can grow[...]
What Is The Best Grade Of Wood For My Deck?
Wood. We knock on it for luck. We walk on it for support. We make furniture, boxes, and all sorts of useful items from this readily available commodity. There is a timeless beauty to wood, even in the age of technology. So why would anyone consider using any other material to build the centerpiece of their back yard—the backyard deck? Recently, we had the chance to talk with Marketing Manager, Kelly Lusa, of the California Redwood Company (CRC) to go over why a wood deck still makes great sense for the beauty and value of your home. "You can't[...]
