D i a m o n d W o o d
The Finest Brazillian Ipe ... and a Clear Conscience!
Of the many types of decking available, our research and testing indicated that one material stands well apart in terms of longevity and beauty per dollar spent. That material is the tropical hardwood Ipe:
- 3x times harder than Ironwood and 7 times harder than cedar - boards don't scratch, dent, pit or splinter
- Natural oils and incredible density team up to yeild a typical lifespan exceeding half a century
- Maintenance-Free - staining/sealing is not necessary
- Stunning Appearance - looks just like a mahogany or cherrywood deck
Ipe provides a surefire way to avoid the biggest deck-owner complaints:
- Heat warping (the #1 complaint about composite decking)
- Too Hot for Bare Feet (second most common complaint about composite decking)
- Premature Splits, Twists and Rot (the #1 complaint about pressure treated and cedar)
- Foot Splinters (second most common complaint about pressure treated and cedar)
As with all naturally-grown products, the properties of Ipe vary depending on the land quality and geographic area in which it was harvested. We have worked very hard to identify the areas within South America that provide the best soil, climate and geography to produce exceptionally dense, hard and richly-coloured Ipe.
We have chosen the brand DiamondWood to set our strategically-sourced Ipe decking apart from competitors who are content to source Ipe from whatever auction is providing the lowest price.
Buy With a Clear Conscience !!!
Here's where we really differ from any other supplier in North America. We tried to ensure that our lumber is from reforested stands, but to be honest that is an impossible task. Once a tree is harvested there is very little tracking of that wood through to finished lumber. A vendor at an auction may claim the wood is reforested, but there is little assurance of that actually being the case. There was almost no reforestation of Ipe in the period 20-60 years ago, so the reality is that there just isn't much (if any) high-quality reforested Ipe currently harvested.
Now the great news ... being creative environmentalists and responsible parents we found a way to supply our DiamondWood and support the tropical forests. We actually hire, at our own expense, a company to reforest cleared farmland in South America. To achieve the maximum benefit we don't just replant Ipe - we carefully select and plant a mix of local tropical hardwoods (including IPE) so that these reclaimed forests remain diverse and better support the local fauna.
We always replant at least four times more trees than are harvested for our decking sales, and we run this program at no expense to our customers - absolutely no additional increase to our DiamondWood pricing! We do this because it is our strong belief that environmentally-sound products can (and should) offer the same dollar value as their less-responsible competitors.
If you have any further questions about our reforestation program or would like to know which species we replant please give us a call - we are very proud that we are actually increasing South and Central America's forest coverage and enjoy chatting with our customers about this unique feature of DiamondWood!
