All this talk about Ipe and finally we get to putting in the Ipe shower floor! It took most of the day Saturday, but we we got half the deck done. It looks like a deck, so I am calling it a shower deck. It took a long time due to all the measurements and fittings that had to be done. You may recall if you're a regular reader of this blog that Ipe is not only very water-resistant (a great decking material), but also very hard and very heavy. So hauling the pieces up and down the stairs many times eventually took its toll and we had to stop, rest, and have a beer. Thus, this is as far as we got by about 6pm yesterday:
This is half the shower floor and we hope we can do the rest today, although we have some shopping and other errands to take care of, so it's not a done deal. The ipe planks shown rest on ipe struts and are held together with screws. The power drill got a good work out as ipe has to be pre-drilled. The struts are then resting on 1" rubber feet at various, custom heights to match the slope of the floor. See, the beautiful thing is that while the under-floor (the cheap ceramic tile we installed eons ago) is nicely sloped to allow for good drainage, the ipe floor is pleasantly flat to stand on. It feels great. The boards are spaced to allow for the water to drain through to the under-floor.
The floor will remain as two pieces (two very heavy pieces) so that it can be taken apart for cleaning or maintenance or whatnot, but we hope it lasts a very long time.
This is half the shower floor and we hope we can do the rest today, although we have some shopping and other errands to take care of, so it's not a done deal. The ipe planks shown rest on ipe struts and are held together with screws. The power drill got a good work out as ipe has to be pre-drilled. The struts are then resting on 1" rubber feet at various, custom heights to match the slope of the floor. See, the beautiful thing is that while the under-floor (the cheap ceramic tile we installed eons ago) is nicely sloped to allow for good drainage, the ipe floor is pleasantly flat to stand on. It feels great. The boards are spaced to allow for the water to drain through to the under-floor.
The floor will remain as two pieces (two very heavy pieces) so that it can be taken apart for cleaning or maintenance or whatnot, but we hope it lasts a very long time.
Comments
The Ipe has held up really well! We coated it initially many times with varnish about 8 years ago and have not re-applied since. We have had to take it out and wash it once/twice per year to remove soap scum, etc. Basically just hosing it off in the backyard on a nice day. The boards did swell a little after initial install, so do not put too close together.
We also installed the boards perfectly flat, which means water will sit on them. This can lead to warping and was starting to do so, so we started using a squeegee to get the water off every day. Only takes a minute or less and doesn't have to be perfect, but that has meant it's held up really well.
The pros are the great feel of natural wood on your feet and general durability. If I were to do it again, which I might, I would definitely make sure the boards sloped more so the water would run off them. I would also make sure there is more space or more ventilation below them so that it dries out below.
Hope that helps!