SealBack Makes a Great Ipe Treatment.

Maintaining Ipe and Other Types of Brazilian Hardwood Decking.

It’s funny how things happen.  About two months ago, I was in South Carolina with one of our devout contractors.  I was there for other reasons, but he reminded me that he had bought the first gallon of Encore’s clear sealer, SealBack, when it hit the market over a year and a half ago.  During our conversation, Daniel mentioned that the Ipe he’d applied SealBack to was still looking great.  I was stunned.  Ipe? Sealed? With a water-based sealer? And it’s still there after 1.5 years??  No way.

Daniel went on to explain that he was just experimenting and that he was amazed when he saw SealBack actually penetrating into the Ipe.  I cannot recall at the time of this writing whether he applied a second coat, but he told me that 1.5 years later, it still looks great.  This news had me doing a cartwheel in the parking lot of the restaurant.  Here’s why:

I’m a second-term Ipe deck owner.  The first deck was on a cabin I built in North Georgia.  The Ipe was gorgeous, but eight months after it was installed, it was greyed out.  I applied Penofin, which made it look great again, but eight months later it was grey.  The fact is, there are only a few products that treat Ipe and they don’t last for more than a year.

My second Ipe deck is the one you’re looking at in the above photo.  I have cleaned it and I will apply SealBack to it shortly.  Additional photos will supplement this blog post when that work is done.  However, here’s what we know:

Ipe and Hardwood Deck Maintenance At Its Best.

• One thin coat of SealBack will penetrate Ipe, restoring its deep, rich color.
• A second thin coat enhances the first coat.
• SealBack seals the Ipe, protecting it from UV, rain, and snow.
• SealBack has a similar effect on other hardwoods like purpleheart, camberra, mahogany, etc.
• SealBack is not like the existing oil treatments that are difficult to apply and remain tacky if you apply it too thick.
• SealBack dries quick – like in 10 minutes.  It leaves a beautiful light satin sheen.  It’s tack-free.
• You can enjoy your deck hours after applying SealBack.
• In Southern climates, expect 18 months or more out of an application.
• SealBack is self-cleaning.  Airborne dirt and dust (from lawn mowers, etc.) is washed away by rainfall.

As word gets out, I think SealBack is going to become very popular.  It’s already doing a great job as a clear sealer on other substrates, but the hardwood market is clamoring for a eco/user-friendly solution.

SealBack is currently available through select Encore dealers and online.  If you want to purchase SealBack or learn more, please visit the Encore website.  As always, thanks for reading!