Ipe deck boards experiences

That would be great.
Yesterday we received 5 samples:
- 2x WPC
- 2x HPL
- 1x Ipe
It was pretty quickly clear that we would take the wood :)

So that the terrace substructure and the decking boards do not rot over time, they should be ventilated. The decking boards should not lie directly on the wooden substructure. I want to border our decking boards with granite lawn boards. The substructure is then only ventilated through the gaps between the individual decking boards. I have read that this is not enough. There are ventilation profiles for terraces. Now I am considering laying such a profile parallel to the house wall and laying the decking boards crosswise against this profile to the house wall. Or laying the decking boards all the way through and placing the ventilation profile on the left/right outside in front of the lawn boards as a finish. This variant would have better ventilation. Visually, I would prefer the first variant. How did you solve it? Regards AMNE3IA

Our landscape gardener recommended using construction beams made of WPC for wooden decking, as they are rot-proof. Most old terrace floors rot because of the wooden beams.

How did you solve it?

Ventilation through the gaps between the decking boards is sufficient. However, neither the decking boards nor the substructure may stand in water. Use good construction timber like Bongossi, which is especially suitable for use in water or similar conditions (for example, it's used to make boat piers). I installed my first terrace this way almost 20 years ago. They have not caused any problems to this day.

Anyone who uses Bongossi should be aware that they are thus logging African rainforest. This wood is practically not available from sustainable forestry.

That would be great. We received 5 samples yesterday: -2x WPC -2x HPL -1x Ipe It was pretty quickly clear that we would take the wood :)

We are also considering WPC or HPL. How do the two compare directly? What speaks against WPC or HPL? Is it more about the look/feel for you? VG