I'm planning on installing some floors in a house I'm buying. I was going to get the R.L. Colston unfinished brazilian walnut from Lumber Liquidators. But now I'm seeing some bad reviews for LL. Has anyone used the Colston Ipe?

Here's a link to the product:
http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=2052

I'm also concerned about the dimensional stability of Ipe, I've read that in drier climates it can shrink if not kiln dried correctly. Does this product have this problem? The house will be near Downtown Los Angeles, so it's not as hot and dry in the summer as most of Southern California, but it can get warm.

Thanks for your help.

Ipe due to the density can take forever to acclimate if it needs to move a few points. Its is prone to shrinking if not dried correctly, of course its impossible to tell without a good moisture meter. If you do buy it, before I loaded it on the truck I would have them show you the meter readings and have them documented on the invoice. look for short boards that taper down on one side leaving you a nice shallow grove thats something Ive seen a lot of in ipe.

Kevin is correct, moisture testing and acclimation is a must for a successful installation.

Because wood is hygroscopic, moisture testing and acclimating /conditioning the wood is very important.

Regards to moisture testing; the installer’s job is to determine if moisture conditions on the jobsite, the new wood flooring and subfloor are all appropriate or balanced before installation. The ideal moisture content within the new wood flooring should typically be 6%-9%.The wood subfloor moisture reading must not exceed 12%. The differential balance between new boards and subfloor must not exceed 4% or 2% for board widths over 2 1/4”. A species specific moisture meter is an invaluable tool, a must for “accurate readings”. If moisture readings are high, protect your investment by postponing the installation until the source is identified and corrections are made.

Regarding acclimation; typically the new flooring should be pre-conditioned in the work area-not the garage, to consistent indoor temperatures of 60°-80° F and indoor humidity levels of 35% - 55%. Usually 10-14 days is sufficient for most dense exotic species. 2 – 7 days for domestic (North American) species. Very dry or humid regions of the country (or oily exotic species) may require extended conditioning. Proper acclimation levels should even be maintained after installation to minimize board movement, excessive squeaks and gaps.

As can be seen, more is involved than simply nailing down a floor. Most product failures are the result of moisture or not following basic installation principles.......You may already know, that the hardness of Brazilian Walnut can make for a rather difficult but beautiful installation.

we have had some of the exotics acclimate for 12 weeks, installed, did not change humidity in home and the floor still shrank.

Rh changes all the time in homes. I find it impossible to believe your rh was static.

floormeintucson wrote:

Rh changes all the time in homes. I find it impossible to believe your rh was static.

Ok maybe not totally static but it stayed between 30-40. I guess my point is that the exotics do not behave like the domestic species in the same condition. We have ran into to this with Ipe, Lapocha cumara to name a few and we have used moisture meters made sure the owners had working humidifiers and allowed for more acclimation time. I can find no external reasons for the shrinkage.