Black spots on ipe wood deck - Deck Cleaning Questions and Answers

RE: Black spots on ipe wood deck

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:46:20 +0000

@keebo Sorry, but I have no idea how to fix this. Never seen this happen.

RE: Black spots on ipe wood deck

keebo — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:44:19 +0000

@administrator I didn't reply directly but you'll see in the thread some pictures of the massaranduba after it's been cleaned and brightened. Also attached was some pictures of the before. The deck was never maintained after installation. The spotting that was dark is now much brighter than the rest of the wood, we think it was a fungus that ate through and as a result it brightened more than the original layer... if that makes sense

RE: Black spots on ipe wood deck

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:41:06 +0000

Sorry, but I'm not sure how to fix it. It is internal discoloration for your IPE hardwood. It may be Lapachol but not sure what will remove it. You can search Lapachol in IPE online. It is a yellow powder that leaches out of IPE wood.

RE: Black spots on ipe wood deck

keebo — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:26:35 +0000

1805 @administrator 1804

RE: Black spots on ipe wood deck

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:22:19 +0000

@keebo Send pictures of the wood when dry.

RE: Black spots on ipe wood deck

keebo — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 03:39:52 +0000

1802 1801 @administrator I'm working on a deck with similar spotting. Nothing I have tried has worked. Any suggestions 1803

RE: Black spots on ipe wood deck

keebo — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 03:38:34 +0000

@paulm were you able to find something that took that spotting out? I'm working on a deck with the same issue.

Black spots on ipe wood deck

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 11:23:27 +0000

Not sure what caused it but it is definitely in the wood and not on top of the wood. Sanding most likely will not remove it.

Only thing I can think of trying is a different brightener/acid to neutralize it out. Phosphoric acid is the best brightener we have seen for wood. Problem is that you cannot get it on aluminum or vinyl trim as it will etch the coating.

See if you can find some phosphoric acid out there somewhere and try that at about a 1 part acid to 4 parts water. Not sure where you can get it but I am sure some chemical store will sell it. Wear some gloves.

Black spots on ipe wood deck

PaulM — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 22:40:51 +0000

Used a very strong brightener mixture several times with no change in appearance. What do you think has caused this stain?.....not applying brightener immediately following the stripper from 2 years ago, or something else? It gets sun most of the day, so mold or fungus don’t seem likely (Behr rep says fungus), and the pattern is very consistent except under the overhang. Also, I hit it with bleach based cleaner in that small area without any change. To me, it looks like sanding or replacement of the decking. Although it seems very deep in the grain for sanding. As a test, I hit a small area with 80 grit on a palm sander with black still visible after almost 30 min. Can’t imagine sanding all 400 sf plus railing. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Black spots on ipe wood deck

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 12:15:03 +0000

Yes try that and do not rinse. Let it dry deep into the wood grain. Hopefully it works.