If you enjoy succulent, premium filet that has been expertly seasoned and cooked to your specifications, you’ll probably find such a delicacy at a gourmet restaurant. You’ll no doubt appreciate the ambiance of the evening, the attentive service, and the delicious food provided by the skilled chef. And for this fine dining experience, you will, of course, be willing to pay much more than you’d pay at a fast food restaurant.
If you were looking for a bargain, you’d forgo your preferences. Certainly, you won’t expect to pay the same price for a mouth-watering filet mignon as you would for a greasy burger made from ground chuck that’s travelled from the freezer to a plastic tray in the 5 minutes since you’ve placed your order!
In the same way, you won’t be paying the same price for premium tropical hardwood decking is you would for lesser quality lumber. If you’re in the market for the filet mignon of decks, McIlvain Company has the kind of quality control and lumber expertise that can help create a luxurious and durable outdoor space that your family will cherish for years to come.
The top tier of tropical hardwood decking is, hands down, Ipe lumber. This fine lumber specimen has a fire rating rivaling that of metal and concrete, meaning it’s virtually indestructible. This strength has contributed to Ipe’s nickname, ironwood.
Even without any maintenance, Ipe’s lifespan of over 40 years makes it the premier option for those who want a deck that will stand the test of time. What’s more, its rich, dark brown coloring and tight grain pattern make it as attractive as it is enduring.
Indigenous to Brazil, this tropical hardwood requires fastidious research regarding respectable sources. At McIlvain Company, we study our sources carefully before forming a partnership with them. From our own on-site visits and research to inspections by independent local agents, we do everything in our power to ensure that we’re buying only the highest quality lumber that has been harvested with sustainable practices.
Brazilian land concessions make it easy to trace each mill’s sources so that we can ensure the validity of new suppliers that we’re considering. We hire legal experts to help us determine whether mills are fully compliant with various regional requirements as well as forest quality and supply limitations. Even with all that research, we still take the time to make sure that our first shipment from a new source has been graded by our own lumber experts before shipping.
We don’t stop checking up on our sources after we’ve begun using them, either. Local inspections are performed routinely by our carefully selected independent buying agents. These quality control agents provide us with pictures, paperwork, and sourcing documentation required by the Lacey Act. Our buying agents also evaluate wood quality for us, on-site in Brazil, based on the following criteria:
- Thickness
- Width
- Length
- 18 types of defects
This kind of extensive research and evaluation means that the Ipe you buy from McIlvain Company is directly imported. This means that unlike at other lumber wholesalers, who often employ middlemen, all of whom require their own cut (the price of which is then passed on to you as the consumer), McIlvain can offer direct pricing. The price you pay is directly linked to the quality of the decking product you receive, not to the number of people it had to pass through before reaching your job site.
For over 200 years, McIlvain Company has remained an industry leader, and with their huge inventory of both domestic and exotic hardwoods and softwoods, their in-house millwork capabilities, and their unbeatable customer service, it’s no wonder why. For more information and to see McIlvain’s full line of products and services, click here to visit their website, or check out the following selections from their lumber blog:
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