Just received my (special) order of T&G 3/4" x 3-1/4" Ipe decking.
- The boards seem to differ *considerably* in color from rich reddish/brown to a lighter yellowish/greenish color?
Is this normal or acceptable? Should I try to return the lumber or is there anything else I can or should do?
- A few of the boards have a couple of (uniform) ~1/8" holes in them. I am assuming that someone drilled and returned them. Or is this sometime of (natural?) insect damage?
- For fastening the T&G boards, one supplier had suggested using trim-head screws pre-drilled, angled at 45deg and countersunk through the tongues.
I am thinking of using #7x2-1/4" hex trimhead screws after first pre-drilling. (e.g., Brown #7 x 2-1/4" Headcote RazorBack Reduced Head Screws)
Does this seem like a good plan or would I be better off pre-drilling and nailing through the tongue? (My concern is about being able to screw through the tongue without cracking the board and without getting in the way of the T&G fit)
Thanks