Yeah who puts anything on ipe? Not taking anything is the trait that makes it last 75 years outside. If you want it to stay a certain color dont use ipe. If you want to solid stain color the wood no way can you use ipe. If you want it to weather naturally then it a great wood to use.
If the trim split of crack it may have not been the select top grade. In my experience if I take a piece of decking and use it as a piece of trim, its going to last longer, crack or cup less, not more than a horizontal piece. I have at least one ipe 3 season room in Chicago and the trim, exposed beams, deck, railing and posts, everything just looks as good as it did 20 years ago, only the color is different.
I have gone through this will my suppliers and a couple of times was certain the trim type ipe stock (1x4, 1x6" etc) I ordered was a knock off becasue it was not the same as the decking in the same shipment. Possibly it was just not the best of the best of the ipe, not sure.
I found another supplier and sure enough he was changing near 1.5 times more than I paid. I still have one piece of that ipe from the bad supplier and it does have checks in it, I have had no issues since I switched suppliers.
So shop carefully when buying expensive lumber(specifically exotics, you never know what you are getting), hand pick it if you can.
I hate boral, I hate synthetics, been through it and have used several types over the years and nothing is non maintenance forever. My mom's synthetic deck and railings look like crap, she is on her 3rd deck now in 25 years using 3 different type of non wood products. She wanted to get away from Cedar as she tried to stain hers at the old home and ruined it and it was never easy keeping it looking how she thought it should look. A huge mistake, just let it go grey mom is all I told her, she wouldn't listen. So on the new home she went non wood and still had issues of one type or another. Had she gone an exotic wood it would still be going strong. I guess I am just a wood guy if I have to maintain it I will.
