What pergola should you choose for proper sealing?
The pergola has become an increasingly trendy piece of equipment. Both a practical and design element, the pergola allows to manage the sunlight and heat intake of a facade, terrace or garden. In doing so, it allows the nuancing of the outdoor spaces of an estate, along with giving the possibility to take advantage of them for longer periods.
If the pergola’s potential of managing the solar intake is particularly highlighted, one shouldn’t overlook one of its secondary assets: protection against bad weather. In this article, we will reconsider one of the pergola’s far too often neglected features: its sealing.
Why choose a sealed pergola?
The modern evolution of the pergola’s use
Historically, the first pergolas were permeable and weren’t meant to protect against bad weather conditions. The ancient models were but simple wooden structures covered in climbing plants or braided mats, whose sole purpose was to protect from the sun. They brought coolness along the walks around the estate, or eventually against the facade facing the garden.
A few models equipped with glazing set here and there, including in England, were rather closer in aspect to an open terrace. The first sealed pergolas were developed from classic wooden structures covered with fix rooftops made of transparent Plexiglas. A solution which lost its capacity to bring coolness in the middle of summer.
Finally, the modern aluminium pergolas allowed to combine shadow control with protection against showers and other bad weather conditions. To do so, they rely on both aluminium’s sustainability and the practicality of the adjustable slats. Installux provides aluminium systems which allow the manufacturing carpenters to design and build a tailor-made pergola according to each climate condition and each project: discover these Pergola aluminium systems.
Of course, it’s always possible to choose a fix, and therefore sealed rooftop, though this type of use remains unusual, and set aside for the equipment of a car shed, or some terrace expansions. The whole point of a modern pergola, what is more bioclimatic, is to be capable to adapt itself to the widest range of climate conditions.
Sealing, an essential point to broaden the use of pergolas
Good sealing isn’t limited to the choice of materials. Beyond the used materials, a modern design also takes into account their layout and core qualities.
Choosing a sealed pergola comes back to accessing to a new level of comfort, and using all the pergola’s potential to its fullest. Above all, sealed adjustable slats in closed position allow you to protect outside activities from bad weather, no matter the pergola’s location.
The modern pergola thus maintains its primary purpose: to bring shade and coolness. But it does far more than this! It brings a more or less full protection against the wind and showers.
For a properly sealed rooftop, go for the aluminium adjustable slats
Adjustable slats, in open position, allow a maximum light penetration and air ventilation. Closed, they protect from the sun and heat, but also from the rain. Their sealing is due to the shape and their layout, made to ease the flow of rainwater, but also to the choice of aluminium. This material, both tough and light, is easily adapted to these mobile systems, with no distortions. If the slats are properly lined up during their set-up, the sealing is immediate. Aluminium can’t rust and requires little maintenance, which guarantees a long-term sealing.
Finally, aluminium is especially malleable, and with fit all kinds of structures or elements. It is also possible to design a pergola with tailor-made dimensions, and to provide it with customised equipment or accessories. We may equally refer to blinds, fixed lateral panels to protect from the wind, embedded lighting systems for a nighttime use, etc.
Between the house wall and the pergola: the production and set-up quality
Notwithstanding the use which will be made of the pergola, one aspect shouldn’t be overlooked: the sealing between house and pergola, when the latter is against the facade.
Modern pergolas are usually provided with a flat rooftop. If improperly set up, the water stagnation risk becomes real, and may lead to leakage in the house, or damages to the outside walls. The production quality of the pergola, at the exact dimensions of the house, and the thoroughness with which it was set up are essential for the best sealing results.
The pergola’s general exposure is equally a major issue, which may not be handled by improvising. Regarding the region’s sunshine, dominant winds and rainfall, should the slats be installed parallel or perpendicular to the facade? The answer to this question shall allow the design of a thermally efficient pergola, resistant to all bad weather conditions.