Top 4 Tips to Maintain Your Pergola
An outdoor pergola is one of the most beautiful additions to your backyard. They will shade you against sun rays and harmful UV rays. Outdoor pergolas come with climbing vines overtop or retractable canopies. It can also create a passage over the walkway or the porch.
However, pergolas need constant maintenance. Even though the maintenance cost is close to none, you still need to take good care of your pergolas to extend their longevity. Hence, you should know the maintenance procedure of the pergolas since they can be crafted from various materials such as plastic, metal, wood, and vinyl.
In this article, we will discuss top tips that will help you to maintain your pergola.
Hose it Down
This is one of the most important and effective pergola maintenance tips you should know. Despite the material of the pergola, it’s always best to host it down with normal water. When you use high-pressure water on the pergola, you can easily eliminate any debris or dust particles from the surface of the pergola. However, make sure that you adjust the pressure level depending on the material of the pergola as strong pressure can damage some specific materials. Additionally, make sure you start hosing in the downward direction. Remove any nearby furniture items so that the water pressure cannot cause damage to them.
Clean the Pergola Properly
This is one of the most obvious tips while maintaining your outdoor pergola. Consider purchasing a proper pergola cleaner that can be used along with brushes so that you can clean the surfaces easily. After you’re done with cleaning, make sure you protect it using pergola covers so that it cannot catch any additional dirt.
If you notice that a normal brush isn’t working, you can also use a toothbrush as they are rough. Always remove any splinter of paint or wood that. If you have a metal pergola, a bristle brush will help you to clean all the rust.
Remove Stains and Mildews
Mildew is extremely dangerous to outdoor furniture items. You cannot ignore its presence unless you want your pergola’s appearance to be damaged. As per Environix, mold grows on your furniture due to excess humidity. Apart from that, the fasteners on the pergola can also cause staining. If your pergola has excess fasteners, then it could leave brown or black spots on the wood. To get rid of mildew, combine oxygen bleach with water and spray the solution on the surface of the pergola.
Sealing and Staining
If your pergola is crafted from cedar, the color of your pergola will change to silver-gray from light reddish. This is because cedar gets damaged as they age. However, if you want to retain the original color of the pergola, consider using a sealant. Clean the pergola thoroughly before applying sealant. You can also spray the surface of the pergola with a translucent oil-based solution. Make sure the stain is dried before applying a sealant.
Conclusion
These are the top tips to maintain your outdoor pergola. If you notice that the vines of the tree are growing on your pergola, make sure you trim them. Even though a pergola is capable of withstanding extreme weight, it’s still recommended to take good care of it.
