20 Best Wood For Pergola (2022 Updated)

I’ll admit a little slow becoming a pergola advocate. With the Texas sun, I do want a little more protection when cooking outside than these things natively offer. This 12×20 monster replaces a pair of 10×13 canopies.

The wind has blown here more this year than in the past 60 years. My cheap canopies didn’t stand a chance. The vibration from the wind loosened half the screws and both simply collapsed. And they acted like sails before collapsing.

The family joke was me getting everyone to help move them back into place at family gatherings. This baby is over 700 lbs and rated for 100 mph winds. I cannot imagine it moving for some wimpy 40 mph breeze.

I need to conjure up some Sun/rain protection, but I am beyond thrilled with it. I ordered the installation when I purchased the pergola. A precise date/time was set for the installation from emails they were coming from Back Yard Discovery.

However, when the installers arrived without the pergola at the appointed hour, I realized there was a disconnect somewhere. The pergola magically arrived Friday before the 4th of July weekend. I called the installers back and darned if they didn’t come Saturday morning to install this thing.

They just left. Other than signing their paperwork, I actually haven’t goner over it closely yet. But the installers were punctual, polite, and very, very efficient. This is the summer for backyard projects that I have anticipated for a long time.

This pergola is key to housing my entire outside cooking world and to have it dine in time for the 4th of July makes me very happy. Thanks to everyone involved!.

Target: the header for this item is misleading. This is not an 8′ pergola, it is actually a 6. 5′ pergola. Customers: decorative top is 9′ wide, and space between posts is 6. 5′ This is beautiful, color is as pictured, but the very unexpected size difference is not acceptable and I will need to return this.

Vita (manufacturer) customer service is excellent, by the way.

My husband and I put this together relatively easily, and it looks super on our pool deck. It seems pretty sturdy, although we have only had it up a few days. The only thing I don’t like is that the design makes it very difficult to put a canvas shade of any sort on it.

We need something to drape over each end that can be moved as the position of the sun moves, and the decorative endcaps are a bit of an impediment. We are working to find something, but the dimensions make it difficult, as most things will need to be special ordered.

Overall, though, we really like it. I’m not sure if the item warrants the price, but we paid it, so I guess that’s on us.

Very Nice looking end product. Instructions easy to follow, went together quickly. An electric nut driver a MUST. Would have been helpful to know the SIZE driver needed, had to scramble to find one the morning of installation.

We’ve had it for a few weeks and we’re already sitting outside so much more. It was fairly easy to assemble with two people and not much strenuous lifting or holding until you get to the cross beams.

You will definitely want an impact driver and a sturdy ladder. Instructions were pretty clear until you get to step 11- one crucial piece of info missing is to make sure you don’t try to screw the bolts into the cross beams from the back.

There’s a fixture on the back that you can’t unscrew once you screw the bolt into it, so we ended up having to go to the hardware store to replace two. So make sure when you get to the big curved beams, screw the bolt from the side with the wood exposed and holes pre-drilled, NOT into the metal fixtures.

Other than that, it’s pretty easy to get it right, just make sure as you go all your angled top beams line up. The wood is great quality, and I love the gray paint color. The instructions say it’s “rust proof” paint, and since we live in a very rainy climate, we decided to give it a waterproof stain coat as well.

The shade provides shade ONLY, not rain protection so we’ll probably replace it at some point with corrugated clear polycarbonate to make it useable year round. But it’ll be great for summer time as is! Overall, it’s incredibly sturdy, and beautiful and roomy.

Very happy with our purchase!.

I love my new pergola! I’d love another but are out of stock ! The four of us put it together in 3 hrs and we took a break ! The only problem we had was the top cross pieces didn’t align but we fixed it with small L brackets on some.

We decided not to use the snack bar or bench yet so we could eventually put 2 together.

I purchased this pergola with very minimal building/construction experience outside of of small furniture. I didn’t know what to expect, but I needed some shade in my yard and much faster than companies could come out to build one for me.

I ordered the product and it arrived fast! I built it with the help one person and it was a breeze. I did have to borrow a few neighbors to help move the completed product, but that took no time and it was a breeze.

Unfortunately, I sold that home and have relocated so I do not get to enjoy it at the moment, but I am considering another for my new home and doing it all over again. Also, so many people that came and viewed my home commented on how great it looked and couldn’t believe I built it myself! It certainly added more value than the price I paid and looking forward to getting another soon!.

We bought this product about 2 months ago because we wanted to add a nice seating area in our backyard. We love it! Backyard Discovery seems to have a lot of good products. We bought a swing set from them last year and they have both been great quality.

The instructions are easy to follow and the pergola is pretty simple to put together for the most part. You can do most of it with two people but it would definitely be handy to have a third when you’re standing up the sides otherwise they might fall down (speaking from experience).

Overall, it’s a great product and exactly what the pictures show you. Highly recommend!.

Bought this to appease my wife 🙂 I was more into a gazebo for shade, but turns out wife was right (of course). While still allowing sunlight, it adds a sense of designated space and makes our boring concrete patio usable.

We added string lights as well as motion sensor lights (for our little dog at night) using the included all weather power strip. By no means am I a carpenter, but a friend and I put this together in an afternoon.

We also stained the wood a cedar color to better suit our style, as well as protect it from sun, rain and weather. An outdoor table, rug, and seating makes it the perfect area to hang out. Couldn’t be happier with our purchase! Definitely recommend adding this to your backyard space.

We are very pleased with this purchase. It is very sturdy, the fit and finish of the parts are very good, and the assembly instructions are clearly written. Was very pleasantly surprised to find the nuts and bolts to be coated to prevent rust, were grouped in individual packages clearly labeled to match the instructions, and each type of nut and bolt was provided with a spare or two in case one was lost during assembly.

Most of the assembly can be done by one person, but there is one step that is recommended for two people but really needs a third person to hold one of the legs steady for 5 minutes. I actually found assembling this kit to be fun.

Purchased this pergola and couldn’t be happier. Plenty of features that make our backyard area much better. Multiple power outlets power our outdoor lights as well as motion sensor lights (coyotes in our area).

Also has a great option for charging phones with the included stand. Gives our boring concrete pad some defined area, and somewhere that the family can hang out at all times of the day and night. Relatively simple to build – longest time expenditure was the small diameter pieces that make up the top.

This pergola is gorgeous. It took four of us to assemble it, but we did it in only a few hours. We needed a pergola that was tall enough such that we could go through the back door and down a few steps while still being under it.

This was the only one we could find that met our needs and it is so beautiful! We strung lights under the roof and have gotten so many compliments on how amazing our backyard looks now!.

The Pergola design has been well thought-out for shipping and easy construction. All of the pieces fit together as planned and every pre-drilled hole aligned. Took me and my son a little over 7 hours to complete the assembly and cover the unit with a static canopy.

The hardest part had nothing to do with the Pergola per say but was the drilling into the pavers to anchor the unit to the earth. I should of had 2 or 3 carbon tipped masonry drill to get the job do sooner.

Everyone that has seen it loves it i. e. looks great. Oh, the instructions were easy to follow / accurate and were in color which helped.

After reading many reviews, we decided to purchase the 12×20 Beaumont pergola for the far side of our pool area. It is the perfect addition and finishes the space beautifully serving as a separation between the pool area and backyard “fun.

” The pergola is real wood and very heavy (when putting together). My husband and I (ages 52 and 46) did it together with help from our 17 year old son when lifting. It took us some time (a full Saturday), but that included organizing the pieces before starting.

We also worked slowly as I wanted to be sure we were doing it correctly to eliminate the need to undo and redo something – which would be a lot of work. We chose to paint our pergola (Turkish Coffee by Sherman Williams) to match our Tudor home as the natural stain the wood comes in was too light for our surrounding decor.

We also strung lights and added curtains for comfort. This space is a favorite – even amongst the teenagers! We only put our pergola up a few weeks ago, but it’s heavy, solid and obviously high quality.

I would highly recommend this particular pergola (12×20 Beaumont). Side note, the delivery was easy and the product arrived sooner than we expected. It comes in 4 large (heavy) boxes.

We are very happy with this purchase except a couple small items. Instructions were very good. One thing I noticed is that the instructions from the BILT app are a little backwards compared to the printed instructions.

One would have a board right side up and the other would have it right side down. Fine, as long as you stick to one set of directions. Everything lined up very nicely except for a couple corbels and most of the 2×2’s on top.

I would say that only 25% of the 2×2 holes lined up, but not sure if there is a way to improve that. Most of the lumber was surprisingly straight except for the 2x2s, especially the posts!.

IšverstiShow in original languageThe pergola is very nice for the money. You literally could not buy the materials for the cost of this pergola. The build took longer than 5 hours for just me and my husband.

It would have gone much faster with 2 ladders and 2 power drills/screw drivers. The final step (per the instructions) was to install the post plates to secure to your concrete slab base. This needs 4 people since fully built is over 400 lbs.

We had help and each person moved a post, however it was hard on the structure to keep it square and not crack or flex the pergola too much. Overall it turned out well. I’m giving 5 stars because of the price to lumbar costs AND because everything was received and in good condition minus a few warped pieces, which are normal.

I would buy again.

IšverstiShow in original languageWe bought this a month ago and it has been the perfect addition to our patio! It adds so much character and a cozy feel to our patio. Very easy for my husband and I to put together with the easy to follow instructions.

We love the power port, it makes it so easy to put decorative lights on the pergola. It is a beautiful modern design with dark walnut stain.

IšverstiShow in original languageWe’ve used pop-up canopies for years to get a little shade in our backyard. They have been a nightmare to anchor and many have succumbed to winds and thunderstorm damage.

We decided to get a pergola this year and are glad we did. The sturdy design is great and it was easy to assemble. We added a cheap sun shade sail from Amazon. Could not be happier!.

The pergola is very nice. It was shipped promptly and came early. It took my husband a couple of days to assemble alone (needed 3 people in one 10 minute section). He made sure all the parts were there, we printed the instructions before the pergola arrived and he reviewed them while waiting.

That helped a lot. The canopy is heavy and thick, but I actually need sunglasses when the sun hits at a certain angle through the top of the canopy. The light is defused, it’s not like canvas. The only problem (even though it was expertly packed) was one of the posts had a small dent, not a deal breaker.

I just wish he had turned it towards the fence, but I don’t think he noticed it.

This is a beautiful piece of furniture and a perfect solution to provide shade on my patio. The materials are very sturdy should hold up nicely against the wind and weather. I do have a few minor complaints to pass along to the manufacturer.

First, I love the decorative screens, but I was expecting these to be made out if metal, not plastic. For as well made as the rest of the is, this is the one area they cheaped out. Second, the bottom seat cushions are very dense and sturdy which is what i wanted.

However the back cushions are too thin and flimsy to provide adequate back support. I had to go out and buy a 3″ thick bench cushion to give the support and projection need to keep from slouching in the seat.

Finally, i found the instructions extremely challenging to follow. Even the online tutorial was of little help and I found myself having to redo certain steps as a result. I still love the set and would buy it again.

I’ve got a sloping west-facing patio and found this shade structure that would be easy to customize. We stained the wood a darker color and it looks striking. I live in a very hot and windy area and this pergola is holding up beautifully thus far.

My west-facing kitchen is much cooler and my patio is usable in the summer months. I’d definitely buy this again.

Overall satisfied with the product. Only complaint is that the welds inside the joints made it hard for the wood to slide in. Had to slightly shave the corners of the 4x4s for it to be able to fit.

Easy install, shade sail is relatively waterpoof (won’t keep you dry in a storm or heavy rainfall though) Only downside is the cost of lumber currently; what was supposed to be about $100 ended up being more than double the cost.

I found this to be an excellent, high-value product. I was able to install by myself into an exiting deck over the course of 2 days with a step stool. Here are my comments on installation: (1) manual is quite good – the very first step is a bit confusing for those not experienced with installing bolts – that could be improved with another diagram.

(2) wood pieces are all labelled, and hardware identified on the bag (3) If you have a drill, you won’t have a problem with the innumerable screws. However, if you are an average purchaser you won’t have an easy way to tighten the many hex bolts and lag screws.

I think Yardistry should include a socket for those bolts. (4) installing the trellises requires lots of repetitive measuring. I anticipated that by cutting two pieces of wood the length of those intervals, and used the wood pieces instead of a measuring tape to locate the pieces – saved me tons of time and awkward measuring on the step stool.

Worth suggesting in the installation manual, or including two small pieces of wood to help the installer. (5) I’ve seen a couple of comments here about wanting a cover of some kind. I ordered one from coversandall, a US company, with grommets in it, and it worked great, and was relatively inexpensive.

I attached the cover to the trellis top using hook and eye hooks. All in all a wonderful experience. hope this helps! DHT.

This is the most beautiful item in my back yard. I purchased the pergola after being trapped in the house for over a year and many hours spent on Pinterest. I couldn’t wait for it to arrive as I had it delivered to the house.

On delivery day, I was so excited. It arrived in three boxes and I slowly unloaded and took piece by piece into the back yard to build. I couldn’t find anyone to build it as all contractors in TX have been busy since the winter storm, so I decided to build it myself (49 year old self proclaimed handy woman).

As long as you follow the directions, it’s a breeze. It took two weeks, but I decided to take my time with this one. I also painted and stained it a nice chocolate color. My husband helped me stand up the assemblies, but other than that, it really can be a one person job.

I hung curtains from it am waiting on the sun sail to be delivered. It looks absolutely amazing and is the perfect addition to the garden. It is sturdy, easy to assemble and looks way more than it cost.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to make their back yard more like a sanctuary like I did. Thank you Yardistry.

I just received the pergola few days ago, and upon opening the package I was pretty disappointed with the poor wood finish of most of the pieces. Maybe I expected too much for the so called “pre-stained” lumber, but the wood surface is rough and looks completely untreated, and the colors of some connecting pieces are noticeably lighter/darker than the others.

I thought I could just cope with it by sanding and re-staining the whole thing, then it comes the beam assembly. the cut of the most connecting pieces are unique that they don’t align properly when put together.

I tried so hard to mix and match the 20+ pieces to get a better assembly but still ended up with many of beam assemblies in a bad shape. If it is only few pieces, I would think they are just defective parts, but then having so many of them makes me worried if it is a quality issue.

I really hope I could just return this 300+lbs product during Covid, but most likely I will have to sand, stain, and wait another few weeks for replacement parts hoping they are not defective.

You can pretty much tell the quality of a product by the way it is packed (hello Apple!), and from the moment the long pallet arrived, I knew this was a product shipped with the utmost care. All wood parts are carefully stacked inside a brand-new plywood box, fitting perfectly like a cedar Tetris game.

The whole thing was covered in a reusable tarp. All wood parts are made of high quality wood and have excellent finish and attention to detail. All posts have flat corners, and the cuts are sharp and perfectly made.

I assembled it mostly by myself, using two 3′ bar clamps, a couple of ladders, and a 12″ carpenter’s square. Take your time making sure all parts are 90 degrees to one another and properly spaced. Main assembly took one weekend, working about 8 hours each day.

I used the 6″ Simpson Strong Tie (ABU66) adjustable bases over my wood deck,and I recommend them since the posts will rest on a 1/2″ metal base, keeping them away from water. I also did NOT bolt the posts until I was done with the roof “ladders” and corner braces.

I let it rest on the Simpson bases, and I aligned those so the pergonal frame would not tip. The finished product looks incredibly beautiful day and night and it has transformed our outdoor sitting area into something out of an HGTV special.

We ordered this pergola as an alternative to building one ourselves entirely from scratch. It arrived 4 days after the initial delivery date, which was frustrating. It was fairly easy to assemble however we did notice a few boards had some mould spots and one of the 6×6 posts began to crack when we were screwing in the lag screws.

It is about a 5 inch crack right at the top, so not really noticeable, however we will have to use some wood fill and seal it to prevent it from getting worse.

We bought this pergola for our deck & to cover our hot tub. We took our time setting it up. Reading the instructions first, then watching the video really helped. Instructions are very clear about putting it together.

It does take 2 people. We are very pleased with our purchase.

The pergola kit was well packaged. We ended up requiring 5 people and two step ladders to lift the assembly in place. Unfortunately two plastic straps pulled out of the plastic buckles with just a 20 km/hr wind.

One strap unravelled while whipping against the post. The sintering at the end of the strap was inadequate. The shade sail provides excellent shade but it must be taken down in moderate to high winds.

You cannot set it up and leave it up the whole summer. It would have been nice to have a bottle of touch up paint as one bracket lost a sliver of paint on one edge during assembly.

Product: 5 starsInvincible, quality steel, easy to use, Communication: 5 starsI contacted customer service 3 times with build questions and product availability, each time I recieved an answer within hours.

Shipping: 5 stars (UPS guy wants warning next time 😀)Warning: If you have more than a few people show up to help you with the build. Have them WATCH THE VIDEO!!!6×6 bulid – inside bar 12 x 16, outside add on 10 x 14 go big you will regret it if you don’t.

We went with individual parts and didn’t order a kit. 4 x 4- we used the footers for our son’s serenity tower, bar and placed them on an old table made by my husband’s grandpa. Up next our grapevine arbor rebulid.

Thank you Toja Grid!!.

We are so happy with this Pergola. We bought it in August. It came very quickly and in good condition. It took my husband and I an afternoon to set up. Should have asked another person to help as it was heavy to hoist up and balance while getting the 2 front vertical posts in.

Looks absolutely stunning. We bought a side sail as well as it gets fairly hot when the sun is on the west side and it helps control sunlight when eating dinner out on the deck. It is designed very well.

To answer some questions one might have, the rain does come through the top. Handles windy days very well. You can adjust the side sails to go 1/4 from bottom, clip half way up or remove all together very quickly to accommodate and enjoy a breeze etc.

We took the sails down mid September to get ready for fall. Everything was so well thought through. You won’t regret purchasing this pergola. We highly recommend it.

I couldn’t be happier with our new pergola. With help my husband and myself assembled and erected this project and it looks fantastic! The arched design adds the unique characteristic I was looking for and after adding vinyl lattice we purchased separately it is exactly what we wanted.

Everthing needed for assembly was included, however, we did find the screws provided insufficient and my husband chose to use square-drive instead making it so much easier to get them to screw in all the way.

Also provided was a sample of the stain color which was extremely helpful for colormatching (kudos to Sherwin Williams for the awesome match!) because that couple of ounces wasn’t near enough to “touch up” the minor shipping nicks.

Besides, for our application we needed to make a couple of modifications to fit our space that required much more stain than provided. The end product is awesome and we are getting many compliments.

Today, we finally were able to erect the 12×16 pergola we purchased from Hayneedle (concrete driveway had to dry). It was fairly easy to put up, if you have two men who can read instructions and a wife who reads even better.

All kidding aside, it is fantastic! So beautiful and an eye catcher. We are using it as a fancy carport on an otherwise, fairly plain front of a Florida home. You cannot imagine how many people stopped to cheer us on, and say how beautiful it was and even took pictures.

One of the arches broke off but we were able to screw it back on and no one needs to know.

Fantastic looking pergola. Brackets appear to be high quality. One negative is the cheap screws they send strip very easily and MUST have a pilot hole drilled before insertion. The caps also don’t always stay on the screws.

Another negative is the sail shade can collect water which pools if it rains hard and fast. I’m concerned this could wreck the shade of it pulls hard.