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10 Reasons Why Western Red Cedar Makes the Perfect Material for Pergolas

A pergola made of wood is the ideal structure for providing shelter and shade outdoors, and it will improve the value of your property. Wood is the popular choice (benefit of wood link) of material for constructing pergolas because it is not only affordable but also easy to work with, which provides numerous design options. Out of all the different types of wood, western red cedar wood is the perfect material for constructing pergolas, because of its special characteristics.

Ten reasons to consider western red cedar for constructing your pergola:

1) Highly Durable Western red cedar wood is extremely durable and is the popular choice for constructing fences, outdoor structures, and making building components. There are different varieties of cedar, but western red cedar is known to resist moisture and decay the best. Western red cedar is able to withstand almost all types of extreme weather, which makes it ideal material for outdoor structures such as pergolas. 2) Repels Insects Cedar actually has the characteristic of repelling insects, and it therefore will not easily fall prey to termite infestation. In olden days, when cedar trees were plentiful, people used to make the frames of their houses and clapboard sidings from cedar. Certain homes even had their roofs made of cedar planks. While many other types of woods are susceptible to termites, cedar can resist these insects and others largely. 3) Dimensional Stability Cedar is hygroscopic, which means the wood will discharge or absorb moisture to be in equilibrium with the surrounding atmospheric conditions. Secondly, the wood has extremely low shrinkage factor and is extremely resistant to checking, twisting, and warping. When you use western red cedar for making pergolas, it will not change its dimension or size in most types of weather conditions, temperature, or level of humidity. Other types of wood start to warp when there is excess moisture in the atmosphere, but most cedar types will remain flat and straight, which makes them excellent construction material. 4) Comparatively Lighter in Weight Western red cedar is one of the lightest softwoods available commercially. The density of red cedar after it is oven dried is around 21 pounds per cubic foot, and a relative density of 0.32. Such low density, makes it much lighter in weight than other woods, and therefore it is easy to handle and transport cedar. 5) Thermal Conductivity Since cedar has a lower density, it correspondingly has more cell cavities. When the wood is dry, these cavities will be filled with air, which will make cedar a good thermal insulator. A structure made of cedar will keep cool in the hot season and will not need much heating during the winter. Compared to steel, concrete, and brick, the western red cedar provides much superior insulation amongst the softwood varieties. The R value of red cedar is 1.35″ of thickness, which is about 34 mm. 6) Beautiful Appearance Pergolas stand out in the outdoors and therefore they need to look elegant and beautiful. Many types of cedars will not lose their grain texture, and they can be stained and painted without losing their elegant grained appearance. Cedar also looks beautiful in its natural color, which can be white or red. Since, the wood is resistant to rot, and weather conditions, you do not need to stain, paint, or varnish the wood to provide a protective layer as in other woods. The natural color of cedar will also age beautifully to a silvery grey with time. 7) Fragrant Wood The wonderful aroma of cedar is quite well known. The oil in the wood, which provides water-resisting quality, is also quite fragrant. In fact, cedar is the most preferred wood for wardrobes, closets, saunas, and hot tub surroundings. Hence, if you want pleasant smelling pergolas, cedar would be the ideal choice. 8) Acoustics Any wood has the property for dampening vibrations and noise, but cedar excels in this property because of its vast cellular network.The minute interlocking pores of the cellular network, converts the energy of sound into heat due to viscoelastic and frictional resistance. As a result of this high friction inside, the wood has high dampening capacity compared to other materials used in structures. Hence, if you want a relatively quiet atmosphere or you want to dampen the sound you might be making while entertaining guests in pergolas, then cedar would be the ideal choice. Western red cedar is especially effective in this aspect, and is used widely to reduce noise or for confining noise within a certain area. 9) Easy to Handle Being lighter in weight compared to other woods, western red cedar is much easier to handle. Carpenters and workers prefer working with cedar, since there is much less strain during the building process. 10) Customized Designs Since cedar is easy to work with, it is possible to create numerous designs and engravings with relatively less effort. Hence, if you are thinking of building pergolas with intricate and elegant designs, western red cedar should be your first choice.

How to, Western Red Cedar

Applying Stain to Your Cedar Pergola or Gazebo

So you have decided to apply stain to your new Western Red Cedar Pergola or Gazebo. Western Red Cedar has a reputation for holding finish exceptionally well, and for good reason too. After all, Western Red Cedar is pitch and resin-free, which means there’s nothing to interfere with the bonding of your finish. Here are a few tips to help your pergola stay beautiful for many years to come.

Before you build your pergola or gazebo

Decide first if you have the building skills required to design and construct your own pergola or gazebo. Whether the answer is yes or no, don’t forget to consider the cost of applying a quality finish.

The best time to stain western red cedar is before installation. Not only does this allow you to work in a safe, comfortable position it has the added benefit of allowing you to apply a finish to all six sides of your wood before installing them, thus ‘protecting’ every surface of you pergola.

Store it in a dry place, off the ground. Only use use top quality Western Red Cedar that has been dried to approximately 15% moisture content. This is the optimal level of moisture to accept your finish. If left unfinished and exposed to the elements (even for just a few weeks), Cedar’s ability to hold your stain stains will be compromised, so don’t delay, and keep it out of the elements!

Stain choices for your cedar pergola or gazebo

Walk into any home do-it-yourself paint and supply store and you are bound to be inundated with finish-stains. These products provide protection and also dress up the wood’s surface, enhancing cedar’s natural colours and textures or changing its face altogether. Three common choices are solid-colour stains, semi-transparent stains, and transparent stains.

Solid-colour stains act as a barrier between the elements and the wood, forming a film around the wood. Semi-transparent stains are ideal when you want to maintain western red cedar’s natural finish without weathering. Semi-transparent stains penetrate the wood’s pores, to varying degrees based on product. Transparent stains enhance the wood’s colour and act as an invisible protectant.

We have experimented with many name brands, and in our opinion, a couple have stood out: Cabot Stain and Sikken’s.

Both of these companies offer an opaque stain as well if your desire is to ‘colour’ your pergola.

Don’t forget to test the stain!

Before you start applying your stain to the entire pergola, test your stain choice to make sure it has the desired effect. The post skirts supplied with your pergola are a great opportunity to do this. Test various stains and colours on the inside of the post skirts. These won’t be seen when the assembly is complete, and will help you decide on your stain choice a lot more definitively than some arbitrary ‘colour guide’ on a sample rack.

Brush or rag for applying stain?

I will confess to have a bias here…. both! While it is easier to apply stain with a rag over large, smooth surfaces, only the brush will work effectively on the end grains: cut ends and notches. So use both. Using a brush will give you the most control. Brush application (natural bristle) is the preferred method because it works the stain into the wood fibres and cells more effectively. To avoid lap marks, make sure that the leading edge is kept wet and that the wet stain is brushed into the wood. A very good method is to brush the stain over an area, and then follow up with a rag to catch any puddles or drips. Any stain left to sit on a surface will soak in more than surrounding areas and appear darker. So brush, and… rag off. Work in small manageable areas. Try this technique: brush with one hand, and keep the rag in the other. Brush an area with the stain, and follow up with the rag. It won’t take long until you have developed a rhythm and the job will be done in no time.

While stain brands recommend a drying time of 12 to 24 hours, allowing the cedar to dry between 24 and 48 hours ensures that it is completely dry before you handle it for assembly.

There’s always the low-maintenance option of letting your western red cedar outdoor projects weather to a beautiful silver grey. But if that doesn’t suit your personal palette, follow these tips for a beautiful finish that will last for many years!

Enjoy your Pergola!

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