For many Tampa Bay area businesses and homes, pergolas make a striking and practical focal point. Traditionally, pergolas are arch-shaped or flat canopy structures covered with plants or vines. Today, many property owners skip the foliage and enjoy pergolas purely for their attractive architecture. For either a modern or traditional look, aluminum’s many advantages make it the material of choice for a pergola.
Structural Integrity
Though lightweight, aluminum pergolas can stand up to substantial wind and rain. For safety, the Florida Building Code requires concrete footings for free-standing aluminum pergolas. When attached to a building, aluminum pergolas are light enough to stand on a wooden deck.
If an intense storm damages a pergola, repairs are straightforward. Aluminum pergolas consist of channels bolted together. Removing a damaged part and bolting in a replacement is a quick task.
Durability
Aluminum is insect-proof, rust-proof, and will not crack after hot-cold temperature cycles. Aluminum will not warp even in Florida’s withering humidity. Pergolas made from aluminum handle downpours and corrosive coastal saltwater without fading.
Aluminum pergolas owe much of that durability to electrostatically applied powder coatings. These heat-cured finishes can match any color and add enduring corrosion resistance. Powder coatings can carry warranties ranging from 5 to 15 years, so you know your pergola will look great for years.
Low Maintenance
With an aluminum pergola, maintenance is as simple as wiping down with a damp cloth and applying an annual coat of automobile wax. With powder coatings, priming and painting are unnecessary. This low maintenance burden makes aluminum pergolas ideal for businesses that welcome the public seven days a week.
Color Choices
On top of powder-coated aluminum’s durability, the process offers a wide choice of colors and subtle textures. For a classic look, powder finishes with the look of wood grain are available. Simulated wood-grain aluminum delivers the inviting appearance of wood without the need for bi-annual sanding, staining, and sealing.
Versatility
Capping all the virtues of aluminum for pergolas is the material’s versatility. Aluminum pergolas consist of hollow channels, perfect for installing safe and sophisticated electrical wiring.
Motorized louvers showcase the versatility of aluminum pergolas. In a classic pergola, fixed joists form the open roof. With motorized louvers replacing the joists, an owner can fine-tune the sunlight reaching the structure’s interior.
Align the louvers with the sun’s angle, and you can flood the interior with natural light. Flatten the louvers, and the pergola transforms into a closed-roof canopy. Smart-home enthusiasts can equip their pergolas with sensors that automatically close the roof when it rains.
For nighttime entertaining, you can hang LED lights and even add integrated speakers. With larger pergolas, snap-on lattice privacy screens are available.
Four Decades of Aluminum Excellence
For aluminum pergolas, canopies, pool enclosures, and more in the Tampa Bay area, choose Pyramid Aluminum. Serving the region since 1980, we tackle aluminum projects of any size for homes and businesses. If you can conceive it, we can build it. Contact us today for a free estimate.
