If you want to make a bamboo pergola, you've come to the right place ! Last summer, I made a bamboo pergola to put on our terrace, and I took pictures to show you the different steps I followed.
List of materials needed to make a bamboo pergola:
Tools:
Materials:
- 4 bamboo poles - diameter 10-11 cm - Length 240 cm
- 11 bamboo poles - diameter 6-7 cm - Lenght 240 cm
- 7 threaded rods
- 32 cap nuts
- 32 nuts
- 32 washers
+ 10 bamboo poles of 8-9 centimeters in diameter to make the roof
Here are the 13 steps to make a bamboo pergola:
1. Put the bamboo poles on the ground
I advise you to start by positioning your bamboo poles directly on the ground. This will allow you to easily make the different assemblies and fixations.
Position the 2 large diameter bamboos poles that will be used to make the feet on the ground, then position the 2 smaller diameter cross bamboos on top.
It is important that the transversal bamboos are perpendicular to the bamboos laid on the ground before making the fixations. You can therefore use a square, or a perpendicular object such as a box for example.
2. Measure the length of the threaded rod and cut it
To make the fasteners, you will need threaded rod. The threaded rod has the advantage of being long, which is useful to cut to the desired length. You can therefore position the threaded rod next to the junction of the two bamboos of your future bamboo pergola, and measure the length.
Then, all you have to do is cut the threaded rod to the appropriate length to cross the 2 bamboo sections. I advise you to leave a margin of a few centimeters to facilitate the assembly afterwards.
3. Drill the bamboo sections at the crossings
Then, to be able to put the threaded rod to assemble the bamboo pergola, you must first drill the bamboo at the intersections. To drill your bamboo poles, you can use a simple helical rod, as you would for drilling wood. If your dry bamboo section is of good quality, it should not split.
4. Insert the threaded rod into the holes
You can now fix the intersections with the threaded rod, washers and nuts. I advise you to put a washer with each nut, this will allow your fastener to hold well even if the bamboo section splits slightly over time.
5. Cut the diagonal bamboo poles
To prevent the bamboo pergola from collapsing with the wind, diagonal bamboo poles must be added. This will solidify the assembly.
To do this, I advise you first to measure the length of diagonal bamboo poles needed.
Then you can cut them with a Japanese saw. The Japanese saw is a very useful tool to work dry bamboo easily. It will allow you to have a very clean cut of your bamboo sections.
6. Assemble the diagonal bamboos
As with the transverse bamboo sections, you can fix the diagonal bamboo sections by first making a hole with a drill, then you can put the threaded rod in it.
Before fixing each diagonal bamboo section, make sure that the angle between the legs of the future bamboo pergola and the transversal bamboos is perpendicular.
7. Tighten the nuts and cut off the excess.
Before putting the structure upright, I advise you to tighten the bindings first. After tightening them well, you can use a hacksaw to cut off the excess.
8. Put the 2 sub-structures upright.
You can now put both sides of the bamboo pergola upright. The ideal is to be with friends to do it. For my part I was alone so I used wooden chairs to hold them. There was no wind and the bamboos are quite stables when they are standing, so it was finally quite easy !
9. Fix the transversal and diagonal bamboos
Again, to hold the 2 sides of the bamboo pergola together, you will need to fix horizontal and transversal bamboos poles. For this model of bamboo pergola, you could see that I put 2 transversal bamboos for each side.
The diagonal bamboo poles are then fixed in the same way: with threaded rods, nuts and washers.
After this step, your bamboo pergola must be completely stable ! You also have to check and tighten each nut again, then cut off the excess threaded rod.
Now, let's move on to the realization of the bamboo pergola roof, with bamboo slats. It is for this step that you will need to use your bamboo splitter !
10. Splitting bamboo into strips with your bamboo splitter
To make the roof of the bamboo pergola, you will need to split it into slats. For this, you can use a 4-blades bamboo splitter, and use bamboo sections with a diameter of 8-9 centimeters.
You must be careful not to make the slats too thin, otherwise they will bend in the center when held at both ends.
The bamboo splitter is a very handy tool to split bamboo into strips, as I explained in my article on the best bamboo splitters on sale in 2021.
Also I advise you to read my article to learn how to split bamboo into strips with the bamboo splitter to know exactly how to do it.
11. Tie the strips obtained with the bamboo splitter with wire
Now that you have your bamboo strips, you can assemble them together in groups of 4 or 8 with wire.
For my part, I made groups of 4 to facilitate the handling during the installation of the roof. The slats can be assembled together easily using wire. You can also use the same technique we saw in my article "How to make a bamboo table", which consists in fixing the bamboo slats to a thin wooden board by nailing them to it.
12. Put the bamboo slats on the roof
The next step is to put the bamboo slats on the structure to make the roof of your bamboo pergola. You can do it by yourself, but it's not easy. The best is to be at least 2 to do this operation.
13. Attach the bamboo slats to the pergola
To prevent the bamboo slats from flying away at the first storm, they must be fixed to the roof. For this you can use flexible wire (the same one you used to assemble the slats together in groups). I advise you to attach each group of 4 or 8 slats with the horizontal bar that holds them together.
14. Drink a glass under your bamboo pergola !
After all these steps, the bamboo pergola is ready ! You can now enjoy your bamboo pergola all summer long: it will protect you from the sun while giving your outside a vacation look.
As for the maintenance of the bamboo pergola, I advise you to apply resin or lacquer every year. It should not be forgotten that bamboo is a natural material, and although it is more resistant than wood to weathering, its appearance will deteriorate if it is not maintained.
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This article on how to build a bamboo pergola is finished. If it helped you, do not hesitate to share it on your different social networks. You can also leave a comment at the end of the article if you have any questions.
Finally, don't forget to visit our store to see all the tools used for the realization of the bamboo pergola: bamboo splitter, Japanese saw, etc...
