Which wood for my garden arbor or pergola?

The choice of wood is often the major choice for a garden arbor, pergola or gazebo.  Design is the main factor for many consumers, but for manufactures, they will usually only use one kind of wood.  So, where doe it shake out?  It shakes out with consumers being led to certain designs by the choice of wood, or being led to the choice of wood by the design that they like.  The typical choices are white cedar, red cedar, treated pine and more recently shorea, bangkirai and eucalyptus.

What is shorea wood?

Shorea is a tropical hardwood that is comparable to Teak.  It is resistant to bug infestation, is a very heavy wood. It is most commonly used in construction for framing and decking, but is also used in recent years for outdoor furniture.  It is a very brittle wood and can be prone to checking.  Some surface roughness may develop, especially at the end grain, but over a period of about one year, the natural weather process will stabilize.  Moderate checking in the grain is normal with exposure to the elements. If left untreated, Shorea weathers naturally to a silver gray.

Overall, Shorea makes for a good raw material to start your outdoor patio project such as a garden bench, patio arbor or pergola.