What Is A Louvered Pergola And How Does It Work?

A louvered pergola has always been loved and admired by an uncountable crowd of homeowners worldwide. Pergolas provide a sense of functionality and elegance and even secure someone a shade from the warm sunlight or the cool spray of rain.

They offer the perfect synergy of functional aesthetics and architecture, making them a great spotlight when you want your outdoors transformed from something simple to something extravagant but purposeful.

However, many homeowners are unfamiliar with louvered pergolas and often wonder how they work compared to traditional ones. In this blog, we’ll uncover what a louvered pergola really is and how it actually works.

What Is A Louvered Pergola?

A louvered pergola is an outdoor exterior structure for patios, backyards, or gardens. Its primary purpose is to provide a livable, aesthetic space where you can have your morning coffee while enjoying the warm morning sunlight.

As the name implies, louvered pergolas have louvers—a really thin material designed to function like flaps that open and close, just like a typical air conditioning unit. The louvers can be closed to protect against elements and opened up to allow a certain degree of sunlight.

Compared to traditional roofless pergolas, a louvered one is versatile enough to offer both the worlds of a pergola with a roof and a conventional pergola without needing to install a roof or a fabric drape.

However, louvered pergolas need mechanical intervention to open and close. This can be achieved by manually opening and closing, using motorized louver mechanisms, or an electric motor controlled by a smart software.  

Types of Louvered Pergolas

There are three types of louvered pergolas: a manual pergola, a motorized or mechanized pergola, and a smart pergola. Let’s discuss their differences below:

Manual Louvered Pergola

A manula louvered pergola has manually adjustable louvers that the user can operate. You can open and close this type of pergola by physically moving the louvers to your desired angle to adjust the level of shade, sunlight, and passing air.

Manual louvered pergolas  are the cheapest of the three since they don’t use any mechanical or electronic components. 

Motorized Louvered Pergola

As the name implies, this type of pergola is controlled by an electric motor. The motor is responsible for adjusting the angle and direction of the louver to control the amount of shade. Meanwhile, the user controls the motor using a remote or specialized switch.

Since it’s controlled with the touch of a button, this can be a great way to control even big pergolas that would be hard to adjust and control manually. 

Smart Louvered Pergola

Inarguably the most convenient but priciest of the three, a smart louvered pergola uses an electric motor that can be operated through a smartphone, a tablet, or even voice-activated assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, or Google Assistant.

In addition, some features of a smart pergola include a scheduling system, an array of weather and light sensors, and software that automatically adjusts the louvers based on weather forecast data. 

Materials Used In Louvered Pergolas

Unlike traditional pergolas that only need a single material, such as wood and metal ones, louvered pergolas are a multi-material affair. Amazingly, a single louvered pergola can use three to five different materials. Here are some of them:

Metals 

Louvered pergolas need metals to act as beams and posts and sometimes as louvers to provide a more durable and long-lasting system. Metals commonly used in louvered pergolas include aluminum for lighter pergolas or steel for heavier pergolas. 

Wood

Wood is a versatile material in the context of pergolas. Wood can be used as a beam or supporting brackets for a pergola and can even be shaped into a louver. Commonly, hardwoods are used to increase the pergola’s wind resistance and longevity.

Composites

Composites are also used in louvered pergolas thanks to their versatile quality. Beams, posts, and supporting brackets can be made of composites, and some thinner and lighter composite panels might be used as louvers.

At Oakio, our WPC panels, posts, beams, and boards for pergolas are made from premium glass fibers, oak wood fibers, and strong polymer resin to ensure longevity and protection from extreme weather! 

Benefits Of A Louvered Pergola

So, what sets apart a louvered pergola from traditional ones? There are various benefits to this type of pergola than the usual pergolas: 

Versatile and Convenient

A louvered pergola adds a touch of versatility and convenience to your outdoor space thanks to its ability to control the amount of shade and sunlight with a simple push or a tap of a button.

This convenience can provide you with a cozy space where you can relax and enjoy different hobbies and activities you love. Whether you love getting a few minutes of the warm morning sunlight or want shade from the scorching midday sunlight, a louvered pergola gives you the freedom to choose. 

Ventilation and Airflow

Aside from controlling the shade and sunlight, you’re also in control of ventilation and airflow, thanks to the louvers. A hot sunny day can be a sweaty time, but with a simple push or a touch of a button, the heat may be reduced, thanks to the louvers that release the heat upwards.

The convenience of regulating airflow ensures your outdoor space is enjoyable, cool, and comfortable.

Extend Your Outdoor Fun

A louvered pergola can make your outdoor adventures a lot more fun. You can even use your pergola area to extend your family room or living room. You can also host parties and feasts with ease.

Thanks to the adjustable louvers, you can customize your outdoor area’s look, feel, and atmosphere to suit your special occasion. 

Protection From Outdoor Elements

Want to stay cozy under your pergola? Well, you definitely can by manually or remotely adjusting your louvers! The louvered roof pergola can come to a close and provide tight protection against outdoor elements.

Louvers are also made with rubber linings to prevent water seepage under the flaps, especially when it’s pouring hard, although a typical pergola with a roof wouldn’t need such rubber linings. 

Easy Customization Options 

Louvered pergolas are easy to customize, allowing you to select even the materials, louver types, colors, and even accessories. And if you can, you may install one yourself with the correct tools and equipment.

You can also find aftermarket customization options, especially if your pergola is made from composite materials. 

Environmentally Friendly

A well-designed pergola with a louvered roof can be environmentally friendly, especially with recycled and sustainable materials, such as recycled glass, wood, recycled aluminum, and eco-friendly resins.

Indirectly, a louvered pergola can help reduce energy consumption by providing natural sunlight and ventilation. The energy-saving benefits even add up when you spend more time on your pergola rather than your bedroom, gaming room, or living room! 

Have A Louvered Pergola Tailor-Fit To Your Needs 

Oakio can provide a composite tailor-fit louvered pergola for your outdoor space! Oakio is an industry-leading innovator and provider of WPC solutions, including pergola materials.

If you want your pergola customized with composite systems, whether a composite beam, post, supporting brackets, or even racks, we’re here to help you out. 

Our customization process begins with you choosing between our high-quality composite types. Then, we discuss your vision and architectural requests; we outline every plan, and all you need is to approve!

And as a testament to our resolve to bring you an expertly customized louvered pergola, we even offer free composite samples so you can see and feel the quality difference of our composites compared to other providers!

Oakio Armstrong Pergolas

A louvered pergola uses adjustable louvers to control the amount of shade and sunlight and protect against elements. And if you’d like to have one in your outdoor space, you’re in the right place! 

Whether you like to have a traditional pergola or louvered pergolas, our Oakio Armstrong pergolas are versatile to be used either way! If you want a traditional roofless composite pergola, you can order our whole Armstrong pergola kit and be amazed at its easy and quick installation!

But if you want a louvered one, you can still use our pergola kit using supporting structures such as beams, posts, and racks. Our Armstrong product is made with premium glass fibers, oak wood fibers, resin, and additives to make it impact and UV-resistant—all guaranteed to be long-lasting!

Thanks to our multi-year expertise and innovation in the field of wood polymer composite technology, all our products are certified as long-lasting, durable, and eco-friendly.

Aside from pergolas, we offer other reliable outdoor design composite products such as decking, fencing, cladding, and more, which you can count on to provide aesthetics and functionality to your space!

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