Question
Are pergolas within a japanse garden usually painted or left natural wood?
If painted, what colors are common?


Answer
Thank you for your e-mail. I have built several of them and always left the wood unfinished. The reason for that was the customer want plant material, vines, creeping roses, etc. to grow on and through it. If you are going to have plants growing on it, it's best to keep it natural. If not and you want to put a color on it, might I suggest using a color stain, this way the woods natural grain will still show through and you will get the color you want to match the house or garden. If you were going to use something that matches the house try to use a shade lighter it seems to always look better. I hope I was able to help. If you have any other questions please feel free to write again. Good luck. Bill