Installing the Milano Wooden Pergola

In short: We install the free-standing Milano wooden pergola directly at the customer’s home over three days. On the first day we build the structure with an invisible rigid joint, metal base plates and supporting beams with a dovetail joint; on the second day we fit the laminated safety glass with aluminium clamping strips and EPDM rubber; and on the third day we perfect the final details.

Milano wooden pergolas are made entirely to measure and adapted to each customer’s specific requirements. In this article, we’ll walk you step by step through the installation on site — usually on a terrace or in the garden, where the pergola’s orientation to the sun and rain is also taken into account when choosing its position. If you’re still deciding on a wooden pergola, our guide on how to choose a wooden pergola will help, along with our overview of which materials are best for your pergola.

The Milano wooden pergola

The Milano wooden pergola is an elegant and functional solution for your outdoor space, bringing charm and a warm, natural look. The wood used is suitable for outdoor use and protected against moisture — the natural resistance of timber species to rot is classified by the EN 350 standard on a scale from 1 (most resistant) to 5.

Installing this type of wooden pergola is a fairly straightforward process that you can even tackle yourself, if you have some basic DIY experience and the right tools.

That said, for anyone who isn’t confident in their abilities, or who simply prefers a professionally finished job, it’s best to leave the installation to the experts. Whichever option you choose, the Milano wooden pergola will bring not only cosy shade and comfort to your outdoor space, but also aesthetic value and a striking look that becomes the centrepiece of your garden.

Day one

Once the frame of the Milano wooden pergola has been unloaded at the customer’s home, installation begins.

The free-standing Milano wooden pergola is designed with an invisible structural joint. This joint has to be exceptionally strong, since it’s a free-standing wooden pergola. This rigid structural joint lets us avoid corner braces, which would disrupt the pergola’s clean, simple design. Here, of course, appearances are deceptive: the simpler the design of a wooden pergola, the more demanding the structural fittings.

Sturdy metal base plates are a crucial part of the overall stability of a free-standing wooden pergola.

The frame of the wooden pergola is standing. Next comes sliding in the wooden supporting beams, which have a dovetail joint at each end.

Day two

We begin by fitting the rubber gasket to the top of the wooden pergola. The laminated safety glass will rest on these gaskets.

We lay the glass onto the frame of the wooden pergola.

We start fixing the aluminium clamping strips onto the glass. We use high-quality aluminium clamping strips fitted with an exterior EPDM rubber seal with an air membrane, which bonds to the glass even more effectively, even on the minimal slope of a wooden pergola. Lower-quality components could start to leak after a few years.

Onto the fitted aluminium clamping strips we then attach the final aluminium caps in the colour of the wooden pergola. These not only conceal the visible screws — where water could otherwise get into the pergola’s structure — but also look elegant when you glance up at the glazed roof.

Day three

On the third day, we’re just perfecting the last details on the Milano wooden structure. These details are exactly what we care about most. On such a clean line, unfinished details could spoil the overall design of our wooden shelters. We want to keep being pioneers in design and in developing new designs and structural joints.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a custom wooden pergola design?

Yes — Milano wooden pergolas are made entirely to measure and can be tailored to the customer’s specific requirements.

Is wood a suitable material for making pergolas?

Wood is one of the most popular materials for building pergolas. It’s strong and durable, but it needs proper treatment and protection from the elements.

Is it difficult to build a wooden pergola?

Installing a wooden pergola calls for a certain level of skill and experience, so it’s best left to specialists with many years of practice in producing and installing wooden structures.