Bamboo Palapa: Maintenance

[Kelena]

I never thought I would say these two words: bamboo palapa. Is that even English? Well, anyway, I have one but it is starting weat away. The roof of the palapa is entirely bamboo. Does anyone have any idea on what you are supposed to do to prolong the life of bamboo that is exposed to the wicked Puna weather?

[Kapohocat]

Aren't palapas more suited to dry weather such as in Mexico? Keep us posted on how yours handles the weather!

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[oink]

Thompsons or something like that?

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[Kelena]

Yeah, Cat.....I really don't think it is supposed to be here! But it is, and it's beautiful....or was. It is going downhill rapidly. Googling around it does look like outdoor bamboo furniture is not the best choice for the islands. It was there when I got there, though.

[hooligal]

There were tons of palapas in Panama, which was really freaking wet & humid. The local guys said the palapa roofs had to be touched up every 2 years, fully replaced every 6 IIRC.

[mella l]

Hey Glen,

Here is a green alternative I'd love to try!

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/PunaWeb.../efad?b=30



mella l

[Kelena]

Hey, Mella!!!

I LOVE that thing! I wonder how long it took to train the ficus to do that.....probably not long in Hawaii. It's just beautiful!


Hooligal -- any idea what they touched them up with?

Oink -- yeah, Thompson's might do the trick. I guess it doesn't really matter what kind of wood it is, does it? Bamboo is wood, and Thompson's treats wood.....so that could be it! But if it falls down, I'm going with Mella's idea.

[Carey]

Glen, I found this little publicaton on "Treating Bamboo & Rattan":
http://www.inbar.int/publication/txt/INB...t_No03.htm
mostly on treatment of bamboo timbers. Baboo Village in Hawaii has a paragraph on sealnt, taken from:
http://www.bamboovillagehawaii.org/report.htm
"Sealants
For exterior use, after curing, fabrication, and sanding, all surfaces should be coated with a sealant of some kind. We started using Cetol 1, made by Sikkens. It is expensive but has the reputation for being the highest quality alkyd resin coating for durable exterior use. We have experimented with many coatings. Water based urethanes are fine for interior use. In wet climates oil based coatings will allow fungal growth unless a fungicide is added, but it is still sketchy for either interior or exterior use.
A deck coating, preferably with pigment of some sort, should be applied whenever using bamboo in direct contact with the elements. Pigmented epoxy and polyester resin are also possibilities for exterior use. Keep bamboo away from grade, or concrete. Never allow the base of bamboo posts to remain wet, in any case."
This has article has nice visuals, incase you want to treat replacement pieces:
http://www.bambooman.com.au/bambootreatment/ebf.php
Most of the info I have just states that you use the wood preservatives that you would use for an outdoor wood structure... Hope this helps out (& hope you have fun with the ficus palapa!)

[Kelena]

Carey! How did you find that information? Amazing. Exactly what I was looking for, thank you. I am going to set forth the answer, in case someone does a search on this topic:

We started using Cetol 1, made by Sikkens. It is expensive but has the reputation for being the highest quality alkyd resin coating for durable exterior use. We have experimented with many coatings. Water based urethanes are fine for interior use. In wet climates oil based coatings will allow fungal growth unless a fungicide is added, but it is still sketchy for either interior or exterior use. Here's what the bamboo folks said.....

<<A deck coating, preferably with pigment of some sort, should be applied whenever using bamboo in direct contact with the elements. Pigmented epoxy and polyester resin are also possibilities for exterior use. Keep bamboo away from grade, or concrete. Never allow the base of bamboo posts to remain wet, in any case.>>