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Both of these palapa structures are built with real thatching If you want to give your garden, patio or pool deck a laid-back tropical resort feel, you can’t beat an exotic palapa.

Palapas come in a fantastic range of shapes and sizes, including everything from a simple thatched umbrella to an outdoor bar cover or even a large thatched roof pergola.

Palapas are very easy to construct yourself, using thatch panels over a timber support structure. Just about anyone with a few basic carpentry skills and a few willing helpers can put together a fantastic palapa in a weekend. You can order all of the palapa construction materials and instructions you need online, by simply following the links from this site.

Thatch materials for palapa roofs.

While they may look simple and rustic, thatch panels are manufactured to be highly water resistant, and in most cases, fire retardant. If you plan to have torches, lamps, heaters or outdoor fireplaces anywhere near your palapa, it’s essential that you choose fire retardant thatching material.

Some thatching material comes with a polyurethane coating on the reeds, to make the palapa roof panels very flexible and easy to work with, as well as highly resistant to mildew and rotting.

The thatch will generally last around three to five years, and you can buy replacement panels from the manufacturer. One of the great advantages of a thatch roof rather than a solid canvas, metal or timber cover is that the reeds allow air to circulate. This keeps you cool and comfortable because it allows breezes to flow through the palapa on hot summer days, and it also means the palapa roof will be highly resistant to strong winds. Palapa thatching panels are generally made using a strong, durable steel frame.

For more information on constructing tiki huts, please read this article on Palapa Design Ideas.