I’m lucky to have built an outdoor kitchen space during the months of lockdown. Whilst many homeowners dedicated their free time to renovating the inside of their home, I looked outside and knew that it was time to create an outdoor kitchen. However, as we are all aware, cooking and eating outdoors in England is tricky due to the weather. For this reason, I also chose to install a pergola covering the outdoor kitchen/dining space.

What are post supports?

You might have noticed from the title that I think that post supports are essential for my pergola but what are post supports and why are they essential? Speedy Fixings explain that post supports are metal shoes that can be installed on wooden posts of pergolas, gazebos, decking, garden fences and other outdoor structures to add extra support and stability.

Speedy Fixings stock 150×150 post supports, galvanised post shoes, bolt down post supports and many other types of post shoes. So, they know a thing or two about post supports. “Heavy-duty post shoes are ideal for heavy-duty applications. These are suitable to offer support to larger outdoor structures such as gazebos and pergolas.” Says Wood Create.

Why are post supports essential?

  • Offer extra stability and support
  • Increase ability to withstand the elements
  • Protect against water, insect and fungal damage
  • Increase the life span of outdoor structures

As Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs explains, “By creating a barrier between wooden posts and the soil, fence post shoes also provide protection from water damage, fungal damage and insect damage. By preventing this type of damage, post shoes will make the wooden posts last longer.”

Many people have praised post shoes to improve garden fences. Captain Bobcat is one of the many bloggers that recommends post shoes for garden fences. “if you want to make sure your garden fence can withstand the elements and will have a long lifespan, I’d recommend installing post shoes.” Captain Bobcat mentioned in a recent blog post.

I think post supports have been a great addition to my outdoor kitchen pergola. Hopefully, post shoes will ensure that the pergola will offer shade and cover from the rain for many years to come. If you are thinking of creating an outdoor kitchen and adding a shade element to it – I’d suggest looking at post supports.

Have you ever used post shoes?