Having a tiki hut and tiki bar in your beach resort, restaurant, or hotel in South Florida will increase your guests’ comfort and enjoyment. An outdoor tropical paradise will look incomplete without tiki huts and tiki bars. If you already built poolside tiki huts and tiki bars in your resort or hotel, you know that maintenance is vital for extending the lifespan of a thatched roof. Today, we’ll answer questions like how long does a thatched roof last and what factors affect thatched roof lifespan.

Grab your margarita and sit under your poolside tiki hut to make this read a delightful moment.

How Long Does a Thatched Roof Last: Learn How Often You’ll Do Tiki Hut Rethatch

If you don’t know what a thatched roof is, we’ll give you a short definition before we get into this article’s details.

What Is a Thatched Roof?

A thatched roof is a traditional roofing method that uses natural materials and dry vegetation such as water reed, straw, wheat reed, ridges, palm fronds, and others to create a roof covering.

A thatched roof is an organic roof. That means thatched roof materials will break down over time. Since there are many types of thatched roofs, their life spans will depend on the material, skill of the thatcher, maintenance, and weather.

According to Heart of England Master Thatchers, here is a list of the life span of different thatched roof materials:

• Water reed thatch can last from 30 years to 40 years.
• Combed wheat reed will need rethatching between 25 to 35 years.
• Long straw thatch should last from 15 years to 25 years.
• Thatch ridges need to be replaced every 10 to 15 years.

Since we know that you’re in charge of the improvements of a hotel, restaurant or beach resort, you might be considering a tiki hut rethatch.

So, we’re about to answer the central question of this article:

What Is the Life Span of a Palm Thatched Roof?

How long does a thatched roof last? When using high-quality materials, a skilled thatcher, and giving proper maintenance, the lifetime of a tiki thatched roof is between 7 to 10 years! That is the estimated time to rethatch your poolside tiki huts, tiki bars & tiki umbrellas in your resort.

Factors that Affect the Life Span of a Thatched Roof

As we already mentioned, the durability of a thatched roof will depend on things like high-quality thatching materials, the skill of the thatcher, the roof pitch, weather conditions, and the maintenance you provide.

High Quality Thatching Materials  

The traditional way to build lasting and reliable tiki hut roofs is by using selected and freshly cut palm fronds.

We all know that few thatching materials bring tropical authenticity and freshness as natural palm fronds provide.

So, most tiki hut construction in South Florida is done using local palm fronds.

The tiki hut roof is typically built using a solid wood frame that is covered only with the very best palm branches.

Palm fronds are the favorite material because they withstand heat and humidity. Another significant benefit of building a tiki hut with natural palm branches is that this thatched roof material allows hot air to escape, and it’s wind and rain resistant.

So, when using the highest quality palm fronds, you get good thatch. And this, as a result, will not require frequent maintenance.

Then, how long does a thatched roof last? Even the most durable palm thatching will rarely last more than ten years.

The Skill of the Thatcher 

Only a highly skilled thatcher can achieve good thatch.

So, it’s imperative that if you are going to do a tiki hut rethatch or a new tiki hut construction, you should hire an experienced thatcher.

In this way, it’s 99% guaranteed that you’ll obtain a palm thatched roof of maximum durability.

The Roof Pitch Defines How Long Does a Thatched Roof Last  

The better the ability of your tiki hut roof to shed water, the longer it will last.

So, when building a tiki hut in your business establishment, you have to make sure your palm thatched roof has a steep pitch to shed water quickly.

In this way, your new tiki hut restaurant, tiki bar, or poolside tiki hut in your hotel or resort will have a good thatch for longer.

Weather Conditions: Hurricanes Are the Biggest Tiki Threat

If you’re still thinking about how long does a thatched roof last, we have a better question for you.

How has the weather been the last three years?

To give you some facts, Florida has been hit by three intense hurricanes.

• Irma of category 4 in 2017.
• Michael of category 5 in late 2018.
• Dorian of category 4 in September 2019.

So that means that hurricanes in Florida are a defining factor of how long does a thatched roof last.

Then, it is crucial to build sturdy tiki huts to withstand Florida’s hurricanes.

But since the palm thatch is built from natural materials, they could receive considerable damage due to hurricane winds and rain.

In other words, for your palm thatch tiki huts to be durable and highly appealing, you have to provide some maintenance after windy storms and hurricanes.

And that leads us to our final point: tiki hut maintenance.

Tiki Hut Maintenance: Make Sure Your Hut Last Longer

Proper maintenance also defines how long does a thatched roof last.

Maintenance of a palm thatched roof is minimal. But since we’re talking about a wooden structure with a roof covering made of dry vegetation, fire risk is high.

To reduce this danger, we advise using a water-based fire retardant every year.

Also, an excellent fire-retardant coating will protect your thatched roof material from mildew and insects.

Another significant benefit of using a real palm thatch tiki hut roof is that it can easily be rethatched. So, once the thatching material has reached its lifespan, you can hire your favorite thatcher to leave it like new.

Your Guests Will Enjoy Magical Tropical Nights Under Your Tiki Huts

We love building poolside tiki huts and tiki bars to add a tropical flavor and freshness to your business establishment.

Adding a tiki hut is an excellent choice for your South Florida resort, hotel, or restaurant. It perfectly blends in with the beauty of the outdoors.

How long does a thatched roof last depend on the quality of the tiki hut, the weather, and the care you give to it.

A palm thatched roof will create a cooling environment where your guests and clients can easily relax and enjoy their long-waited tropical vacation.

Since your tiki hut is a crucial outdoor feature for your resort, make it last longer!