Shade sails are designed to provide outdoor protection from the sun and use a flexible membrane, tensioned between three or more anchor points, similar in form to a ships sail, hence the name. Sun canopies and sun awnings are designed to provide the same protection but are just slightly different in concept. This article discusses all three.
Some Facts
Shade sails first became popular commercially in Australia around the early 1970’s to provide an effective cover against the sun’s harmful UV rays but they have been around in a practical sense far longer than that. Ancient Egypt and Greece, and later the Romans, all employed large covers of fabric to provide sun cover. This was especially true for armies recovering or preparing for battle and who needed to keep out of the draining effects of the burning midday sun.
Shade sails have become very popular in hot countries like South Africa and Australia and have become an almost compulsory installation in schools and some public areas in those countries. As the world’s population has become more and more aware of the dangers of UV exposure, the practical use of shade sails has become appreciated and the increasing commercial viability of shade products means the industry has grown to the point where you can now buy shade sails that are not only practical and functional, but are also stylish, giving your garden or commercial outdoor area a fashionable look.
Buying Shade Sails, Sun Canopies and Awnings
There is a growing number of manufacturers coming onto the market, especially in China who are marketing shade sails at very competetive prices but beware that they are often of poor quality materials and will not last long if tensioned on a permanent basis. Its also important to check the fabric manufacturer’s guarantees of UV protection rating since some sub-standard polyethylene types don’t offer as much protection from the sun as they claim.
Modern shade sails are mostly manufactured from high density polyethylene which is a very strong and flexible knitted fabric. These modern polyethylene fabrics were specifically developed to provide protection from the sun, and in so doing they are manufactured with UV protection ratings. These fabrics are also designed to allow air to circulate, promoting a cooler environment, but this means that some fabrics do not always offer adequate UV protection as we have already said. If your supplier does not know what UV rating their sun shades are then look elsewhere.
Technology Shade sails are generally made from knitted fabrics which allow it to stretch in 3 dimensions, which is why it can be tensioned to make different 3 dimensional shapes. The knitted fabric of the quality materials allow the some air flow which means they don’t allow heat to build up beneath them and help create a cooler area beneath.
Installation
Shade sail shapes vary from triangular to to polygons, and by installing different shapes, colours and sizes, tensioned and overlapping in different ways, you can add a fun theme to your sunshade installation. Shade sails and awnings are tensioned usually by means of either a stainless steel turnbuckle or a pulley system fixed at each corner of the sail. For permanently fixed sails and awnings, the turnbuckle provides the best means of applying tension to the canopy. For sails and sun canopies that are to be used on an occasional bases, the pulley system is more practical since it can be set up and taken down in a couple of minutes.
