Shade Sails sometimes referred to as Sun Sails come in a variety of shapes, colors, and materials. They are a decorative and affordable way to create shade that will help keep you comfortable even in hot weather. These state of the art fabrics block the sun's harmful UV rays yet are not affected by rain, snow, and high humidity or even by the extreme weather found in many parts of the country. Some fabrics provide waterproof / water resistant properties.
Custom Shade Sails and standard sized Shade Sails are available in different fabrics and fabric weights. The most commonly used fabric from companies such as Coolaroo is a high density polyethylene material that is very durable and resistant to moisture, mildew, and rot. Coolaroo and Commercial 95 fabrics are a high density mesh, thus can be installed completely flat with no slope or angle on the tarp. Our Sunbrella fabric is a canvas solution dyed acrylic fabric that is water resistant and nearly waterproof. A Sunbrella shade sail must be hung with an 18 to 20 degree slope, for water runoff. Without the slope, you could incur damage to your sail and possibly your home. A quality shade sail will use stainless steel D-rings in the corners and will have reinforced edges.
Comes in many sizes and colors to choose from.
Can be used to replace canopies, awnings and umbrellas.
Why do Shade Sails have Curves in the sides?
The perimeter of each sail is designed with a curve (also referred to as a gore) inwards towards the center of the sail to control the fabric tension. Shade Sails have reinforced webbing around the perimeter and marine stainless steel d-rings or "Delta" rings at each corner. Years ago, people would hang up a tarp with straight sides and grommets in the corners over what they wanted to protect or to shade an area. The grommets in the corners of the tarp were attached and tensioned to the mounting points. The outside edges of the tarp would be tensioned tight, however the middle of the tarp would sag and flap in the wind. So curves were put in the edges of the perimeter and once the corners were pulled, that would attempt to straighten out the curves in the sides, but they could not because they were attached to the fabric in the center of the shade sail. This effect would in turn tighten up the fabric in the center of the shade sail. This eliminates the sagging or loose fabric like in the middle of the tarp with the grommets. When properly tensioned, the fabric will not wrinkle, sag, or flap in the wind.
Sail Shades are very easy to install; they can be attached to homes, trees, or free standing steel poles or wooden posts. They can be connected to a house or between buildings with the proper hardware. In an open area they will need to be supported by wood posts or steel columns embedded in concrete footings, and they can be left up year round or easily removed for seasonal use. NOTE* it is recommended that they be taken down in areas of the country that receives snow regularly. Snow loads could possibly cause damage to them if they are left up year round.
~90% UV Block 1 Yr UV Degradation Warranty Economical - Available in 5 colors.
~95% UV Block 7 Yr UV Degradation Warranty Average Cost, Available in 3 colors.
94% to 98% UV Block 10 Yr UV Degradation Warranty Best Mesh Fabric we offer - Comes in 20 colors.
96% to 98% UV Block 10 Yr UV Degradation Warranty Top of the line Marine Grade - Breathable, Near Waterproof.
When we are provided with mounting point measurements, shade sails are then designed with a reduction of approximately 10 percent of your attachment point measurements (see example on right). This is done to allow enough space for the mounting hardware and to tension the sail. All final measurements will be approximate due to tolerances during the fabricating process.
Read more about the Advantages of Using Shade Sails over other shading options in this informative article.