How to choose shade material for shade structures

December 20th, 2016 · Published to Shade Solutions

If you’re planning to invest in a shade structure, you must invest in a high quality product. The quality of shade structures, be it a shade sail, awning or canopy, depends on the material used. Therefore, careful consideration must be taken when choosing your material – a cheap shade structure is often an inferior shade structure.

As a shade solution specialist, I know everything about shade materials. In this article, I will list out what you need to consider when choosing a shade material for your shade structure. By reading through right to the end, you will ensure that you invest in a superior quality product that offers you many years of service.

1. Suitability and lifespan

When it comes to selecting the right material for shade structures, the first thing you need to check is suitability. The material that you select should be suitable for use as a canopy shade fabric.

Of many shade fabric materials available, HDPE, knitted polyethylene and woven PVC shade cloth prove to be the most suitable. These fabrics can easily withstand the harsh Australian weather conditions. Moreover, these fabrics are extremely long lasting and durable. Shade structures made out of these fabrics can last up to 15 years.

2. Is it waterproof?

Most shade fabric materials that you’ll find in the market are not waterproof. This holds true for HDPE, woven PVC and knitted polyethylene fabrics as well. These materials are porous and lack rain protection.

However, if you absolutely need a waterproof shade fabric, then don’t worry – Global Shade has you covered. While we use HDPE, knitted polyethylene and woven PVC in all our shade structures, we can add a waterproof coating to the fabrics. This makes the fabric 100% waterproof – allowing you to enjoy all-weather protection.

3. Light transmission

If you’re planning on installing shade structures, you must choose materials that allow some amount of natural light transmission. Here, woven PVC, HDPE and knitted polyethylene fabrics do quite well as they allow significant transmission of light.

Fabrics that are made out of light colours offer better light transmission. However, you must understand that light colours also scatter and reflect more UV radiation. At Global Shade however, the shade fabrics we use are specially treated for UV protection.

4. UPF

When choosing materials for shade structures, you must ensure to choose a material that offers adequate UVR protection. The ability of a shade fabric to block out UV rays is measured by its UPF rating. The higher the UPF, the better the fabric is at blocking out UV rays.

Cheap shade fabrics will always have a low UPF rating. For maximum protection from the sun’s UVR, you must choose top quality fabrics with a high UPF rating. While HPDE, woven PVC and knitted polyethylene fabrics feature a moderate UPF, our fabrics are specially treated. Shade structures manufactured by Global Shade offer excellent UVR protection of up to 99%.

5. Maintenance requirements

It is also very important that you choose materials for shade structures which require little to no maintenance. You don’t want to deal with regular cleaning of a shade structure that you’ve erected.

Fortunately, Global Shade has you completely covered – our shade structures are incredibly easy to maintain. The shade fabrics that we use in our shade structures are specially treated to prevent the growth of mould. Furthermore, our fabrics do not lose their colour or shape over time and dirt does not accumulate on them easily.

Conclusion:

When choosing shade material for your shade structures, you should first consider the suitability and lifespan of the material. Ask yourself if you need a waterproof fabric and go with a material that offers adequate light transmission. Your shade fabric material should have a high UPF rating and it should be easy to maintain as well.

If you make all these considerations, you will certainly invest in a superior grade shade structure. Alternatively, you can simply go with our shade structures at Global Shade. We offer shade sails, awnings, canopies and outdoor umbrellas which are made of top quality fabrics. You certainly won’t go wrong in choosing our products.

Call us today at 1800 724 407 and we’ll be happy to discuss your shade structure requirements.