Large pieces of cloth or fabric to offer shade from the sun have been in use since Egyptian times. The sail fabric of those times was rather heavy and inflexible. However, it was able to lean itself perfectly well to the task of providing shade. In recent years, new shade sails or cloth fabric have been developed which was lighter and far more flexible yet still offering a high level of protection from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Today, shade cloth was introduced on a commercial scale and started to find acceptance in homes. Alfresco shade sails are one of the most popular shade sails on the market so far.

They are beautiful fabric devices, crafted to offer outdoor shade. One of the reasons they have grown so popular is because of their cost-effectiveness. They also provide unparalleled design options, even for beginners.

Shade Sail Planning

There are crucial factors you need to consider before you make the ultimate decision concerning the design of shade sail. One of the most important ones is to ask yourself what you’re trying to achieve with the product.

Carefully think about the space you’ve got available outdoors and whether there are any underground services in areas where you might want to install posts. You have to ensure that your part of the planning remains relatively hassle-free.

Next, you should take into consideration the overall size of the area that you’re shading. There are many budget-friendly pre-made alfresco shade sails available throughout the world. Accommodating your structure to a pre-made sail instead of constructing a structure and ordering custom-made sails will help you to save a lot of bucks in the long run.

Additionally, you ought to check with your relevant authorities as to whether you require permits for your sail structure. If you’re planning to fix existing structures, then speak to an engineer or builder about the suitability of the structure’s strength.

Shade Sail Designing

The great thing about alfresco shade sails is that they give you unlimited design options. These sails come with vast differences in the heights of the fixing points. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the shade should be set to maximize shade, especially during the hottest afternoon hours in the summer season.

Fixing Points Installation

After planning and designing your structure, the next thing is to install the fixings needed to support the sail. The fixings consist of timber or steel columns, wall plates, brackets, or a combination of all these things. If you bought pre-designed alfresco shade sails, remember to set up the fixing points at a favorable distance from where the sail ends. That will ensure that you can tension it using pulleys or turnbuckles.

But if you choose to install a custom-sized sail, then you can easily set up your fixings anywhere you want, get the measurements of the area and purchase the alfresco shade sails online and get them as per your needs.

If you’ll be using steel columns, don’t underestimate the footing requirements’ depths. They should be important since the post will be pulled in one direction only and be exposed to a lot of cantilever loads.

Shade Sail Installation

After you’ve done all that successfully, the last and most important part is installing your shade sail. So, fit your tensioning gadgets to the sail. From there, connect the gadgets to the fixings that you’ve just installed. Keep in mind that high-quality custom alfresco shade sails are designed from materials that stretch. That means that the manufacturer ought to have created an allowance for the stretch. The sail can be quite hard to install, particularly for the first time.

There are many simple pulley methods that you can apply to make the process even easier. After you connect the fittings, simply turn each of the tensioning gadgets until the sails are good and tight. 

Conclusion

Alfresco shade sails are best at providing the best shade and sun protection outdoors. It’s not hard to install them when you follow the tips above. Once you install them successfully, sit, relax, and enjoy the beautiful shade!