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Outdoor fabric shade structures offer a great way to protect buildings, cars, and other essentials from various weather elements while providing aesthetic appeal at the same time. After choosing a shade structure for your home or business needs, the next step is to decide which type of fabric to use.

This guide explains some of the most common types of fabrics for outdoor sunshade structures:

Acrylic Fabric

Acrylic is a trendy and more upscale fabric option, which offers a distinct softness and makes it unique. The material can highly resist the sun’s UV rays, mildew, and water. The fabric gets its color when its fibers are still in a liquid state, which strengthens its ability to withstand fading. Perhaps one downside is that acrylic fabrics are not flame-retardant.

Vinyl

Vinyl is available in two types: laminated and coated vinyl fabrics. This material is more suited for all commercial applications due to its ability to resist flames. Many business owners prefer vinyl fabrics because they offer the best surfaces when painting graphics, including company logos. Vinyl fabric is also easy to clean and maintain.

Mesh

Mesh fabrics are often used where tensile structures and screens are involved. However, they can serve other types of outdoor sunshade structures too. The material offers varying degrees of sun protection while offering protection from UV rays, mildew, and water.

Polyester

Polyester fabrics are preferred for their durability and the ability to dry faster. Unlike their acrylic counterparts, polyester fabrics are flame-retardant. Besides, they are wrinkle and crease-resistant, and this allows them to keep looking fresh and new.

Polyester fabrics are also available in translucent options, which are suitable for backlighting shade structures. Additionally, they can resist water, mildew, and UV rays. Consumers can get them in various colors, designs, and patterns.

What to Look for When Choosing a Shade Structure Material

Consumers need long-lasting and heavy-duty outdoor fabric shade structures. Before buying a product, it’s advisable to shop around and engage manufacturers and suppliers that offer products with these components. From the steel frame to the commercial fabric, the shade structure should demonstrate quality and craftsmanship.

Here are the top factors to consider when choosing a material for your outdoor sunshade structure.

What to Look for When Choosing a Shade Structure Material

Consumers need long-lasting and heavy-duty outdoor fabric shade structures. Before buying a product, it’s advisable to shop around and engage manufacturers and suppliers that offer products with these components. From the steel frame to the commercial fabric, the shade structure should demonstrate quality and craftsmanship.

Here are the top factors to consider when choosing a material for your outdoor sunshade structure.

Warranty

Reliable shade structure manufacturers provide their clients with the most comprehensive warranty, which is often ten years on commercial fabrics and 20 years on steel frames. The warranty should withstand 90 mph winds and embrace the standard building code, which makes the products long-lasting with minimal maintenance.

Temperature and UV Protection

Shade structure products should be of high quality and heavy-duty, built using strong and durable outdoor fabric. For instance, the Commercial95 fabric was developed to maximize sun protection while combining durability and strength to deliver longevity and performance.

Additionally, when looking for a shade fabric, you should consider its ability to block UV rays. Good materials can block up to 95% of UV rays, and such materials are made with knitted, lock-stitch construction that prevents tearing and fraying in case of a cut. To reinforce its consistency and performance, the fabric should be made of virgin-grade polymers. It should also be breathable to allow hot air to rise and escape while the air under the canopy can circulate and remain cooler.

Premium Powder Coating

Powder coating is another component of outdoor steel shade structures that should not be overlooked. Premium powder coating ensures that the product:

  • Is fade resistant;
  • Is scratch resistant;
  • Has maximum adhesion.

Overall, powder coating offers significant durability compared to conventional paints. It makes the product quite resistant to chips, abrasion, and UV light penetration. Additionally, powder coating provides a consistent, smooth gloss that eliminates runs, drips, and sags, which are often associated with painted finishes.

Importantly, powder coating is the most durable and weather-resistant method when it comes to shade structure fabric finishing. With its corrosion-resistant properties, it stands out more than other methods. It’s environmentally friendly with no solvents or hazardous materials.

Benefits of Fabric and Steel Shade Structures

For many businesses, steel and fabric shade structures are often preferable to other products such as wood and metal. This is based on the aesthetic versatility, improved UV protection, and aeration that come with outdoor fabric shade structures.

Besides, fabric shade structures are equally easy to clean and customize to suit the user’s business needs. Other advantages of fabric outdoor sun shade structures include:

  • Improved air circulation leading lower and cooler temperatures in the shaded space.
  • Allowance of adequate soft light to filter through so there’s no need for additional lighting.
  • Fabric shade structures are easy to maintain, making them more cost-effective than repairing or replacing wood or metal roofs of shade structures.
  • Fabrics are available in different types, designs, and colors, offering a variety of choices to suit the user’s needs, including HDPE and PVC options.
  • Fabric shade structures are flexible, and they offer different levels of UV and weather protection, flame retardancy, and translucence.
  • Steel and fabric structures are highly durable and can withstand strong winds, with some specifically engineered to meet certain wind loads.
  • All fabric shade structures from ShadePro observe and meet North American building codes.

Many consumers have asked about the cleaning bit of outdoor fabric shade structures. Well, the products are easy to clean, and they require minimal maintenance. Manufacturers and cleaning experts recommend using a power washer and mild detergent to remove dust and keep the fabric in the right condition.

Conclusion

If you’re shopping for an outdoor sunshade structure, you should consult with experts to get the best quality products. The experts can help you assess the options available for your shade solution. At ShadePro, you can get fabric shade structures that are tuned to work in any environment.

We offer products that provide maximum sun protection, airflow, and designs that improve the beauty of any location. Besides, you can get a wide range of products, including fully customized models, modular standard structures, and innovative options.