Shade sails are one of the best investments you’ll ever make for your home. Combining the best of form and function, you’ll get protection from harsh weather but also enjoy the unique aesthetics a shade sail brings.
Shade sails come in a range of fabrics, sizes and colours. Once installed they are extremely durable and need minimal upkeep. If you want to make the most of your outdoor space, a shade sail is a must have for your home. Here’s 5 things to consider when choosing your perfect shade sail.
Choosing the Right Shape/Design
The first step is to choose the right shade sail structure for your space. Have a think about the exact area that needs to be covered, to work out how much shade cloth you need. Custom shade sails can be made to almost any 3-dimensional figure.
Do you envisage a 5 post shade sail or do you want to attach part of it to your home? Or you can layer shade sails one over the other for an extremely, unique and beautiful design. One thing to remember is – triangle shade sails are 50% less effective at shading than four-cornered shade sails.
The Direction of Sunlight to Your Home
How the sun shines over your house and outdoor space, will vary depending on the time of day and season. It’s important to know this before you install your shade sail. Have a think about the time of day you’ll be using the shade sail to determine where to put it. If you just want constant protection all day, choose a larger shade sail or layers of shade sail.
Retractable or Fixed?
Maybe you occasionally want to sit in the sun on your patio? A good idea to accommodate this and have shade when you want it is to install a retractable shade sail. These give you full control over light flow to your leisure areas and into your home. In the darker winter months, you can retract your shade sail and let the sun naturally warm up your home.
What Type of Shade Cloth?
Rainbow Shade sail fabrics offer the best protection in Australia. Each shade fabric is built for quality and with the customer in mind. The Z16 offers the ultimate solar protection, Extreme32 has incredible strength and stability, Driz is the king of all-weather protection and the Serge Ferrari is a high quality waterproof architectural PVC, suited for large scale commercial properties.
Colour of Your Shade Sail
Depending on the shade cloth brand you choose, each will come with its own range of colour options. Speak with Rainbow Shade to get samples of your preferred shade cloth. This allows you to take them out into your intended shade area to see how they look. Other things to consider are; lighter colours may show dirt a little quicker, but will filter more light through underneath. Darker shade cloths may mean less light is available.