Do It Yourself Shade Sail Installation

  
Do It Yourself Shade Sail Installation – Tips and Traps to Watch Out For

While we can provide you with a sail to install yourself (and the necessary advice to get the job done properly), we do not recommend it. We design and install sails every day. Just like you’re good at the things you do every day.

There’s more to installing a shade sail than simply attaching it to posts, trees or your house at the corners. A poorly installed sail will look messy, function improperly and become damaged easily. Here’s some pointers to help you achieve a good result.

Design: To begin with, the design has to be right. It’s important to choose the right shape (triangle or rectangle) to give you the shade result you are looking for. Consider the direction of the sun at different times throughout the day and year. Also think carefully about your fixing points – how your sail will be supported. Will you need to install posts (and is there room for posts) or will your sail attach to fixed structures like your house or block wall? And what about the size of your sail – will it be best to have one large sail or will two (or three or four) overlapping sails give you a better shade result and a more interesting architectural appearance? Positioning sails at different angles may help to give you better shade cover. It may also add an interesting visual element to your home or business. Also consider the surrounding environment – are there trees nearby that may rub against the sail or drop leaves onto the sail? A scale drawing may help you to consider all of these things. Draw a ‘mud map’ of the area and then cut various sail shapes out of paper to experiment with. Design Options>>

Measure: While your initial measurements can be rough (in the design phase), your final measurements must be exact. And be sure to leave extra length for tensioning your sail. That is, make the footprint of the fixings larger than the footprint of the sail (don’t plan to attach the corner of the sail to the fixing point – leave at least 40cm at each corner for a cable and tensioning device).

Fixing Points: Remember your sail is under significant tension. That means your fixing points need to be strong. Lean posts outwards slightly to counteract this tension. And if choosing to attach your sail to the side, fascia or roof of your house, be sure to check the structure carefully to ensure it will bear the load. You’d hate to install your new sail only to realize you have damaged your home in the process. Be especially careful when fixing the sail to the roof. A small gap could result in thousands of dollars in damage and major disruption to your family or business when it rains.

Posts: Steel posts are generally the strongest. The will need to be powder coated, galvanized or painted to prevent rust. Embed the post in a concrete footing so that approximately one third of the post is buried. Lean the post slightly outwards for added strength.

Angle: Plan to position the diagonal corners of your sail at different heights. This curvature will not only give you sail great strength it will prevent water and other debris from collecting in the sail.