Shades and awnings offer so much more than protection from the elements. The fabric used on them does, too! They’re a visual welcome, a branding opportunity, an architectural flourish, and so much more. For manufacturers of shades and awnings, a few well-considered questions before you select fabric for your next project can ensure a much better outcome.
Even more so than with other fabric applications, it’s essential to fully understand the environment shade and awning fabrics will face. Whether manufacturing shades or awnings for business, agriculture, home, or recreational uses, a number of questions upfront could save time, money, and frustration as the project advances.
Here are five questions to get started:
- What are your longevity expectations?
- What are your weight requirements?
- How much exposure to sunlight, wind, and precipitation will the material be subjected to?
- Which treatments should you consider?
- Which tests are most relevant for your shade and awning application?
While this list isn’t comprehensive, these questions should help get your fabric selection down the right path early. TVF has more than 50 years of textile experience under our belts, and the TVF Sales Team serves as a trusted partner for manufacturers in all walks of the industrial, print media, apparel, and home décor worlds.
TVF carries an array of fabric suitable for a variety of durable uses like shades and awnings, including the Sunmaster series of solution-dyed polyesters. SunMaster® is a solution for long-term commercial awnings and architectural shade, SunMaster® Plus is for applications requiring enhanced durability, and SunMaster® Lite is for weight-sensitive installations. For similar applications like canopies, pop-up tents, and covers, TVF stocks 500 Denier Canopy Polyester for pop-up tents and temporary structures and for umbrellas and weather-exposed outdoor products, the ultra-versatile and all-new Cascades, an 8.8 oz. textured polyester canvas.
