Two Tips to Follow When Fitting a Shade Sail Over Your Patio
Here are a couple of tips to follow when fitting a shade sail over your patio.
Embed it into the paving if you'd like it to be a permanent feature
If you'll be keeping the shade sail up all year round for the foreseeable future, you should not put it into the lawn or soil surrounding your patio. Instead, embed it into the patio's paving by using a drill to make holes for the poles.
Whilst inserting the shade sail's poles into the surrounding lawn will make them easier to remove, it will also make this feature less stable. If for example, your sprinklers saturate the lawn or it gets soaking wet when it rains, the poles won't remain in the upright position you placed them in but will instead begin to lean, as the soil that they're encased in turns to mud and softens.
The movement of these poles may result in the shade sail drooping and not providing as much shade as it should on sunny days. Furthermore, if the shade sail sags, any dead leaves or other airborne detritus that lands on it will gather in its drooping centre instead of just rolling off it, and you'll have to climb up on a ladder and scoop up this mess on a regular basis.
Get a water-resistant shade sail if you'll be using it on rainy days
If you enjoy sitting out in your garden when it's drizzling, as long as you've got some form of shelter, you should look for water-resistant shade sails. If you were only planning to use the shade sail on sunny days, it wouldn't matter if you purchased one that wasn't water-resistant. However, if you'll be sitting out underneath it on rainy days, too, then you'll need one that is not water permeable so that you don't end up with raindrops landing on your head or in your coffee when you sit out on the patio.
Opting for this type of shade sail will also ensure that this item doesn't get soaking wet when it rains, as most of the rainwater will simply roll off its water-resistant surface. This is important, as if your shade sail gets thoroughly wet every time it rains, it may develop spots of mould or start to smell musty. A water-resistant shade sail can help protect your outdoor furniture and other belongings from rain and water damage during the stormy season.