Answers to Frequently Asked Awning Questions

Saturday, April 2, 2016

It May Come As A Surprise....

When shopping for a vintage trailer awning, be sure to comparison shop. It may come as a surprise to know that 54" wide outdoor upholstery fabric is intended for porch furniture cushions, pillows, drapes, and not awnings. It is a soft, looser woven fabric, to contour around the curves of furniture.

However 46" wide Sunbrella marine grade awning fabric was technologically designed specifically for awnings. It has a distinct stiffness, and is tightly woven, giving superior water resistance with it's tough fluorocarbon treatment.
Sunbrella marine grade awning fabric was developed to withstand wind, rain, hail, mildew, tears, UV rays, plus acidic and salty environments.  Cleans up with a mild Clorox solution and a scrub brush. Visit their website for the tough stain removal chart and exact instructions. You never know when berry stains or bird droppings will attempt to ruin your camping trip!
The breath-ability of the Sunbrella marine grade awning fabric allows for comfortable air flow, unlike vinyl. Also, Sunbrella marine grade awning fabric will not crack on fold lines when folded for storage.
Sunbrella is 100% solution dyed acrylic woven fabric. It has a high UV protection rating, against the harmful effects from the sun, and protects the awning from fading. Marine grade awning fabric is not screen printed, the striped design is woven and equally vibrant on the top and bottom of the fabric, and because the fibers are solution dyed the color is to the core.


When comparison shopping, be sure to consider that Polyester outdoor fabric is only screen printed on the top of the fabric. It's UV protection is 400 hours, during long summer days doesn't amount to much use before fading. Also, did you ever sit on an outdoor cushion that looked dry only to discover it was drenched underneath! The looser weave of outdoor upholstery fabric is meant to allow the foam cushion to dry out after rain in order to prevent mildew. Did you know that outdoor upholstery fabric is intended to be on outside furniture under the shade of a porch? That is why it fades in direct sunlight.

Now consider some of the attributes of Sunbrella 100 % acrylic marine grade awning fabric. Resistant to rain, stain, wind, fading, stretching, tearing, mildew, plus UV protection against harmful effects of the sun, and comfortable air-flow; so we've got you covered!
 contact :   dfoster@bellsouth.net
 https://facebook.com/vintagetrailerawnings 

     

Brush off storm debris, then hose off your awning, and allow enough time to air dry before folding for storage. 100% acrylic marine grade awning fabric is resistant to mildew, however organic material left on the fabric, inbedded in the fibers may. So be sure to care for your awning by keeping it clean and hosing it off.