Tips On Shade Sail Installation

Installing a simple shade sail can make your deck or backyard sun smart. A smart DIY approach can save a lot of money by avoiding specialist installation costs.

Many competent DIY’ers tend to buy a shade sail only as they have already worked out which posts or other strong fixing points they are going to use. This approach can offer big savings on third party installation costs. Mulder’s principal shade designer suggests four main points to getting the initial DIY plan correct.

Firstly decide where shade is wanted and measure the sides and diagonals of this whole area. A common error is to buy a Ready Made Shade Sail, get it home and find it will not match up with available fixing points. We recommend that customers first work out their fixing points and measure from these to design their final sail size.

Secondly allow for the fact the sail covers a smaller area after allowing for fixings and tension curvature. To ensure the shade sail is stable in winds it must have some curvature and not be on one level plane. The most common method is to have each pair of diagonally opposite corners at significantly different heights.

Sails that are not properly tensioned end up holding water, hanging limp and becoming unstable in heavy winds. Sails work best when they are under enough tension to give curvature, are not on a level plane and are 'twisted' for stability

Finally ensure that any proposed fixing points are strong enough to bear the stresses of a sail under strong wind conditions. Proposed fixing points like walls or roofs are sometimes too weak to withstand the load of a sail under wind pressure. If unsure consult a local engineer.

Once the overall dimensions are finalized, the sail cloth area and the number of fixing devices needed to pull the sail into tension can be costed.

Prices for Mulders Standard DIY shade sails:

• 3m * 3m square sail - $399
• 4m * 4m square sail - $599
• 5m * 5m square sail - $799
• 3.5m * 3.5m * 3.5m triangular sail - $329
• 5m * 5m * 5m triangular sail - $489
• Free shipping Australia wide!

What's included in your price:

• commerical high quality, heavy duty knitted shadecloth shade cloth with high rating UV blockout - up to 95% , over 300 gsm weight
• strong and stable outdoor fabric for use in tension structures and shade sails
• maximum sun protection, strength and durability to ensure maintenance free long life performance.
• reinforced corner rings and perimeter webbing
• double row of locking stitch
• stainless steel 'D' rings
• a choice of three colours - desert sand, rivergum green and natural shown above.
• UV stabalised high density polyethylene fabric won't rot or absorb moisture
• Unique high quality lock-stitch construction for superior impact and tear strength.
• Heat set to minimise shrinkage and eliminate curling during fabrication.
• Designed for Australia's harsh climate.
• 10 year UV warranty on fabric
• All prices are in Australian Dollars and include GST and Australia wide freight.
• These Prices apply only to our DIY Ready Made range of Sails. Need fixings? See our Fastening Packs which suit our readymade sails. See Whats Important when buying a ready made shade sail. See how to get that tensioned streamlined look!