Using Free Standing Awnings For Home or Professional Use

A great way to add a sheltered area to any outdoor space is to use a free standing awning. Available in various sizes, designs and colours, these awnings are a straight forward and quick way to add an outdoor cover to an area. They are often used for both home and professional use and can be set up in various ways. Medium sized free standing awnings are designed to provide shade and rain cover for areas around six meters wide to three meters across. Which is about the size for use in a garden space. Larger framed awnings can cover bigger areas, but are more rigid and heavier in their design. Many of the free standing awnings can be operated used different systems. For example smaller awnings can be manually operated...
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Repairing a Fabric Divider Screen

Repairing a tear on a fabric divider screen is much like repairing a paper one. It requires patching the area with another piece of similar fabric, and sealing over the tear. Here’s a how to do it. First get a hold of a piece of fabric which is as close as possible to the original. Using the original material is the ideal choice, however it can often be difficult to find. Measure and cut out a piece of the fabric that is large enough to overlap the tear. Using fabric glue or a multi-purpose translucent glue to attach the fabric patch over the torn area. If there are patterns in the fabric, try to line up the patch so that the design remains consistent. Firmly seal the patch onto the...
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Awnings That Can Stand Up To Storms

Not all awnings can stand up to stormy weather. In fact, an awning needs to be constructed in a certain way, and use high-tension fabric to be able to resist them without being retracted. Standard fixed-frame awnings can rarely stand up to powerful weather. They can be especially dangerous in the event of windstorms, as they can often detach from the building and flail around destroying windows and doors. However awnings that can resist storms are much stronger in design. Certain models make use of fabric structures that can withstand Category 5 winds without removal. When looking for a storm proof awning keep an eye out to see if it is labeled as such. Awnings that are storm proof tend to be advertised around the fact that they can stand up...
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A Brief History of The Use of Awnings

Awnings have been used for thousands of years, they are remarkable building features in that they have changed little over the course of history. The Roman Empire made use of large retractable fabric awnings, using them as shelters for the main seating areas of amphitheaters and stadiums. They have even been written about in ancient poems; “linen-awning, stretched, o’er mighty theaters, gives forth at times, a cracking roar, when much ’tis beaten about, betwixt the poles and cross-beams.” was a description given by the Roman poet Lucretius in 50 BC In the 19th century, awnings were simple constructions, often improvised for utility over aesthetics. Their basic design consisted of timber or cast iron posts set along the sidewalk edge, linked by a front cross bar. Today awnings come in many different...
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What’s the Difference Between an Awning and a Canopy?

Awnings and canopies are both used for the same purpose, they provide cover for adjacent areas of a building. In fact, they are so similar in their design and function that they are often mistaken for one another, even by fabricators, awning retail outlets and designers. There’s no precise rule when it comes to distinguishing the characteristics between awnings and canopies. Often times, what one designer sees as an awning, another would describe it as a canopy. Despite this there are certain features that help define awnings and canopies from one another. Awnings are typically structures that provide cover for a window. Canopies on the other hand tend to provide cover for doors. Other distinguishing features are that awnings are defined by their support points, which often rely on a single...
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