What Makes a Quality Canvas Awning?
How to be sure you purchase the highest quality and longest lasting canvas awning for your home or business. 

Rain, sun, wind, snow -- in weather of all kinds, your canvas awning will be there to protect you.  It can attract favorable attention to your store front or home, and create an ambience of style, abundance and elegance.  These are just a few of the benefits of a canvas awning.  And, maybe you've been exploring awnings for some time or are just now considering what awning to buy. 

Where ever you are in the buying process, the main question is "How do I know I'm getting a Quality Awning?  Which leads us to the main focus of this article, "What makes a quality canvas awning?"  From frame to canvas to thread, here are the answers that will assure your awning purchase is one that give you the most for your money.  For each area to consider you’ll find the “Must Haves” and then the explanation of why you need this.

AWNING FRAME MUST HAVES

1. Canvas Awning Frames of Galvanized Steel or Aluminum last much longer and will not rust and thus damage the canvas. 
2. Tubing – Check to make sure tubing is 1 inch square in diameter.
3. Paint – Powder coating

Framework:  The skeleton or frame on which the canvas is stretched should always be aluminum or galvanized steel.  Regular steel rusts over time.  The rust will damage the awning canvas and weaken it so that in times of stress it may collapse.  Aluminum and galvanized steel are rust proof and can be tempered to withstand the stresses of your environment for a much longer time. 

Some awning companies cut costs by using regular steel which does cost you less at the time of your purchase (if they pass the cost savings on to you).  However, faulty framing will cost you much more over time. 

The size of the tubing is also important and should be either 1 inch square or if round tubing better suits the purpose of the awning it should have a 1 inch circumference.  Anything smaller and there's a much greater risk of damage in a storm.

How the frame is painted contributes to it's longevity as well. So always ask how the paint was applied.  What you want is an awning that is powder coated because powder coating will outlast any other paint job. 

FABRIC MUST HAVES 

1. Canvas warranty of 5 years or more against fading and mildew

Fabric:  All canvas is not equal.  The quality of canvas varies and you want a manufacturer that gives you a warranty against fading and mildew.  For example, Sunbrella is a great canvas awning product and it comes with a 5-year manufacturer's warranty against fading and mildew. 

THREAD MUST HAVES 

1. Check to make sure the thread is UVR bonded polyester thread 

Thread:  The strength of your canvas awning is only as strong as the thread holding the seams together.  Another cost cutter sometimes used by manufacturers is the use of cheap or old thread.  With cheap threat, the sun literally eats up the thread and wears out much faster than the canvas.  Your awning will need to be removed and re-sewn or replaced.  And that will cost you extra dollars down the road.  Make sure the thread that is used UVR bonded polyester thread.  This means that it is ultraviolet resistant, anti-wick and dyed with colorfast dyes. 

DESIGN MUST HAVES

1. Less seams and longer lengths of fabric extend the life of your awning
2. Design in accordance with the style of your store or business
3. Engineering that takes into consideration the weather conditions the awning will need to endure

Design:  The more seams required in the design, the more places for the strength of your awning to fail.  Sometimes the intricacy of the design demands multiple seams.  Where possible, however, the design should accommodate railroading (or long stretches) of fabric.  This eliminates sewing and thread as much as possible, thus extending the life of your awning. 

What is the architectural style of your store front or home?  You want the design of the awning to be a part of the style rather than distracting from it.

Weather conditions – frequency and severity of wind, rain and intensity of the sun and heat are all major considerations when doing the engineering of your awning.  Always make sure that your awning company has engineered your awning to match the weather it will need to endure. 

When you are ready to purchase, ask your sales representative about all the points we’ve covered in this article.  Make sure you see samples of their work.  Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are complaints and check to make sure they have a valid contractor’s license. 

A good awning will last you anywhere from five to eight years, especially if you maintain and clean them every three months.  Remember that neglected awnings are prone to damage so if you take precautions like frequent cleaning, you will ensure that these products stay in top quality for several years to make them a really good investment – one that is worth your time, effort and money.

 

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