Selecting the Right Awning Fabric and Awning Shape

We can make awnings in any shape, and we will custom design awnings and canopies for your space. Because our family has been designing, fabricating and installing custom awnings and canopies in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 100 years, we know, and love to tell, the history of canvas awnings. Call us for new custom awnings or when your existing awnings need to be repaired or re-covered.

Examples of classic awning shapes, a fixed valance and popular loose valance styles:

Woven, Solution-Dyed Acrylic — Sunbrella® for Awnings

This "wonder fiber" came into use in the late 1960's and is the primary awning fabric in use today. The fiber is formed from a vat of liquid acrylic. The material color is added to the liquid and mixed. Then the liquid is shot through small holes to produce fibers. These extruded fibers are collected and spun into yarn. Finally, the yarns are woven into fabric and treated with a fluorocarbon solution. Sunbrella® is the largest supplier of this UV-resistant fabric in the U.S., and Sattler from Europe has been making it as long as Sunbrella® and is equal in quality. UV-resistant Acrylic is also available with a urethane or vinyl backing bonded on. Because the color is throughout the fiber these materials are practically fade proof, with the blues lasting a little better than red, orange or yellow. The patent has expired on this acrylic blend and there are now many generic fabrics becoming available, which we have tested. Not all have performed well in our tests, but we continually assess new products to find strong, reliable, innovative fabrics.

Coated Fabrics

There are many variations of coated fabrics. The old painted fabrics are a type of coated fabric. Now both sides are coated and the base is cotton/polyester blend. Other  vinyl coated fabrics include polyester, Dacron®, nylon, and fiberglass base material. Most are coated with some variation of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). These materials are expanding in use and new high tech fabrics are being produced to improve colors, reliability and strength.

Mesh Fabrics

Mesh fabrics are ideal for vertical drop curtains and screens. A beautiful view can be enjoyed while blocking 70% to 96% of the light. Some sunscreen mesh fabrics are woven from vinyl coated threads. Others are woven polyester, nylon or fiberglass coated with vinyl or polyester resin. Because they are loosely woven, these mesh sunscreen fabrics do not hold water so they can be used effectively as horizontal covers on patios and gazebos. Talk to us about making your retractable awning cover with a mesh to solve drainage problems on too flat of awning.