Custom-made sun sails: advantages compared to standard sails

Custom-made sun sails offer you the advantage of greater flexibility compared to standard sails. This article tells you what to look out for.

sun sails have established themselves on the market as attractive and flexible sun protection solutions. They can be used in many different places, for example in the garden, on the terrace or on the balcony. Sun sails are also very popular in facilities such as kindergartens, schools and universities, as well as in the catering trade.

More flexibility with custom-made sun sails

Within the sun sails, a distinction can be made between made-to-measure models and standard models with a uniform size. Naturally, bespoke sails provide a higher degree of flexibility. The provider Sonnenmax, for example, is currently treading the path to tailor-made individualisation:

The classic paradigm of assortment and sales has been extended by the possibility of personal configurability: With custom-made sun sails from Sonnenmax, customers can determine the shaded area exactly as it corresponds to the local and individual ideas in the garden or on the balcony and terrace .

The advantage comes into play especially with sail systems that are not installed completely free-standing, but have one or more wall-side attachment points. This is typically the case with patio shade sails and with balcony shade sails. The structural conditions often leave little room for maneuver when choosing the fastening points. If the sail is too big, you can only tension it optimally with great difficulty.

If the standard sail is too small, you can, to a certain extent, counteract this with longer guy ropes between the corners of the sail and the attachment points on the house. However, the disadvantage remains that you shade a smaller area than you actually want, for example only half of the balcony or two thirds of your terrace.

Popular shapes for custom-made shade sails

Sails are available in a wide range of shapes. The advantage is obvious: For practically everyoneIt is not difficult to find suitable offers. The most common and popular shade sail shapes include:

• Square sail
• Awning Rectangle
• Sail Rhombus
• Awning trapezoid/square
• Sunshade Triangle

Regardless of the shape, the sides of the sun sail are always concave, i.e. cut inwards. The concave shape ensures that the tension of the fastening materials puts the shade sail under perfect tension. For example, the area for a square sun sail with the dimensions 4 x 4 m is slightly smaller than the 16 m² calculated for a geometric square.

Accessories for custom-made shade sails

In order for a custom-made sail to offer optimal sun protection, it is necessary to set up a sail system with the appropriate accessories for sun sails. Here is an overview of the most important accessories and care products:

➔ Sail Poles

Sail Poles are used to create anchor points for the sun sail. If you have a completely freestanding system in the garden, you will need a pole for each corner of the sail. Terrace and balcony sails are usually partially or fully attached to the building. Sail poles are used as a supplement when some are attached on-site. Very large and stable sail poles are also often referred to as masts or sail posts.

➔ Wall Brackets

>Wall brackets serve as wall-side attachment points for the sail system. Common wall mounts include eye plates/anchor plates for larger sails and wall lugs for smaller sails. They are fixed directly in beams or in the masonry and have to withstand strong tensile loads. The train is transferred to the building fabric. If you are unsure whether your house has the necessary static properties, you should consult a structural engineer to be on the safe side.

➔ Tensioners

Tensioning devices connect the corners of your shade sail to the anchor points on the house or the sail pole. Turnbuckles/Sail tensioners with turnbuckles are very helpful for optimally tensioning the sail without great effort. Snap hooks are often used for the actual attachment to the anchor point. In addition, cordage and cable pulls belong to the classic tensioning devices for custom-made sun sails.

➔ Cleaning and care products

High-quality sun sails withstand the stresses ofOutdoor use very well. In order to maintain the beauty and functionality of the sails in the long term, regular care is necessary. You can remove stains and unpleasant odors with a cleaner for outdoor textiles, which you can also use for parasols and awnings.

For discoloration on your custom-made sun sail caused by green growth, use a special green growth remover. If you buy an impregnated sun sail, regular treatment with an impregnation spray is recommended to maintain the water-repellent quality of the sail fabric. Commercial stainless steel cleaners are used for parts of the sail system made of stainless steel.