How To

Inexpensive Patio Shade Ideas: Ways To Build The Perfect Shade For Your Outdoor Patio

Backyards make for a quintessential haven in our home. If there is ever a feeling of isolation within the four walls indoors, the space outside your door peeping at you through the window, waiting for you to come outside. We tend to decorate this open space with aesthetic designs and furniture that perfectly embellish the aura of our home.

While the frequent pots of plants and fairy lights do lighten up the area, furniture like Inexpensive Patio Shade Ideas comes to the best of use when we want to sit and enjoy the outdoors from our home.

Patio furniture is one of the most popular compact furniture sets. You must’ve spotted at least one in your neighbor’s house while passing by. They provide us with the comfort of sitting and enjoying the warmth of the sun, while we engage in leisures of reading and dining under the shade.

Inexpensive Patio Shade Ideas

If you wanna bring that comfort to your own home, the patio shade makes for your perfect protection against the summer sky. We are here to clear some of your doubts regarding buying the right kind and most inexpensive patio shades.

What Is The Cheapest Patio Shade For My Home?

There is a plethora of Inexpensive Patio Shade Ideas & designs you can choose from that go best with your home decor. Choosing the right kind will be easier when you know about the different kinds of patio shades commonly installed.

Different Diy Cheap Patio Shade Ideas

  • Sun Sail shades – These shades are your go-to for a simple and yet flexible design for a shade over your patio furniture. They are robust, versatile and make for your comfort with the right brand.
  • Retractable awning – For a more resilient option, one that attaches to your house wall, go for retractable awnings that shelter your heads while you’re out on your patio dining.
  • Market umbrella with DIY stand – Umbrellas are not just for rainy season walks. They can be a great alternative to a constructed patio shade. All you need is a DIY stick, and attach your umbrella to it. There you go! A self-made patio shade is ready to keep you cool right over you.
  • Outdoor curtains- You can always use curtains to shade your patio as well. Make sure they are long, tensile and durable enough to stand erect. Curtains have the tendency to flap in the wind, which can be avoided by going for a stronger fabric.
how to install a sun shade sail
  • Gazebo. For a more structured, concrete protection against outdoor weather, go for a brickwalled Gazebo.
  • Trees Last but not least, trees can be your natural patio shades, and offer a cool environment around your furniture. They are also the cheapest source of shades that protect you from the sun.

What Is A Sun Sail Shade?

Sun sail shades are cloth-made shades that look like a “sailing” boat on the sea. They hover over your backyard to block you from the sun rays when you are outdoors.

They make for the perfect canopy, and the following characteristics of the shade make it efficient.

Material Used For A Sun Sail Shade

The fabric of sun sail shade varies from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), to simple nylon fabric. Whatever material you choose for your shade, make sure they are tightly woven fabrics that offer the best protection. The polyester fabric is available in stores, being the most common and easily accessible woven cloth.

Colour Of A Sun Sail Shade

Sun Sail Shades come in various colors and shades (pun intended). However, color does not only serve aesthetic purposes but is also responsible for maintaining the temperature inside your patio furnished area.

Go for a Dark color to keep your shade sail cool. Colors like blue and dark gray can protect you by absorbing harmful UV rays from the sun. This makes it automatically a natural cooler around your patio.

shade sail post ideas

Opt for a lighter color like yellow or green if you want more light to permeate through, making your backyard brighter.UV rays can easily pass through light colors.

You can also design your shade fabric, customize it by looking up Pinterest ideas.

How Long A-Sun Sail Shade Lasts

The durability of a fabric woven shade sail can go as far as 10-12 years with proper maintenance. Some things about maintaining a sun sail shade are not in our hands, however.

External causes can also damage or erode your shade over time. They are dependent on:

  • The Weather of your locality – Windy and Hail storm conditions are detrimental to your shade.It can only withstand so much wind, after which it can be damaged.
  • The Material of the Fabric – Choosing the right fabric is important to prevent early corrosion.

Where Can I Install A Sun Sail Shade?

You’ve made the right choice if you went for the versatile sun sail shades out of all the shade ideas, for your patio. They make for a convenient shelter and are quite easy to build.

Where you install your shade depends on where your patio furniture is located. People choose various places for outdoor furniture, and building a shade can be tricky accordingly.

Possible Locations Of A Sun Sail Shade Are :

Inexpensive Patio Shade Ideas

On a Deck: You can install outdoor shades, like a canopy umbrella or a verticle fence that best suits your deck to remain cool. Check out the video on how to install a perfect sun sail shade for your deck.

Balcony: People often prefer their balconies to place their patio furniture. While balconies are relatively smaller in space, there are different ideas to install a sun sail shade over your balcony You can also opt for other kinds of shades, and use a normal patio shade or a patio fancy cover.

Backyard: Backyard is the most commonplace area for installing a sun sail shade. Its big dimensions and outdoor circumstances all the more suggest a sun-sail shade as the most appropriate cooling mechanism for your patio furniture.

Terrace – For people who do not own a proper backyard but want a patio installed, can go for the terrace as their outdoor location. Sunshade sails are excellent shade posts for protecting oneself from the strong heat of the sun in a warm summer day, as one is directly under the influence.

They are also easy to build, with less interference of trees and shrubs.

How Do I Install A Sun Sail Shade In My Backyard?

Remember the tents you made in your childhood, with loose clothes? A sun sail shade is just as easy to build when you follow the steps accordingly and stay safe while you’re at it :

How To Angle My Sun Shade Sail?

Inexpensive Patio Shade Ideas
  • Horizontal – Go for the even look where the corners of your shade equate to the same height over the furniture.
  • Slants – A haphazard look is more common with a 4- corner sail, and you can go for that look with installing different stick heights.
  • Vertical – This looks more like a cloth-like fence that veils your patio area at the sides, rather than over the furniture.

Keep in check the wind direction of your local weather while you angle your sun shade sail. It can affect the quality of temperature and structure of your shade around your patio.

How Deep Do I Want My Sun Sail Shade To Be?

The height of your sun sail shade depends on the following two things:

  • The Length of your sun sail fabric
  • The Depth of your digging for placing the sun shade post
  • The ground where you install the sun shade sail

Assess the size of your sailcloth, and dig your hole for the post accordingly. For Example, if you have a 3 Metre Long shade post, a hole can have the approximate dimensions of 400mm in-breath, and around 800 mm deep. If you are digging a hole on a softer ground, make sure to coat it with a hard concrete layer, so that your post stans erect.

How Do I Keep My Sun Sail Shade Erect?

inexpensive patio shade ideas

A major problem while anchoring a sail shade is the risk of it sagging down eventually. You need to be cautious of how dense the base hole is for the shade to stand strong. Apart from hardening the groundwork, sun shades can be prevented from falling by a wire rope.

Other Things To Keep In Mind To Keep My Shade Sail Cool

  • Prefer a darker colour for your shade , as mentioned above , so the UV light does not permeate through to your patio backyard or balcony. It also keeps the place dark , so you can also install fairy lights to give the glow an elegant touch.
  • Choose a flexible fixing post that is most suitable for a sun sail shade installation. Opt for a place where the sun’s rays do not directly reach you, but just enough for you to enjoy the warmth inside the shade. Track your path accordingly.
  • For a barbeque grill party in your backyard, make sure the location of the grilling machine and the fire pits maintain a safe distance from the sun shade sail cloth. Heat sources may eventually heat up the cloth, thereby making the backyard shaded area more humid.
  • Installing a sun sail shade near a tree can also contribute to keeping your deck cool. The added shade of the tree amplifies the cooling effect.
more ideas for sun shade sail and patio
  • A cool sun shade sail is most preferable among us.However, that does not mean you have to up a shade in a windy area to experience the cool breeze. Indeed, they are structured in a tensile method, so they do not flap at slight wind breezes passing by.However, more intense winds and hail storms can easily damage the soft fabrics of a shade. Be mindful of your weather and install the shade where the effect can be least damaging.

Rules And Regulations While Installing A Patio Sun Sail Shade

You are about to install space-taking furniture at your place. So, it is always better to keep in touch with your local authorities and know about any relevant construction regulations and legal frameworks that may affect your installation.

In addition to this, inquire of any possible underground projects that may take place, because you will be using the ground soil for your sail post. A quick check-in with your neighbors will also help.

Also, Read-How to make a homemade squirrel trap

Shreen Kawaski

Shreen Kawaski is an author at dstkrt-london and she holds a bachelor’s degree in home construction and accessories.

Recent Posts

Host the Perfect Holiday Party: Tips for Planning and Execution

Holiday parties are almost always fun. Family, friends, coworkers, and loved ones get together to…

1 year ago

How To Make A Homemade Squirrel Trap?

Squirrel is a member of the Sciuridae family of rodents, which includes small and medium-sized…

2 years ago

Guide On How To Make Colors On LED Lights?

What is the most recent social media trend? It's TikTok, reels, and LED LIGHTS, according…

2 years ago

How To Fix A Lighter That Won’t Spark In Simple 3 Easy Steps

If the spark in your much-needed lighter triggers trouble, you'll have to deal with a…

2 years ago

How Will You Be Able To Install A Ceiling Fan Without Existing Wiring?

Installing a ceiling fan in your home can help you in multiple ways. It improves…

2 years ago

How To Install A Tankless Water Heater In Steps By Steps

Tankless water heaters are ideal for a home in many ways. They come within your…

2 years ago