Shade Sail Installation Tips

If you have good basic DIY skills, you could choose to install your custom shade sail yourself as everything you need for the job can be found in your local DIY store, or can be obtained through your shade sail supplier. However, you'll need to consider some tip before embarking on the project.

Get suitable mounting points for your custom shade sail

Before you start, it's vital to establish that the attachment point you've chosen for your shade sail is structurally sound and strong enough to bear the weight of the sail and its incumbent fittings. If you're not sure about this, always ask for advice from the sail's supplier, or a local builder.

As a general rule of thumb, if you're attaching the sail to a wooden structure, you should use a diamond pad eye or screw eye. If the attachment point is a solid brick or concrete wall, you would use an eye bolt, fitted into the wall using epoxy to set it fast.

Poles

The safest pole to use is one made of thick-walled steel, at least 8mm thick. A wooden pole can be used, but this is not as durable and will require replacement in time, as the wood weathers. The size of the pole you choose will be governed by the number of sails you are intending to attach to it, the size of the sail, and how high up on the pole it will be positioned.

It's important that you site the posts correctly in the ground, in order to make sure they provide enough stability for the sail. For stability, it's recommended that you sink one third of the posts below ground level into concrete, and leave two thirds above.

The usual method of attaching a shade sail to the pole or post is with an eye bolt. Note that it's easier and safer install the eye bolt, before you sink the post. Prior to installing the shade sails, make sure that the concrete base is completely dry and that the post is held securely in the ground.

Attachments

You can use "D" shackles on each corner of the shade sail, but these don't allow for the adjustment of tension. A better alternative is to use a turnbuckle on each corner. To ensure an even amount of tension right across the shade sail, work your way around the sail, adjusting the tension via each turnbuckle as you go.

You can use steel cables or chains as a means of connecting the shade sail corners to the attachment points. Remember to remove a few chain links, so that you can re-tension the shade sail in future.

It is possible to install your custom shade sails yourself. Use the tips in this article to make sure you do the job right, and always ask shade sail suppliers like Serious About Shade for advice if you're unsure about any aspect of installing your shade sail.