Finish dimension planning with do-it-yourself design and install tips

Proudly hand-made in the Midwest for over 30 years. Knit shade panels are the most cost-effective design choice for saving energy while passively controlling indoor air temperature in office buildings, homes, patios and pergolas, livestock shading, wastewater treatment plant settling pond cooling, and hail storm protection. You can expect to see at least eight years of service from one of our properly installed panels and much longer when canopy is cleaned and removed in the winter. Simple exposure to sunlight is not what determines longevity, but rather avoiding abrasion and snagging damage. Laced into place taut on all four sides with soft braided rope is best practice to reduce movement and abrasion for longer life.

Best practice is to order shade panels at least 6 inches smaller than the interior of your framework and then laced in place trampoline-style with 5/16 or 3/8 inch diameter braided rope. This provides about 3 inches of gap on all four sides to tension properly with room for possible variance. The batten tape webbing on our sewn reinforced perimeter hem does not stretch at all. While possible to force a panel to distort and 'pillow' in the middle, it is not necessary, especially when grommeted pinch pleats are installed in the middle to limit distortion and provide engineering support in center of the panel. Knitted fabrics may stretch a little during installation, but they also contract/tighten/shrink a bit too, so there is normally a net-zero change when installed properly under tension. Knit shade material engineering specifications and material MSDS sheet.

Standard boating knots using cleats to terminate rope at every corner will provide the most consistent tension and allows for tightening later. Best practice is adding 1/2 inch diameter galvanized conduit or copper pipe, or aluminum anchor bars alongside or atop the wood framework. Sliding a pipe through the eye screws is possible too. Lacing with rope on a bar will spread the stress out much more evenly than nailing or stapling. Avoid using PVC pipe since it degrades in sunlight and gets brittle. Please note that special grommet (or pinch pleat) placement is not possible to provide. Grommets are punched approximately one foot on center starting near one corner and then punching grommets all four sides in-turn. Grommets on one side of panel are unlikely to align with grommets on the opposite side or from one grommeted pinch pleat to the next GPP.

We do not sell rope given the endless options. Best practice is using 5/16 or 3/8 inch diameter braided rope to support the 1/2 inch diameter #4 grommet holes. Sizing up to 3/8 inch diameter is a nice touch, but a slightly smaller diameter 5/16 inch rope is easier to lace on panels much longer than 20 foot. Do not use bungee cord, shockcord, or any other braided elastic rope which will degrade quickly in direct sunlight. Twine or paracord at 1/4 inch, or smaller, generally does not have adequate 'give' and concentrates wind loading stress on a much smaller portion of the grommet. A soft double-braided marine grade rigging rope is best, but any UV resistant solid-braided rope is adequate when the panel is not being taken down seasonally to protect longevity. Cheap rope has a very 'stiff feel' and tends to kink when lacing, making it more difficult to reuse. Better quality rigging rope has a very fluid feel for easier installation. There is no standardized 'rating' system, but sail rigging, industrial safety, and rock climbing companies generally have the highest quality UV resistant rope. To calculate how much rope you will need, assuming +/- four inch perimeter lacing gap, allow for at least 3 extra inches per foot. For instance: a 20 foot by 20 foot panel is 20 feet x 4 sides = 80 feet x 1.25 = about 100 feet of rope.

Extend longevity by 'hanging' a panel and lacing it underneath, rather than stretching atop to avoid friction and rubbing damage. Abrasion, from rubbing against the structure, is what eventually degrades a panel over time, not simple exposure to sunlight. Mounting panels atop the trellis or pergola is only preferred engineering when cover is going to be left up all winter in a snowy climate or with flat installations in areas of heavy rainfall. This is the Tan & Black 65% knit installed in a conventional laced with rope design. Note this fabric appears quite different in various light, from a distance, and from different angles. We can mail select knit sunscreen fabric swatches to your attention.  

There are more ways to install a shade panel than there are installers, so installation tips are always presented with Good, Better, Best choices. Best installation practice is lacing with rope from each grommet to structure or stainless steel cable. Large 5/16 or 3/8 inch diameter braided poly best displaces "loft and sail wind-load" evenly onto all perimeter grommets. Always lace in a zig-zag 'trampoline-style' pattern using all the grommets. Rope goes through grommet and then around the framework (or fastener in frame or cable) and then back through the next grommet in-line. Never lace a panel such that the rope stretches horizontally between two grommets, since this will cause damage to the un-sewn hem tape surrounding the grommet and void your warranty. Avoid using bungee balls or bungee rope as they degrade in the sunlight too fast and allow the panel to flex too much. Avoid using stiff nylon rope, fine cordage, or wire since they will not flex, like a soft pliable double-braided poly rope. While possible to simply run a stainless steel cable directly through the grommets, lacing with rope from grommets to cable is best practice. Avoid corners-only attachment directly to just the four corners of any shade sail or panel. With grommets every foot  around the perimeter, the cable or structure receives all the stress, abrasion, and tension from the rope lacing, while keeping the patio cover taut without abrasion. Galvanized chain link fencing 1-3/8 inch diameter 'top-rail' pipe and fasteners are locally available for an economical do-it-yourself framework. The following installation is is the Green 60% knit laced in place with 3/8 inch diameter braided rope.

Year-round installations on wooden trellis, lanai, or pergola can be made with 'raw material' plain cloth stretched atop (or underneath) and held in place with 1by2 wood strips (batten boards) around the edges and interior, sandwiching the plain cloth between the wood trellis and outer trim wood batten board. Common practice is to roll batten boards into fabric, not just sandwich between batten and framework on the perimeter. This rolling of fabric onto perimeter batten board allows stretching and firm, even fastening without stressing and tearing. Start with two opposing sides, rolling batten boards that are at least a foot smaller than the fabric. Then roll the other two opposing sides with a batten board that is the same size as remaining fabric. This allows you to install without cutting the fabric at corners and leaves no cut edges exposed.

Use nails, not screws, to avoid snagging fabric. Pre-drill batten boards and use large fender washers to evenly spread-out stress over the full width and make nails easier to remove without damaging the lumber. Best to use galvanized nails, if not aluminum or stainless steel, to avoid rusting and eventually abrading the fabric. On panels more than 12 foot wide, an optional center grommeted pinch pleat is normally installed on the panel to protect the loom splice found on larger width material. Professional shade cover installers invariably begin large panel installations by lacing the center grommeted pinch pleat to central framing member (ridge beam, cable, conduit) and then pulling taut across width sides and finally tensioning across length, towards two ends in-turn. This is our Black 80% knit which is the most common choice.

We suggest using 5/16 inch quick link fasteners to connect from panel edge grommets onto 1/4 to 5/16 inch diameter braided stainless steel cables along the sides. Vertically hung moveable panels normally are installed as 'drapes' with stainless steel cable running through the grommets and pulled from side-to-side. Or drapery rings can be installed, much like a shower curtain, and panel (drape) pulled back-and-forth along a pipe or curtain rod. Grommets approximately every foot on center is standard for our panels, making this design possible. Grommeted pinch pleats are not installed much closer than six foot on center, which is optimal for fixed-in-place, laced taut shade panel installations. Mobile, horizontal Roman shades deployed overhead, with GPP on very close centers, can present aesthetic issues for some clients. As viewed from underneath rather than looking down at the pinch pleats and grommets, GPP placed close together may appear to waver a bit. Plus, we do not offer special grommet placement to ensure cable slides accurately through all pinch pleats in-turn. Such Roman shade grommets would have to be installed by client. Note pinch pleats can be added after production on a home sewing machine. Panel is ordered 2-3 inches longer than finish length deployed, per pinch pleat installed. For instance: five pinch pleats would require at least 12 inches additional length for starting panel, depending upon sewing method. Sewing without hem tape webbing on a home sewing machine provides better presentation when pinch pleats are installed in close proximity. Mobile, horizontal Roman shades deployed overhead, standard and best practice is to run several stainless steel cables underneath a single panel and then pull it back and forth, like an overhead 'drape'. Single panel rests atop cables (or rope or pipe) and is pulled back and forth. Pinch pleats are not necessary with horizontal 'drape' installations less than about 12 foot long. Longer panels benefit from GPP every five or six foot on center to allow lacing to pipe or rod support, which helps keep panel from bunching oddly, as it drapes closed.

Drapes are easier to construct. Running cable through grommets on the 'top' edge allows pulling to one side, like a shower curtain. Roll-up shades are normally limited to six foot, eight, ten, or twelve foot stock roll widths to take advantage of the factory-bound edge. Cut, exposed side edges (odd widths) must be hemmed or at least folded and sewn on a home sewing machine to avoid distortion and curling. Shades wider than about ten foot may require two people to roll up properly, with one at each end, pulling on separate cords. Normally, the bottom edge is grommeted (in addition to top) and a heavy galvanized pipe is laced with rope to the bottom grommets. This allows roll-up to hang taut and reduce wind movement. 

Hot climate patios almost always install 80% or 90% density and usually in black color to best drop the temperature (and sunlight) underneath. You still get plenty of ambient natural light in from the sides, so it is not too dark. The only reason to install 70% or lower knit density is to ensure ample heat gain in the spring and fall months, where blocking 80% might make the patio a little too cool. It is common to have two shade panels in a hot climate: one high-density for peak summer months and one lower-density for when it cools in the fall. Functionally, black is the preferred color for a patio (see message box above). Patios are a place of relaxation and the black color absorbs more ambient light (not reflecting it), dilating your pupils, and generally creating a much calmer atmosphere. Heated air readily passes through any knit density, so the question of black absorbing more heat and radiating it back onto you is largely irrelevant to your personal comfort level underneath. Excess ambient light bouncing off a white panel adds heat gain and makes it much more of an active area, rather than a relaxation spot. The Black 70%, White 50% and Green 60% shade materials are very nearly the same knit pattern. The darker black absorbs more light, allowing only 30 percent to pass through. Green 60% knit is a compromise between blocking heat gain while still allowing 40% sunlight to pass through for plant growth and is very popular with greenhouse growers. White 50% knit is an excellent agricultural product too, reflecting maximum ambient light underneath, while allowing only 50% of direct sunlight to pass through from above. Any of the materials can be ordered as a double layer panel, where fabric is folded over for a heavy-duty two-layer panel with much more sun blockage and strength than a single layer shade tarp.

Shade factor is a measurement rating of knit density with the percentage noted being the amount of sun blockage. A 50% shade factor White blocks 50% of direct sunlight - a 60% Green blocks 60% sunlight - a 70% Black density blocks 70%. Lower percentage white shade material DOES NOT have the same cooling effect as a higher density green or black. Lighter colors reflect more ambient light underneath (make a patio brighter) while darker colors absorb rather than reflect light/heat, but the material is too light weight (low thermal mass) to RETAIN excess heat/energy. At less than 1/2 ounce per square foot, there is not enough thermal mass to store a large amount of radiant heat/energy. Heat is quickly dissipated by cooler air moving back up through the open netting (even 90% density has ~1.5mm holes).

We do not sell any solid, waterproof tarpaulin 'tent covers' since they are not as effective at keeping a patio or pergola cool. Without holes in the fabric, like our knitted shade cloth, heated air cannot pass back up through. Trapping heat underneath like a tent and allowing rainwater to puddle atop greatly decreases longevity. A knitted shade panel will dramatically slow rain down, but even when installed taut on a steep slope over 45 degrees, not all of the rainwater is going to run off the sides. Given the relatively short life expectancy of solid waterproof poly tarps that allow rainwater to puddle, we recommend roofing the pergola or trellis instead when you require the covering to be 'waterproof'. Metal and Lexan roofing panels are lightweight, economical, and much longer-lasting than tarpaulin, but they can be insanely noisy in a rainstorm. Canvas tent tarps are expensive, dirty, and a pain to keep oiled. And 'heavy-duty waterproof poly tarpaulin' are lucky to last a year in direct sunlight with cheap heat-seamed joints and edges, not fully sewn hems like our knit shade panels. Beware of tarpaulin UV and fire resistant coatings which are invariably toxic and constantly flake off as the tarp ages.

Indoor vertically hung Black 70% knit 'drapes' provide privacy while preserving view. From outside, your privacy can be nearly complete as viewed from an angle or at a distance. Avoid back-lighting yourself by placing room lighting up front, near the windows, not behind you, for best privacy. At 80% density and above, viewing from inside to outside is dimished. Up close, you can see through any density/color of shade cloth, but as you move farther away (20 plus feet) and at an angle, it becomes much more difficult to see objects on the other side clearly. The image below is looking out through our Black 70% knit. Mind you, the intense sunny day lighting and super-white snow foreground exaggerates the clarity, but this 70% black knit is a good compromise between preserving the view from inside and creating a sense of privacy from outside. 

Fence pipe frames are cheaper and much more stable than a wobbly pre-packaged frame kit. Larger shade panels are typically installed over trellis frames, utilizing multiple 'bays' to lend even more support to the shade netting when spanning greater widths and lengths. The standard specification is for a series of ten, twelve, or twenty foot wide panels versus a single large one. Weight of the material is not an engineering issue (less than 1/2 ounce per square foot), but sail effect can be great in a heavy wind. The material will handle the wind fine... the structure needs to be solid and secure, though. The additional lacing offered by a series of smaller width panels and grommeted pinch pleats) creates a much stronger structure and keeps the panels from lofting and sailing in the wind. Depending upon bay/stall size (span of pipe), 2" to 4" diameter heavy-gauge galvanized pipe/posts are commonly specified by engineers and the inside of pipe often filled with concrete and maybe even a stick of rebar. Any local plumbing supply store will have all the fittings and pipe you need and may even be able to cut threads on the straight pipe sections for you. Avoid plastic PVC pipe since it gets brittle very quickly in the sun. Black ABS plastic pipe is better, but ultimately, galvanized metal pipe is always best practice for posts and framework. Always GROUND metal structures and supporting cables on copper spikes (or plates) driven into the ground to deflect lightning strikes. A single copper plate or spike at one corner may be adequate for small frames, but best to drive grounding spikes (or plates) on two opposing corners. Standard lightning protection practice is to run a thicker gauge cable from copper grounding plate or spike up to cable connection clamps at top of post, rather than simply connect spike to post.