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The Shade Sail - designed to protect against UV

The shade sail is an inexpensive solution for creating shade with protection against the sun's harmful UV rays built into every fibre of the fabric.

Unique among solutions designed to provide shade, the shade sail was specifically created to block harmful uv rays. Many products available on the market today are very effective at blocking sunlight, but they do not block the sun's UV rays. Since the 1960's science has proven that it is the sun's UV rays which cause most of the adverse effects of being exposed to sunlight, from mild sunburn to much more serious problems.

Originally developed in Australia, the modern shade sail has been specifically designed to combat the growing number of people in Australia who were being diagnosed with skin cancer in the 1960's and 1970's. The government of Australia undertook a mass education program and implemented a series of measures to combat the problem. One of these measures was the widespread use of shade sails to create safe shade in public areas including schools, playgrounds , shopping centers , pools, parks etc.

With their public education program, it was not long before the shade sail started to become a common site in public areas. As a result the product started to become popular for private use with many families installing shade sails in their garden to create protected shade over patio areas, swimming pools and any areas where people relax or children play. The Shade sail gained rapidly in popularity as a cost effective shade solution for the home. People also discovered that the shade sail could also be used as an inexpensive way to cover parking areas to ensure that the car remains cool even in the hottest parts of the day. As a result they are now frequently used by car enthusiasts to shade their cars and in Australian car parks shade sails are a common feature.

The Shade Sail - perfect for your garden / outdoor space

The shade sail can provide an inexpensive, attractive and versatile way to provide shade in any domestic situation.

While the UV protection was a main design point, the shade sail has other desirable features .... it is simple to install and creates a pleasing architectural structure. Installing a number of shade sails together can create a unique and interesting look for your outdoor space, or placing the fixing points at very heights to create a 'twist' in the fabric when installing the shade sail can also create some something very visually pleasing.

You too can create shade in your garden or outdoor area with shade sail. A top quality shade sail from the Shade Sail Boutique not only protects you and your loved ones against harmful UV rays but can also add an interesting structure to your garden.

What to consider when choosing your shade sail

There are some basic considerations to make when choosing your shade sail. In no particular order they are :

Function : Shade sails are designed to be semi-permanent structures. While permanent, solid structures require a building permit in many parts of the world, must adhere to building regulations and must be designed to cope with all year around weather conditions including potential snow loads, storms, etc, shade sails are semi-permanent requiring none of these. Shade sails are primarily used in the summer months when the sun's rays are at their strongest, and are typically removed after the summer season. They are capable of withstanding high winds and can be left in place all year around in hot climates, but in most climates they are taken down in winter. In any event, when very strong winds or snow is forecast, they should be removed. Using a fixing kit (including turnbuckles and snap hooks) makes installing and removing the shade sail a very simple task that takes only 10 to 15 minutes.

Fixing points : You must have strong fixing points for each corner of your shade sail, as significant forces can be exerted on the fixings. The Fixings used to connect the Shade Sail to the fixing point also need to be good quality to allow for these forces. Shade Sails need to be installed 'under tension' to ensure that they do not flap in the wind and the curved sides of the shade sail are an important design feature that allows it to be stretched under tension.

Location : You should consider the direction of the sun as it moves across the sky when deciding where to install your shade sail. You should also consider any impediments such as telephone cables, electrical cables and water pipes when planning your fixing points. Installed correctly with tension applied along each side, your shade sail is designed to cope with high winds. If, however, you are the head of a valley which channels the wind, installing a large shade sail could present problems if there are high winds. A 5,4m square shade sail has over 29 square meters of canvas which will exert strong forces on the fixing points. For most installations this is not a problem, but for installations in very exposed locations subject to extremely high winds, a professional installation will be required.

Size and shape : We offer a comprehensive range of ready made shade sails suitable for all installation. Ready made shade sails are significantly cheaper than custom made shade sails (often cheaper by 75% or more), they use the same materials and offer the same UV protection. If you measure the area you wish to shade and reduce each length by around 10% to allow for fixings and the stretching of the shade sail over time, then any shade sail smaller than these dimensions can be used. Many people use stainless steel rope in addition to the turnbuckle to attach the shade sail to the fixing point. This allows the shade sail, or a number of shade sails, to fly over an area creating a unique design.

About the Shade Sail Boutique

The Shade Sail Boutique are suppliers of high quality pre-made shade sails and fixings. We supply only the best quality shade sails from the best Australian manufacturers.

With many years of experience in providing shade sails for the public market as well as commercial installers and businesses, we know that our customers want one thing more than anything else : Quality.

Our customers want the best products available ... at a reasonable price . They know that purchasing a top quality shade sail provides long lasting, reliable uv protection and is cheaper in the long run than buying cheaper products that do not last and which can not be relied upon to maintain the high level of protection from the suns harmful uv rays that they need.

The Shade Sail Boutique offers you the very best quality, market leading Austrlian shade sail with reliable UV protections built into every strand.

Our shade sails are very high quality and, depending upon the range, they have manufacturers warranties of between 3 and 15 years against UV degradation. We do not compromise on quality. Our shade sails are manufactured using only the best fabrics available. Our shade sail fabric does not become brittle or change its color due to exposure to UV rays and more importantly it does not lose its UV protection. Our customers can be assured that a shade sail purchased from the Shade Sail Boutique will look good when it is erected, will continue to look good years later and that it will protect you from the sun's harmful UV rays.

The Shade Sail Boutique is an online retailer. We do not have stores. We simply aim to supply our high-quality products at very competitive prices.

The Shade Sail Boutique offer quality 'ready made' shade sail made using only the best shade cloth which are guaranteed against UV deterioration. Our shade sails are available in various sizes in square, rectangle and triangle formats. Various colours are available in each format.

Fixing kits

The Shade Sail Boutique provides mounting kits for your shade sail. All of our fixings are made from marine grade, stainless steel. The use of these high quality materials ensures that the fixings will not fail in windy conditions and also that they will not rust. This is important as low quality fixings will rust and which may result in dirty brown rust stains discoloring your shade sail.

The future of the shade sail

Shade sails were originally developed to confront a specific problem, namely the very high rates of skin cancer in Australia during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The solar fabric, with it UV protection built into every strand, was specifically developed for this purpose.

As we become more and more aware about how much the sun can cause serious health issues, the more we take steps to protect ourselves and our loved ones from this threat to their health. Life can never be risk free, but when we can identify a specific risk and when there is a fairly simple, low cost protection that can be used, then most of us will consider the solution carefully.

In Australia shade sails are much more common than they are in Europe, but this changing. More and more schools and nurseries are installing shade sails because of their ability to block UV as well as providing shade. We all want our children to play outside but we do not want them to be harmed. The shade sail is a relatively cheap solution to meet this need.

At home we want our children to play outside. Shade sails are now more and more popular for home use especially to cover patios, pools and childrens play areas. Children can often spends hours and hours playing in the garden or in a swimming pool in the summer. We all encourage these activities, but we need to reduce the risk of sunburn or skin cancer.

Most installations are very low cost compared to a more permanet structure and can be performed by a compentent DIY enthusiast. Because of this the shade sail has a very strong future protecting our families from the harmful effects of the sun while allowing them to continue to enjoy being outside.