How to Replace a Garden Gazebo Canopy
Thanks to large-chain home stores such as Wal-Mart and Lowe's, the out-of-the-box gazebo has become a popular addition to the home and patio. But in punishing weather and summer sun, the canopies look tired and faded after a season or two. With a little ingenuity and a few sewing skills you can revitalize your canopy. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Seam ripper
- Overlock sewing machine
- Nylon thread
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Iron
- Canvas, duckcloth, marine-grade or other awning-type fabric
- Metal grommets
- Hammer
- Bungee cords
Instructions
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1
Determine in advance the type of fabric that you will use in your new awning. Since most awning fabrics are available in pre-measured widths, you should pay special attention to the width of the cloth roll. This will later determine how much fabric you purchase.
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2
Remove your canopy from the gazebo and carefully disassemble your old canopy by ripping apart the seams using a seam ripper. The pieces of canopy will be your pattern for your new canopy.
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3
Lay the pieces of canopy flat, spacing them closely together. Measure the total square yardage that the flat pieces cover in order to determine the yardage of fabric that you must purchase.
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4
Launder your canopy fabric to take care of any shrinkage. Most commercial laundromats have high-capacity washers and dryers for bedding that would be suitable for laundering your fabric.
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5
Iron the fabric to remove wrinkles.
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6
Lay out the pattern pieces on the fabric and pin them in place with straight pins.
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7
Cut the new fabric pieces.
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8
Sew the pattern pieces together using an overlock sewing machine.
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9
Create fasteners to attach your canopy to the gazebo by fastening metal grommets to the canopy. To do this, line the two pieces of the grommet up on either side of the fabric, and hammer them together.
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10
Attach the canvas roof back onto your gazebo by tying it in place with bungee cords and the metal grommets.
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Tips & Warnings
Consult the fabric specifications to find out if the canvas will shrink when it is laundered. You may have to buy extra fabric to account for shrinkage. Canvas can be treated with Scotch Guard to help it stay clean longer.
