How to Install a Shade Screen
If you have a pergola or arbor in your backyard and want it to provide more shade, you can cover it with shade screen. While shade cloth costs some money, using an existing structure for your shade screen can save you some. Use a shade cloth that has ultraviolet protection. The UV protection not only protects you and your family but helps the shade screen last longer as well. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Screwdriver
- Wood screws
- Washers
- Staple gun
- Staples
- Box cutters
- Hem tape
- Grommets
Instructions
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1
Unroll the shade cloth across the top of the pergola or structure you are covering. Allow 8 to 12 inches of extra fabric on all sides.
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2
Screw the shade cloth to the structure with wood screws and flat washers, or staple it to the structure with staples placed approximately 12 inches apart. If the structure is adjacent to the house, start with the side closest to the house. Center the fasteners in the wood, except for around the outside edge. Move the fasteners slightly off center and away from the edge for the outside edge boards.
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3
Work out wrinkles in the fabric as you attach it to the wood. Pull the fabric tight but don't stretch it. As you work with the fabric, you notice it has a grain. Try to keep the grain straight as you install the fabric.
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4
Work your way around the perimeter of the structure as you attach the shade screen until you cover the entire top of the structure. Attach the interior sections to their corresponding support beams in a similar manner.
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5
Use a pair of box cutters to trim the excess fabric from the outside edges of the pergola.
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6
Attach the shade screen to the sides of the wooden garden structure in a similar manner if you wish.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Allow 25 percent extra shade screen to allow for overlap and overhang that you must trim away.
Create a pinch pleat in the fabric wherever you need to make a seam. Multiple layers of fabric are much less likely to pull apart in high winds than a single layer butted up against an adjacent layer. To create the pleat, fold the two edges of the fabric together to make a narrow pleat. Cover the pleated edge with hem tape and use grommets to hold the pleat together.
Use caution when working on a ladder. Make sure the wooden structure is stable enough to carry your weight if you must crawl on top of it.
