What Type of Patio Cover Provides More Shade?

Depending upon the angle of the sun, this patio awning provides full shade.

The amount and coverage of the shade provided by a particular patio cover is an important design decision. Although total shade is desirable during the summer season, partial shade allows light to pass through a patio and into a structure's interior during winter. Consider your area's climate and the intended purpose of the patio to help you determine whether you require total shade, moderate shade or little shade.

Attached Roof Patio

The attached roof patio provides complete shade. As suggested by its name, the attached roof patio connects directly to home, usually to the structure's roof. Designers match the roofing materials of the patio roof to the roofing materials of the home so that the patio's roof appears as an extension of the home. Attached roof patio covers consist of standard roofing elements, including joists, plywood sheathing and a roof covering, such as shingles. At midday, the interior of an attached roof patio receives full shade.

Awnings

The term awning generally refers to a fabric patio cover supported by a metal frame. Awnings may protrude from a home's side, as an attached roof patio or a standalone, removed from the main structure. The amount of shade provided by an awning depends upon the type of fabric used to cover the awning. Heavy-duty, canvas and synthetic awning covers provide full shade. However, the most common and inexpensive awning material, shade cloth, filters light to provide only partial shade.

Rigid Roofing Panels

Rigid roofing panels, also called "corrugated roofing panels," have a familiar, wavy profile. Available both in vinyl and metal, the panels are relatively easy to install and are inexpensive. Rigid roofing panels can provide a patio with total shade to no shade. Solid-color vinyl panels and metal panels provide total shade to the patio beneath. However, among vinyl panels the builder may choose opaque panels, ultraviolet (UV) protected panels and translucent panels. Opaque panels provide a filtered light and provide slight shade and extra protection from the sun's harmful rays. Translucent panels allow full sunlight to enter a patio but prevent wind and rain from penetrating the patio area.

Exposed Beam Patio

Exposed beam patios are covered with wooden beams. The most basic exposed beam patio consists of a set of upright posts and horizontal beams topped with a grid-like patchwork of smaller lumber. The voids between posts, beams and other lumber remain open to the sky and allow direct sunlight to enter the patio area in a patchy pattern.

References

• University of Minnesota: Building Overhead Structures, Pergolas and Arbors
• University of Florida: Arbor, Trellis or Pergola? What's in Your Garden?