If you are looking for information on π‘π¨π° ππ¨ π’π§π¬πππ₯π₯ π¬π‘πππ π¬ππ’π₯π¬, you have found the right video! My latest DIY tutorial involves the installation and rigging of shade sails in a windy area like Florida!
Without a doubt, there are hundreds of ways to install shade sails and shade sail posts. But in this video, I try to give you a few tips and tricks to make this installation go much easier for you, especially if you live in a windy or storm-prone area like Florida, where I live. I want to share what I have learned during the installation of shade sails in my backyard. But know that these can be installed on your porch or your patio using the DIY rig I designed in this DIY tutorial. This is not my first shade sail installation, the last one I did was when I lived in the Florida Keys, and it lasted over a decade. The material on the sails rotted before the rigging or any of its components showed any signs of damage. And yes, that particular installation went through a few tropical storms and at least one hurricane!
I was not planning on doing this video. In fact, I failed to film some of the first steps, but nevertheless, I think the video is very cohesive and informative. I did think that there was a need to make a video about how to install a shade sail because I found quite a few online. And even though they are all using antiquated designs, the approach will still work! Bear in mind, if any of the many installations I have seen on YouTube using cable railing, which consists of 3mm cable, turnbuckles, and crimps, were to get stressed by a wind storm, I am not 100% certain they would last.
While steel cabling and turnbuckles are much better than the ropes that come in the package, this is not where I feel people trying to do this are failing! What do I mean? Well, most of these installations are employing fixed or rigid anchoring points. I think flexible anchor points are not only easier to install but also a little more forgiving to stress caused by wind due to the inherent flexibility built into it! Not only that, but they can also serve as a βfuseβ that can let go if something catastrophic was to happen. Here are a few tips and tricks you may find useful for your DIY Shade Sail Installation.
ππ¨π° ππ¨ ππ§π¬πππ₯π₯ π ππ‘πππ πππ’π₯?
The first and most important tip I can give is to measure your area and plan before ordering your sails! I made the mistake of ordering three triangular sails only to discover they did not give me the coverage I was seeking. That is due to the fact that the sails donβt have straight sides, but rather a negatively curved edge. For a triangular piece, I believe the proper name is a hyperbolic triangle; the same is true for square or rectangular sails.
The second tip I am going to provide you with is to measure the shade sails after they arrive. Donβt take the dimension on the box as accurate. I have done several shade sail installations, and not once have the product dimension matched. I am not talking about 1 or 2 inches either, but rather 4 to 6 inches!
My π¬π‘πππ π¬ππ’π₯ π’π§π¬πππ₯π₯πππ’π¨π§ method is so easy that you will ask yourself why was I trying to do this any other way! It is all about maintaining proper tension so that the sail doesnβt sag while offering enough flexibility to allow the wind to escape without doing damage. I did this by securing multiple anchor positions against the house. The second step is to make some shade sail poles. I chose to use four 2X4 glued and screwed them together. You can use a 4X4, but I think that two 2X4 glue and screwed together are stronger because you can mismatch the grain direction. These posts should be at least 6" to a foot taller than the roofline. To the shade sail posts, I added two eye bolts - one at the height of the roofline and the second one about one-third the way down. Unlike many shade sail installation that calls for poles buried in the ground, my shade sail posts are surface mounted with barn hinges, sometimes called T-Hinges. Once paired with my ratchet tie straps, they give you perfect tension to keep your sails from sagging and give you additional adjustment for when your sail stretch; and they will! You need to watch the entire video to see and understand the engineering behind the concept of my shade sail installation.
As always, I hope I was able to inspire your imagination with another aha moment as you realize that this is probably the easiest and πππ¬π π°ππ² ππ¨ π’π§π¬πππ₯π₯ π¬π‘πππ π¬ππ’π₯π¬ even if you live in a windy area. I look forward to having you as a subscriber and donβt forget to visit my website β https://cubanredneck.com for not only shade sail ideas and how to but other DIY Projects.
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