RetractableAwnings.com Frequently Asked Questions

We’re sorry about that! We always strive to respond to your inquiry within 24 hours, but sometimes things get backed up. If you’ve reached out to us during our busy season (February to September), please allow us a total of 48 hours to respond. We appreciate your patience.

If you still aren’t receiving any communication from us, there might be a technical issue preventing our emails from reaching your inbox. Immediately after submitting a contact form, you should get an automated email confirming we received your message. If you haven’t received the automated email, check your spam/junk folder and add info@retractableawnings.com as a safe sender.

If you still don’t see the confirmation email, please call us directly.

Yes, we have many options for motorized retractable awnings!

Yes, we have the resources, knowledge and options available so you can automate your new retractable awning or pergola or any one of our other retractable product types.

Customization is another strength of our foldable arm awnings as you can choose the precise width of your awning. Aside from getting a perfect fit, you can also choose the colors of the fabric and valance style which can form an outstanding accent for your home or business area. You have the ability to change the angle of the awning’s pitch to suit your taste and for better early morning or late afternoon sun protection. You can make it almost flat with a slight angle to shade the largest area possible, or you can angle it sharply to provide the best coverage from the sun or spying neighbors and for light rain protection. For retractable fabric pergolas and louvered roof pergolas both the width and projection can be customized.

Call us and ask about a 3D rendering of exactly how your awning, canopy, or pergola will look on your gazebo, patio, deck, or other outdoor space.

A folding arm awning can transform simple and plain windows, sliding doors, or a set of French windows and doors into a beautiful space. With a variety of fabrics to choose from, you can pick a color that complements your home, giving it an eye-catching accent.

For businesses, placing a bright window awning with their logo emblazoned on the fabric adds brand recognition and helps people remember and find your location. Property owners with open patios can install folding arm outdoor awnings as an alternative to permanent concrete or metal roofing.

Yes! Unlike interior blinds, a window awning not only provides privacy, but also reflects UV rays, and blocks the heat from entering your home, business, or RV before it enters. That is the key difference based on many studies worldwide. With the ability to prevent heat from entering, retractable side arm/drop arm awnings will definitely help lower your utility bill. By simply acting as a barrier to the sun, your indoor temperature can dip as much as 20 degrees, which translates into as much as a 77 percent decrease in air conditioning use resulting in a reduction in your utility bill.

In general, you can use a garden hose to spray it down. Do not use a pressure washer.

For more specific information, please look at our web page for your specific awning or pergola, screen, canopy or contact us.

Our Projects page has photos of a very small sample of our previously completed projects.

To see a map of installation locations, check out our world installation map.

We don’t provide customer contact information or addresses for privacy and security reasons.

This is not the first time we’ve heard about this concern. That’s why we’ve developed a tool to help you calculate ROI for this business expense. Check out our ROI calculator now!

Check out our collection of educational pages, studies, and facts designed to help you choose the right product for you. We also have a blog packed with the latest updates and helpful information.

Retractableawnings.com only uses brand-name solution-dyed acrylic fabrics (such as Para, Dickson, and Sunbrella) due to the long-lasting color of these fabrics. We do not use traditional tent-type canvas, cotton, polyester, or duck fabrics as these fabrics tend to mildew, rot and fade very fast. In addition, we do not use vinyl. Even though vinyl provides shade, it absorbs the heat and does not breathe, and it quickly becomes very hot under a vinyl retractable awning.

There are two different ways that fibers for fabric are colored, and each method produces fibers with different characteristics. One way to color fibers is to dip them in a vat of dye after they are extruded. This method is great for achieving bright colors and allows manufacturers to create smaller quantities of dyed fibers. In this method, the dye penetrates just the outer surface of the fiber. Think of a radish: the interior is white, but the exterior is red. This is the same way a “piece-dyed” or “yarn-dyed” fiber is colored. Most fabrics and carpet fibers today are dyed in this way.

The other way to dye fibers is to add the dye to the liquid fiber solution before the fibers are extruded. This allows the color to be mixed into the solution thoroughly, bringing the color all the way through the fiber once it is extruded. In this instance, picture a carrot: unlike a radish, which has color only on the outside, a solution-dyed fiber has color all the way through the fiber. What difference does the dye method make? A lot, if you are looking for a colorfast retractable awning fabric with a 10-year warranty! Solution-dyed fibers are the most colorfast in the awning, marine and outdoor furniture industries.

Retractableawnings.com uses high-speed pneumatic machines to sew all of our folding lateral arm awning fabrics using Gore Tenara thread – the absolute best in the world. Gore Tenara thread maintains its strength even after continued exposure to UV sunlight. UV resistance is built into each and every thread and is not a coating or additive that can wear out. In addition, Gore Tenara thread remains flexible and extremely strong in hot and cold extremes. The thread won’t absorb water and it resists acid rain, salt water, pollution, snow, and freezing.

Retractableawnings.com does not use any other type of sewing thread including polyester, as polyester does not stand up to the elements. Based on our testing, Retractableawnings.com does not use heat sealing due to the fact that even at low amounts of humidity the fabric separates at the seam. Seams sewn with Gore Tenara thread are guaranteed not to come apart for life!

Water-resistant - This offers the lowest level of water protection. If a retractable awning fabric resists water, it’s usually because the fabric itself is acting as a barrier between you and a very light shower. Tightly woven fabrics will offer a very small degree of water resistance, as it takes some time for the water to seep through the material. It is not impervious to water penetration but can stand very limited exposure to precipitation. However, with the addition of a coating or impregnation, you can make a retractable awning fabric water repellent.

Water-repellent - a step up from water resistance and offers a medium level of water protection. This means that water can’t easily penetrate the material (the technical term is that it’s hydrophobic). It beads on the outside instead. However, as soon as you apply pressure – like the skies suddenly opening and releasing a whole load of heavy rain, rainwater starts to seep in through the coating, the fabric, and onto your patio or deck.

Waterproof - A waterproof material or product is one that is completely impervious to water penetration and offers the highest level of water protection including heavy rain. No water can get in or out of the product or material or around the edges. A waterproof material or product is able to provide sustained protection from water.

RetractableAwnings.com does not offer water-resistant fabric. We only offer water-repellent fabrics on our folding lateral arm awnings and waterproof fabrics on all* of our retractable roof pergolas.

Each component within a RetractableAwnings.com product has its own manufacturer’s warranty. Check the warranty page for specifics

Make sure you fill out the registration form on our Warranty page.

Production and shipping times may vary depending on the carrier and time of year.

If you are located in the U.S., you can expect your order to arrive:

• Lateral Arm Awnings: 2-3 weeks for production, shipping 3-5 days after
• Pergolas: 9 weeks*
• Other: Average 2-3 weeks**

We also ship and install worldwide! International shipping estimates may be longer due to customs processing time.

All payments must occur in full when an order is placed (as all products are custom made and can’t be used for another customer), but you can choose to finance. We have a partnership with TimePayment for financing your purchase.

RetractableAwnings.com has a no return/no refund policy under any circumstances due to the custom-made nature of our products.

For more information, view our Return and Refund Policy.

Once payment is tendered (regardless of the method of payment) the order is considered final and cannot be canceled under any circumstances as production begins immediately.

Visit our Return and Refund Policy for more information.

We offer professional consultation, measuring, and installation anywhere in the world. Our expert team can fly to where you are and install your product*.

We can also connect you with a local awning installer through our sister website, Awning Installers. When a contractor signs up, they can input insurance, experience, and other relevant information. You will have access to that information so you can make an informed decision.

Important: Make sure you check local laws and regulations to verify if your installer needs to be licensed/insured, bonded for commercial purposes, etc.