Adding a manual retractable awning to your patio or deck is one of the best ideas you can have. Awnings are a practical investment and make your property more attractive. Manual awnings for patios are stylish and functional, and can even increase the value of your property.
Attractive and Functional
Products from RetractableAwnings.com are attractive and available in dozens of styles and colors. They look great, and every model is functional and efficient. They add comfort and will attract foot traffic by increasing the curb appeal of your business.
Award-Winning Industry Experience
RetractableAwnings.com is a family-owned company, in business for 37 years with over 125 years of combined employee industry experience. Our manual retractable awnings and other products have won many industry awards, including two ATA International Achievement awards. We also make sure our products are all CE-certified and TÜV product approved. You’ll find examples of our installations all over the world.
Benefits of a Retractable Awning
The obvious purpose of a retractable awning is sun protection. However, it comes with many more benefits than that. Indeed, installing an awning is one of the best choices you can make when upgrading your home or business. Some of the many advantages of manual retractable awnings include the following:
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Extra shade
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Cooler interior rooms
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Block skin-damaging UVA and UVB rays
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Reduced energy costs in the form of lower air conditioning and heating bills
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Convenient to use — you can retract them in seconds!
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Easy to install and maintain
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Visually appealing
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Protect your furniture, carpeting and rugs from the elements and sun bleaching
And the best thing is that you can reap all the benefits of retractable awnings without investing a fortune into building a permanent or separate outdoor structure and, in most residential and some commercial cases, not having to obtain a permit. Awnings are incredibly straightforward to install, maintain, and repair if necessary.
How to Choose The Perfect Retractable Awning
Retractable awnings come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, so you can easily find the right fit for your patio or deck. When you are designing an awning, there are several factors you need to consider. Do you need something water-resistant or waterproof? Does your awning need to be motorized, or can you use a manual retractable awning instead? Here’s a breakdown of the most common choices you’ll need to make for your awning.
Most manual retractable awnings use one of four fabrics. They all block UV light in different amounts, and are not all water-resistant. These materials include:
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Canvas: A traditional fabric that has been used for generations, this material is quite common on many manual awnings for patios. It is natural and affordable. Canvas can suffer from weather exposure, so look for treated or coated products. Canvas is neither water-resistant or waterproof.
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Acrylic: Acrylic is extremely durable and water resistant, making it an ideal choice for light rain. For longevity against fading, look for a solution-dyed acrylic fabric like Para Tempotest from Italy for example. Solution-dyed acrylic fabric is the best choice for an awning..
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Polyester: This budget-friendly synthetic fabric is not water-resistant and is lightweight but does tend to fade/discolor very fast.
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PVC: Polyvinyl chloride is a popular synthetic fabric. This material can be prone to molding and may be easier to damage. It is waterproof but cannot be used for retractable awnings due to its weight. It is too heavy for the shoulder and arms.
The frame on any electric or manually retractable awning is part of its basic construction and is usually composed of steel or aluminum.
Today, almost all frames for motorized or manually operated awnings are made from aluminum.
Most manual retractable designs use a simple, detachable hand crank that is attached below the awning or canopy fabric and opens and closes the arms. It only takes a few seconds to extend or retract manually retractable awnings. The time it takes to extend and retract a manual retractable awning varies by the projection. RetractableAwnings.com offers our proprietary spring assist option to reduce the effort needed to open and close a manual retractable awning.
Most manual awnings are easy to install. Do it yourself, or rely on a professional.
You should be able to install this kind of product on just about any exterior wall, soffit, or roof. However, it’s vital to check whether your exterior substrate (wood, brick, concrete block, marble, etc.) is suitable for awning installation. There’s a chance you might need to add an anchoring method or shim/add a wedge to your exterior substrate.
Installing a manual awning for a porch is usually straightforward, but DIY installation isn’t for everyone. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Our structural engineer/professional engineer (SE/PE) licensed in all 50 States, Washington DC and most of Canada is here to help.
Why Trust Us?
Our automatic and manual retractable awnings are made of top-quality 100% European materials with components warrantied for 25 years. Our installers can advise you through an installation, or we can handle the installation ourselves or use one of the installers here. You can choose between different fabrics, materials, sizes, etc.
With decades of experience, RetractableAwnings.com has built a reputation as one of the most reliable awning providers in the industry. Don’t take our word for it. See what our clients have to say.
