| The fabric is the first visual element in a retractable | | | | Piece dyeing isn't without drawbacks. It is done on full |
| awning. It's both the most dramatic and most fragile | | | | bolts of cloth, not individual threads, so it is only good |
| element in retractable awnings. Any wear, tearing, | | | | for solid colors. To get stripes or other patterns, the |
| fading, or rot on the fabric immediately diminishes the | | | | contrasting colors have to be painted on, which is not |
| overall suitability of a retractable awning, even if the | | | | particularly durable and creates a flat, one-sided visual |
| frame and accessories of the awning are sound. | | | | effect. Piece-dyeing is also susceptible to |
| Because the fabric of the awning is so important, a lot | | | | environmental wear from sun, UV rays, and even |
| of research and technology is geared toward | | | | humidity and salt water. |
| improving retractable awning fabrics. There are | | | | Despite the breeding enhancements, cotton has |
| basically two major camps for fabrics: natural cotton | | | | significant weaknesses for outdoor use. Despite the |
| and solution-dyed acrylic. The key to understanding the | | | | treatments, it is still prone to mildew and rot. According |
| best retractable awning fabrics lies in knowing both the | | | | to one cotton mill site, after only two weeks in the sun, |
| history of awning fabrics and the technology of | | | | cotton is less than half as strong and increasingly brittle, |
| modern fabrics. | | | | losing its elasticity and becoming prone to tear or fray. |
| The Demand of Outdoor Fabrics | | | | The Evolution to Solution-Dyed Acrylic |
| Fabrics on retractable awnings have to withstand a lot | | | | Acrylic fabric was born in 1944, as part of the flurry of |
| of environmental abuse. Outdoor fabrics of every type | | | | research for World War II because of the military |
| - cotton duck to vinyl to acrylic - face significant wear | | | | demand for quick, cheap, and highly durable materials. |
| and demanding conditions. Mechanical damage, such | | | | Acrylics are much better for outdoor uses than their |
| as tearing and fraying, can come from heavy winds or | | | | manmade cousins like vinyl because acrylic is a fiber |
| the weight from rain, snow, ice, or debris. (This is one | | | | rather than a sheet; it can be woven, it's lightweight, |
| advantage of retractable awnings; closing the awning | | | | and it's breathable. Acrylic fabrics dry quickly, have |
| protects it from those kinds of loads.) | | | | flexibility and elasticity, and have the pleasing texture |
| The true grinding wear on awning fabrics, though, | | | | and softness of natural fibers like cotton. Unlike cotton |
| comes from standard weather: | | | | and linen, acrylics cannot support mildew growth, so |
| Sun and UV damage | | | | they are innately mildew resistant. |
| Heat and cool | | | | From a color standpoint, acrylics have another |
| Moisture | | | | advantage over natural fibers. Acrylics are made in a |
| Mildew | | | | lab. All of the components to make the acrylic yarn is |
| Debris and dust | | | | mixed in that lab - including the color. This is called |
| This causes fading, tearing, and discoloring. Outdoor | | | | solution-dyeing, which means that the pigments are |
| fabrics, then, have to find a way to resist these | | | | added to the acrylic solution. The color is part of the |
| environmental factors. | | | | fabric. This leads acrylic fabrics to have very long-lived |
| Cotton and Early Awnings | | | | colors, better pattern quality, and both stain and fade |
| Awnings are an old architectural convention, dating | | | | resistance. |
| back to the Greeks and Egyptians. In the beginning, | | | | Because solution-dyed acrylics are so good in rough |
| awnings were made with woven leaves, which | | | | conditions - like tangy salt air and water and prolonged |
| segued into linen. In the 19th century, awnings had a bit | | | | sun exposure - acrylics were quickly adopted for |
| of a renaissance in Europe as both a stylish and | | | | maritime fabrics like sails. From there, it was a smooth |
| practical window dressing. At that time, awning fabrics | | | | transition for acrylics to be used for retractable |
| were usually cotton duck, an oiled canvas that was | | | | awnings and other outdoor applications. |
| heavy and somewhat water repellent and used for | | | | Contemporary Choices |
| ships' sails. | | | | Most retractable awning lines now depend exclusively |
| Cotton canvas remained popular well into the mid-20th | | | | on solution-dyed acrylics for five reasons: |
| century. Even now, canvas is still a common (though | | | | Simple care (just an occasional rinse with the hose) |
| decreasingly popular) awning fabric. It has a few | | | | Durability(with some manufacturers offering a 10-year |
| advantages as a retractable awning fabric, namely | | | | warranty) |
| that it is breathable and has a pleasing visual texture. | | | | Amazing color and pattern selection |
| New scientific advances in the latter 20th century | | | | Effective fade resistance |
| introduced additional treatments to both cotton plants | | | | Innate mildew resistance |
| and processed cotton to make it more durable and | | | | Natural fabrics like heavy cotton duck and chunky |
| mildew-resistant. | | | | linens have a nostalgic panache for awnings. The |
| Another advantage for cotton is piece dyeing. | | | | technology behind solution-dyed acrylics enables acrylic |
| Piece-dyeing cotton - the most common method for | | | | fabrics to have the best virtues of natural fibers - |
| outdoor uses - creates vibrant color, some of the | | | | softness, texture, breathability - combined with the |
| most beautiful in fabrics. In piece-dyeing, the cotton is | | | | durability, vibrancy, and resistance of manmade |
| immersed in hot liquid dyes, then forced through rollers | | | | materials. |
| to even out the color and remove the excess. | | | | |