Shade Sails

Using large pieces of cloth to deliver shade from sunlight dates back to the Egyptians. The Romans apparently employed huge pieces of sail canvas to shade the Coliseum. The sail fabric of the time was very heavy and inflexible but worked well at supplying the required shade. In more current times a brand new shade cloth fabric was designed in Australia which was light and flexible, but still provided a fantastic level of protection against the sun's damaging UV rays. It was as recently as the Nineties that shade fabric started out to be available on a commercial scale and began to find acceptance in the market as an option to parasols or gazebos.

What's really strange is that these new shade structures have gained broad acceptance in Australia, but are virtually unheard of in France. But then the French really do not have much that can match the Sydney Opera House either!

The most likely explanation Shade Sails have been slow to catch on in Europe is the lack of availability in the market. Not surprisingly the best, high quality Shade Sails derive from Australia and exports to Europe have not been a top priority. This situation is now transforming and European slaes are growing rapidly. SailShadeWord is an Australian firm that is currently the largest maker of Sail Shades globally, with around 24,000 satisfied consumers. They've extremely strict quality standards and aren't the cheapest, but do offer a 10 year guarantee on their Sail Shades.

As opposed to the early Shade Sails manufactured from sail canvas, modern day Sail Shades are created from a kind of knitted material, which presents the Sail Shade a natural degree of expansion. This means that Sail Shade must be correctly mounted and tensioned. This makes it possible for for interesting architectural 3 dimensional final results to be achieved with Shade Sails.

An extra advantage from the knitted material is that it enables the sail shade to "breathe", permitting warm air from below the cloth to leak instead of be trapped underneath. This gives a particularly "cool shade" impact.

Modern day Shade Sails differ in form, size and colour and there is a trend in setting up many sails, occasionally overlapping, thereby adding some form and style to its basic purpose. Sail Shades are tensioned typically by use of a stainless steel turnbuckle fixed at each corner of the sail. For completely fixed sails, the turnbuckle provides an ideal means of fixing the canopy due to the fact it facilitates the application of additional tension easily. A snap hook can also be utilized at each corner to enable uncomplicated removal in the sail during the winter or in windy conditions.

• Disperses heat through the breathable Sail Fabric - furnishing really "cool shade"


• 10 Yr UV warranty


• Commercial Grade Knitted Fabric. Double needle lock stitched, UV stabilized, high density polyethelene. Blocks as much as 90% of harmful UV rays.


• Edge Webbing. Instead of the common turned and sewn hem that is used by other companies, we use seatbelt webbing around the perimeter of all our Shade Sails


• Fixes extremely simply to current structures, or attached to timber or steel poles


• Corners include marine grade stainless steel attachment rings


• Colourfast, won't rot, create mildew, shrink, fray or tear

Shade Sails France - supplying the English market in France at more affordable than UK prices and with Free delivery. Our High quality Shade Sails are made from leading high quality sail fabric and can come with a 12 month guarantee. They're offered in both square and triangular designs and 3 colours - Architectural Grey, Porcelain and Coastal Sand. Shade Sails provide a fashionable and useful alternative to parasols and awnings - and are a good deal stronger. The unique Sail fabric material offers a higher degree of shade whilst allowing warm air to pass via, delivering truly "cool shade".

• Easy TO Install - no specialist installation necessary


• FITTINGS Available - all the stainless steel fittings essential for installation


• Free DELIVERY - free delivery to France


• PREMIUM High quality - All our Sail Shades possess a 10 year guarantee


• 48h DELIVERY - On all our Shade Sails and Fittings

Shade Sails provide a very stylish alternative to the more traditional garden awning. To discover more about the advantages of Sail Shades and view a selection of different sail shade products available for purchase on-line and with free delivery, visit Shade Sails France.

To read more about the benefits of Shade Sails, please take a look at this article which goes in to much more detail on the benefits of Shade Sails