Beautifying Your Home with Awnings, Blinds and Shades
Awnings Shades
There are many ways to spruce up your homes and beautify your surroundings and one of them is the use of awnings, blinds and shades.
Awnings will spruce up the outside of your home while blinds and shades can add class and beauty to the inside. Yet there are plusses and minuses to all three of these products.
What Exactly are Awnings, Blinds and Shades?
Well according to Merriam-Webster: “ an awning, blind or shade is a roof-like cover extending over or in front of a place (as over the deck or in front of a door or window) as a shelter”. Many people only associate an awning, blind and shade with a commercial or retail building. This is a very common use of an awning, blind and shade but they can also be found on the front and rear of homes covering patios or decks.
Materials and Usage
Awnings, blinds and shades are usually made of canvas and some are retractable while other awnings and shades are not. Some external awnings blinds and shades are made from more durable materials such as stainless steel or aluminum.
Awnings, blinds and shades have two functions for the most part. They are used for protection from the elements and awnings, blinds and shades are also used as decoration for whatever building they are attached to. Awnings, blinds and shades are particularly decorative on homes and perhaps this is because awnings, blinds and shades are used less often in this way.
Waterproof of Awnings, Blinds and Shades
Awnings, blinds and shades used for protection from the rain and snow must be waterproof and sturdy. If all you care about is protection from the sun and wind, the material is made from does not need to be as tough or waterproof.
Some of the other materials that awnings, blinds and shades are made from include canvas, polymers, cotton, acrylic, light metal, fiber sheets, polyester and vinyl to name a few. People have used awnings, blinds and shades for well over 100 years to provide outdoor protection. There are also newer innovations such as molded awnings, blinds and shades.
Caring for Your Awnings, Blinds and Shades
The reason that canvas has been so popular for awnings, blinds and shades is that it is a strong, tightly woven, long-lasting fabric. It is waterproof, sturdy and flexible. You can take these awnings, blinds and shades down and wash them yourself and do any necessary maintenance on the poles and posts. This is especially true if your awnings, blinds and shades are retractable. This ability to retract is a great innovation in awnings, blinds and shades allowing you to roll your awning, blind and shade back and expose the area to the sun or evening air when desired.
Canvas awnings, blinds and shades also block the majority of UV rays thus protecting anyone sitting under it from the dangers of skin cancer. Being easy to remove and care for makes an awning, blind or shade a very good fit for climates such as Singapore and Australia. In these climates where you can have heat, humidity and torrential rain storms mold and mildew could form on awnings, blinds and shades.
The Advantages of Awnings, Blinds and Shades
The primary advantage of awnings, blinds and shades are to keep users safe from the elements. Other advantages of awnings, blinds and shades include assisting with lower energy costs inside the buildings as the awnings, blinds and shades keep the sun from pouring through the windows.
Retailers and commercial businesses are able to attach their names and mottos to the awnings, blinds and shades.
The final benefit of the awnings, blinds and shades is the architectural beauty they can provide.
Concerns About Awnings, Blinds and Shades
Although there are not many, there are some concerns with the use of awnings, blinds and shades. Some of the minor disadvantages of having awnings, blinds and shades, lies in the cost of maintenance and the restrictions that can exist in respect to where you can place them. Aluminum and vinyl are popular materials for awnings, blinds and shades in residential construction but they can be very expensive and they are not retractable.
Another general concern with all types of awnings, blinds and shades are their susceptibility to high winds and the dangers they might pose if they come down under such circumstances.
Conclusion
Despite the few disadvantages to awnings, blinds and shades they are still a very attractive addition to a domestic, retail or commercial building. The advantages to awnings, blinds and shades they are still a very attractive addition to a domestic, retail or commercial building. Awnings, blinds and shades provide a very realistic and needed function over the patios and BBQs of residential dwellings.
