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I built a 12 ft by 16 ft deck last yr and want to put a top over it for shade. I have done some research and looked at corragated vynil and now looking at sun sail cloth. Also am looking at the fabric to put on top too. You just have to stapled it to the top. I want to go with the less costly and the easiest way to cover my deck. I know the fabric will not hold the water when it rains. Mostly I would like to have it for the shade. Anyone have any ideas about this or have used any of the fabric.
No matter what you use, you will have to build a framework to support it.
If some shade is all you want, not a weatherproof cover, you could even use some solar window screen.
I did that for the garden a couple of years ago - made a PVC framework, the used 2 rolls of the screen material. Made U-pins from a few coathangers to hold it in place. Still have the material if we get another hot dry summer, but I did take it down and roll it up again.
There are some really nice frameless tensioned-fabric awnings or shade sails out there, but they're hard to find. The one company I was familiar with doesn't make them anymore, from what I can tell. But, you might get some ideas from these sites:
I do plan on making a frame for the sun shade cloth. I was just wondering if someone had used it before. I already have one side of it done as you can see in the photo and will join it with the back of the house. Just waiting for some warm weather and the time really. I have had a client staying with me for the past 3 weeks so have had my hands full with him Got him home yesterday but I am just exhausted to start on it this week end.
I did look at the sites when I was trying to decide what to do with the deck cover. I think I am going with the sun shade fabric and staple it to the frame because we have a lot of wind here to do the sail cloth. I will probably put some strips 1X 1s on top to help hold it down where I staple it.
I finished my deck top. Took me a while to get the picture posted but here it is. I used a product called Endura which is very flexible and easy to install. It comes in 4 by 8 sections. We have really enjoyed it this summer. The hummingbirds loved it too. I hung about 5 hummingbird feeders up and I would have as many as 15 to 20 hummingbirds at one time. They would feast on the nectar while we were having our lunch or breakfast outside.
I sit out there and read or just watch the hummingbirds. Also had a sparrow build a nest on one of the support beams I put up between each support post. In fact there were several babies at different times.
I hung out several baskets of flowers also for the hummers to enjoy the nectar too.
My DH told me I was not to start another big project like this again. He is not know how to build anything so I have to do all the building and planning myself but he does help me hold the boards while I do it. I come from a large family with 7 brothers and I helped them a lot when I was growing up and did not matter I was a female I still helped them. So if anything is to be fixed around here I have to do it. I do agree with him on starting another large project like this because it about did me in. I am 64 and getting to old for all that heavy lifting. We just had a front porch put on but let so we let a builder do it.
