Covered Patio and Shading Needs
The same type of shades that you find indoors, you can also find out. With a patio, it is even more important to have some specific shade for those intense summer suns. You might also live in a climate where your weather permits a more year-round patio living experience. In these places, patio shades are even more important because in the non-summer months, the sun tracks lower in the sky. Your covered patio blinds will provide you more protection from this angled sun than the more overhead sun of the summer.
A covered patio is good at providing shade from directly overhead, but not as great when the sun moves lower. So, your particular patio will determine the type of outdoor shades you need to purchase. From finding a rollershade to some type of awning, they can all be useful for your space. The issue with finding the specific type of shade you are looking for is that when searching online, terms like outdoor patio shades and patio awnings are often describing similar items. It is often from the manufacturer’s side where the distinctions are more clear. The advertising is not as clear with respect to the category of shade at times.
Type of Shades
There are essentially two, possibly three, categories of outdoor shades. The first could be considered a fixed-mounted variety. These would include things like a patio canopy or patio cover awning style. Another increasingly popular style within this family is the shade sail. These look like boat sails that are mounted to three points of attachment in most cases. They can be made of nylon or other fabric and are quite rigid. While they may move slightly in a heavy wind, they are under very high tension, so they don’t move like a typical sail or laundry on a clothesline.
The third category is really a modified version of the fixed-mounted with a movable shade. This type is a fixed system that has movable or retractable awnings. So, what you have is a more controlled way of providing shading to your covered patio. Hopefully, this helps you get started with shopping for your patio shades.