Awning Fabrics Back in the Day

[jojo]

Good Morning Everybody!

I got a call from a woman about making a replacement awning. She insists that her current awning is not Sunbrella (at least not as we know it today). She said it's really thick and heavy, and it lasted a full 20 years, without ever being taken down for the winter (we are in Northeast PA). I do believe her, as I remember having an awning on the house I grew up in, and it lasted about 20 years.

Does anybody know what fabricators might have been using 20-30 years ago for awnings? Is it possible that heavy cotton canvas can last that long? Can Sunbrella last this long in these conditions year round?

[needles eye]

Mornin' bud. Reckon it's 12 oz canvas, and, it certainly can last a coupla decades. Doubt if sunbrella can last half as long. We pay 30 bucks a metre here for the canvas, it's usually green or blue on the inside being with various patterns on the weather side. I scour the streets for old awnings when its roadside verge collection time!

[jojo]

Thanks needles. If I'm not the dumpster diving type and want to buy this new, it would need to be treated with something, right? And wouldn't there be a high shrinkage factor?

[needles eye]

Excellent point jojo - from new make sure that you hang it over the clothes line and hose it down being before any sewing coz otherwise it can certainly shrink heaps. There is various expensive stuff available to waterproof canvas but have never tried any personally, that is, as have assumed it's designed for older canvas that has lost it's water shedding characteristics. More feedback is required, thanking you in advance.   ;D

errata
no dumpster diving necessary if you wait for the biannual "bring out your dead" in your suburb. Stuff is generally laid out on the roadside verge. Hey i bought a mammylock overlocker and brother domestic sewing machine off a guy once from Ebay and when i went to pick the stuff up we got talking and he told me he's been selling stuff picked up offa the side of the road fror the last eight years now, and, he declared fifty grand to the taxman last year from this particular income. Notwithstanding on his store he says the stuff for sale all comes from deceased estates. Other guys cruise round looking for motors from washing machines etc, chasing the copper for scrap. The local councils advertise when the junk collection is scheduled for and you can be busy year round rifling through other peoples crap if you are so inclined. Me i just want cheap canvas for various jobs and ye olde canvas awnings are going out of popular flavour..

[Mojo]

Unless someone here can remember, your best bet maybe to contact Miami Mike to see what he says. He is awesome when it comes to cover material and he also has his hands on some of the testing data. I know he has forgot more then I will learn and remember when it comes to cover fab's.

I highly doubt Sunbrella is going to last even a decade, especially if its in Florida. All of my awning business is the replacement of Sunbrella and most are less then 8 years old. The vast majority I have inspected have been distorted, stretched out, faded and loaded with stains that wont come out. And many of those are 4 and 5 years old. I just replaced all the Sunbrella awnings on my own coach and they were in horrible condition and they were made in 2005. They were so stretched out and distorted it wasn't funny.

This is the main reason why I have switched to Recacril. Mike steered me to it and just to be sure he wasn't selling me a bill of goods....( Mike would never do that BTW ) I did some research on Recacril. Turns out Carefree awning manufacturers also experienced the headaches of Sunbrella and have now went to all Recacril as well. You have zero stretch with Recacril, excellent fade resistance and will not distort from pooling water. Mike was dead on with his recommendation.

I know there are a lot of sunbrella fans out there but I refuse to use it. It maybe OK for the marine inustry but it is NOT ok in the RV industry. There is nothing that pisses RV owners off more then to have to pay
$ 500 to have their awnings readjusted because the fabric stretched. The vast majority of private luxury coach makers ( 2 million dollar buses ) have gone to Recacril as well. These people are known for putting the very best fabric available on their buses.

And the bonus ??? It is cheaper then Sunbrella.

Give Miami Mike a call and see if he has any history on the old awnings. despite being a young buck he probably has a lot of info on that. His number is 513-298-5519

To all the sunbrella fans.........I apologize. I do not mean to knock your favorite fabric......LOL To be honest I love it because it is making me a lot of money at the moment. :)

Chris

[Miami Mike]

I am thinking long and hard on this one. Back in the day there were lots of choices. I think it could have been a poly - cotton blend and coated. Is the Awning a solid or stripe ?? Yes the cotton fabric is strong but will have shrinkage. the Poly not so much. I'm sure the old fabric was a 10 to 15 oz as well. If you're in the NE of PA, I have two choices for you one a coated poly Top Gun, 11 oz fabric. Solids only... Or Top Notch a woven Poly Fabric, 11.5 oz. solids as well.. Yes we offer other fabric lines as well. Other Polyester based and Acrylics. Outdura and Recacril both Acrylics.  If you would like to get a cut piece of any of these fabrics to show your client. Let me know, and I will get you samples out. We do offer Stripes in the Acrylics only. 60" to 47" wide. I hope this will help you, let me know if I can help.

Are you up around Erie or New Castle ??

Mike