At Sailrite®, we offer a wide selection of high-quality shade fabrics designed for various applications. In this guide, we’ll compare our top-selling mesh shade fabric brands — Phifertex®, Textilene®, Polytex™, Parasol™, Soltis® 86 and Top Gun® Vision — to help you choose the best option for your needs.
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Sun shade fabric is a specially designed textile that helps block harmful UV radiation and reduce heat exposure, making outdoor and indoor spaces more comfortable. These fabrics come in a variety of weaves and materials, each with different levels of UV blockage, breathability and durability.
When selecting a sun shade fabric, consider the specific application to ensure you get the best performance. Here are some common uses for our mesh shade fabrics:
The shade factor of a sun shade fabric refers to how much visible and ultraviolet light it blocks. This is expressed as a percentage, with higher numbers indicating greater sun protection. Some fabrics allow more natural light while still filtering out harmful UV rays.
For areas with intense sun exposure, such as patios and pools, opt for fabrics with a higher shade factor and strong UV protection. Here’s how our top fabrics compare:
The openness factor refers to the percentage of open space in the fabric weave. A lower openness factor offers greater privacy and shade, while a higher openness factor lets in more light and air circulation.
The way a shade fabric is constructed impacts its durability and resistance to wear:
Knitted Shade Fabric: Parasol and Polytex use a lockstitch raschel knit, ensuring they won’t fray when cut. This design also enhances wind resistance and stability.
Woven Mesh Shade Fabric: Soltis 86, Phifertex, and Textilene are made from vinyl-coated polyester, offering dimensional stability and durability for roller shades and snap-in panels.
Perforated Fabric: Top Gun Vision is a perforated acrylic-coated polyester, providing excellent visibility while reducing glare and heat.
A fabric's construction affects its dimensional stability and resistance to stretching and sagging over time. Knitted shade fabrics like Parasol and Polytex have great dimensional stability in tension structures like shade sails but don’t have the same features that are needed for roller shades and snap-in panels for boat and RV windshields. Phifertex, Textilene and Soltis 86 products have a stiffer hand and greater dimensional stability for these types of projects, allowing them to better keep their shape and require fewer snaps to hold them in place.
Selecting the right fabric width minimizes seams and material waste. Larger widths are great for shade sails and require fewer seams. Narrower widths are better for pergola canopies and reduce material waste. Here’s how our shade fabrics measure up:
All fabrics can be cut with scissors or a hotknife for custom applications.
Color selection impacts heat absorption, light filtration and visibility. Here are some things to keep in mind when selecting a color for your mesh shade application:
All of our shade fabrics offer excellent fade resistance, ensuring long-lasting color vibrancy.
Many shade fabrics meet industry safety standards:
Flame Retardancy: Some fabrics are treated for fire resistance, which is important for commercial applications.
GREENGUARD® Certification: Phifertex, Textilene and Soltis 86 meet EPA standards for low chemical emissions, making them safe for homes, schools and healthcare facilities.
Antimicrobial Protection: Phifertex fabrics include Microban® for mold and mildew resistance. Parasol and Polytex naturally resist bacteria due to their HDPE composition.
Now that you understand the benefits and differences between our premium mesh sun shade materials, you can confidently choose the best fabric for your next project. Whether you need a durable shade sail fabric, a breathable mesh shade fabric, or a UV-resistant roller shade material, Sailrite has the right option for you.
Want to feel the fabrics before making a decision? Order fabric samples today! And when you’re ready to get started, explore our how-to blogs for expert guidance. We’d love to see photos of your finished projects in the comments below!
Burlap, sheets, shade cloth, lace…what can you use? What should you use?
Let’s simplify this so that you and your plants and animals stay happy and healthy!
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The most important thing to consider will be the density of the fabric. This is the term for how loosely or tightly the fabric is woven – and therefore how much sun shines through. Yes, color and type of fabric play a little role, but are secondary considerations in my opinion.
Spoiler alert! 50% shade cloth that is knitted (vs woven) is the simple answer that will be a fine solution for quite a few plants and greenhouse locations.
Of course, we’ll go ahead and dive in deep and consider all aspects, but know that 50% shade is good for many plants.
The trick to knowing which shade cloth to buy is simply to know how much sun your plants need. Are you growing tomatoes, tropical houseplants, orchids, or herbs? You’ll want to choose shade cloth density based on what you want to grow.
You may be wondering if you need shade cloth if your greenhouse is already in shade or partial shade. Like the answer to many gardening questions, the answer is…it depends…and you may want to experiment. (My greenhouse is in partial shade and I use shade cloth. More on that below.)
The ultimate goal here is to control how much sun your greenhouse is getting, whether that’s by it’s location or by using shade cloth. And how much sun you want your greenhouse to get will depend on what you want to grow.
Shade from trees or a building will block light from reaching the plants. Shade cloth will filter sunlight to let a certain percentage through.
This brings us back to fabric density. This refers to how loosely or tightly the fabric threads are woven, which directly affects how much sun gets through. Products labeled as garden shade cloth are either knit or woven. Knit shade cloth is made from polyethylene and it has more loosely woven threads and it can be cut it to size without it unraveling. This means it’s more lightweight and easier to work with. Woven shade is made from polypropylene. Its threads are tightly woven together and it’s a bit heavier, but it offers more UV protection than knit shade cloth. It will unravel if it is cut or gets a hole.
Let’s talk about some other options. I use burlap in my greenhouse and a friend of mine uses large pieces of lace. Both of these are loosely woven and so they make a good shade option. Burlap is a natural material made from the jute plant. It can also be made from sisal, hemp, flax, or other fibers. Lace can be made from cotton or synthetic fibers.
Now that we’ve talked about thread density, let’s talk about what that means for shading our plants! Garden shade cloth will be labeled with a shade percentage such as 30% shade, 60% shade, and so on. Here’s a guide to optimal plant shade percentages:
Burlap isn’t labeled with a shade percentage of course, but it’s about 50% and creates a beautifully natural look. I’m going to guess that lace is about 30%-50%, depending on the lace pattern and if pieces are layered and overlap each other. Thrifted lace from garage sales and second-hand shops can be one of the cheapest options and has huge cottage charm appeal!
I’ve seen some folks use pretty sheets as garden shade. Since sheets are made of tightly woven fabric, I’d have to guess that the shade percentage is pretty high. I probably wouldn’t use them unless I’m growing shade-loving plants. Even then, it might turn out to be too much shade.
As I mentioned above, my greenhouse is located in partial shade and I use shade cloth. The back half of my 8’x12’ greenhouse is under very tall oak and maple trees. The front half gets more sun although it still gets a little shade from surrounding trees. Even though it gets natural shade, it still heats up to 100 degrees on hot days when it’s in the path of the sun. It definitely feels better inside with shade cloth! Plus, I use my greenhouse as a sanctuary to putter about and hang out in. It’s important to me that it’s comfortable. I don’t try to grow fruits and vegetables; those are in my raised beds in the garden.
I decided to use burlap because I love the airy charm it lends the greenhouse and because it was inexpensive. Believe it or not, when draped across the header beam and down the sides, it has a billowy, elegant look. It easily clips on to the metal cattle panel sides, and I can roll it up if I want to. As of this writing, I’ve been using it for two years, and I love it.
Now, back to some other considerations when choosing shade cloth. You might be wondering if dark colors or light colors are better.
Here’s the scoop. But first, it’s important to remember (you’ll see why in just a minute) that if you’re using greenhouse plastic on your greenhouse, it protects from UV rays.
White shade cloth reflects sunlight and heat. It keeps a greenhouse cooler, but it only diffuses light and so lets the full light spectrum in, including harmful UV rays. You might want light shade cloth if you live in a hot climate and you’re constantly trying to protect your plants from too much sun and heat.
Black shade cloth absorbs sunlight and heat. It makes a greenhouse hotter, but It filters light and offers protection against harmful UV rays. You might want dark shade cloth if you live in a cooler climate and want to keep as much heat in as possible. Or you might want dark shade cloth if you’re using it out in the garden without the protection of greenhouse plastic; as an added benefit, it will blend in to the landscape better than white shade cloth.
Are the differences significant or negligible? It’s hard to say. It will depend on your climate, your goals, and your aesthetic preferences. For me, black shade cloth wouldn’t help me much in the winter because my greenhouse doesn’t get much sun during that time of the year (it’s on the north side of my house and I live in a cloudy area). In addition, I don’t try to grow during the winter, so I’m only concerned about the other seasons.
This post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention one other idea. And that is to place the shade cloth over the top of the greenhouse, on the exterior. The benefit is that the cloth absorbs or reflects the light and heat before they even enter the greenhouse. Again, is it significant or is it negligible? I haven’t done it so I can’t say. But some folks do place it on the outside and then fasten it down.
If all this information has got you feeling a little heady, just remember this: shade cloth in a greenhouse is usually necessary, and many, many plants do just fine with 40%-50%. If your greenhouse is dedicated to growing something specialized then you may want to consider a different option, but for many of us this will be a good solution.
And don’t forget about other little tweaks you can do in the greenhouse. Move light-sensitive plants under a table or behind a larger plant. Place shade cloth on the sides and leave the top unshaded. Or shade one side and leave the other side unshaded. The more time you spend out there, the more in-tune you’ll be with where the sun is hitting and what plants need shaded. Observe, and your plants will tell you what they need.
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