5 tips for an Easy Shade Sail Install

Video Transcript

Hi, Brandon from Tenshon here. I’m going to share with you a few tips that’ll help you avoid some common mistakes that people make when installing a shade sail for the first time. Let’s take a look.

Use White Lithium Grease

Tensioning hardware works best when properly lubricated. We recommend using white lithium grease. It comes in a spray and a paste. We recommend the paste. A properly lubricated turnbuckle won’t bind or seize and it’ll save you a lot of headaches, so make sure to get proper lubrication.

Get Yourself a Come-along

This is a come-along. A come-along is an invaluable tool for installing shade sails. Now, you can buy this at the local hardware store, but if you really want an effective come-along, it’ll have to be modified. We have a whole video dedicated to just that topic on our website, and it’s definitely worth watching.

Run Perimeter Wire Rope

All of the shade sails we manufacture here at Tenshon have a perimeter pocket that accommodates a wire rope. Wire rope is important because it transfers load from the corners of the sail to the entire perimeter. Using wire rope makes your sail look and function much better. Now, it’s important to leave your wire rope clamps loose until all your corners are attached. Once all of your corners are attached to their anchor points, then tighten down your wire rope clamps, before tightening down your tensioning hardware.

Use Pulleys for Easy Up and Down

At Tenshon, we love using turnbuckles, but we really love using pulleys. No grease, no tools, and they’re super easy. If you’re looking for an easy up, easy down solution, pulleys are definitely the answer.

Use Commercial Brackets for Larger Sails

It’s important that your hardware always matches your sail. Turnbuckles work for smaller sails, but large sails need bigger hardware. We recommend using a commercial bracket. It’ll hold up to the added stress of a larger sail, and looks great doing it.

Install Videos

Hopefully these tips are helpful and make your install run much smoother. If you want to learn more, go to our website, www.tenshon.com, and check out our full library of install videos. You won’t be disappointed.