How to Properly Install a Shade Sail

Select a location for your shade sail. Look for areas that are away from your barbecue grill and sun-loving plants.

Determine your fixing or mounting points for the shade sail corners. Some fixing points may include a large tree, a fence post, a pergola or a fascia. If not, you need to install posts. On each side of the sail, allow a space between the corner of the sail and the mounting point that is at least 10 percent of the sail length.

Select your fixing accessories to connect all three or four corners of the sail to the fixing points. You can use different anchors such as a pad eye, an eye bolt with a nut or an eye lag screw. For links, choose a snap hook, a D-shackle, an S-hook, or a turnbuckle. If you need to extend the sail corner to reach a fixing point, use a chain, a thick rope or a wire.

Install your fixing accessories. Connect the anchor, the link and, if necessary, the extensions to all four mounting points. All connections need to face toward the middle of the sail and be secured into the fixing point. If you fix your sail to a fascia, use a fascia support.

Apply tension to the sail. Connect the shade sail corners to the fixing points using the selected fixing accessories. Use a rope or a wire cable to gain control while installing the shade sail. Thread the rope looping it into the corner of the sail a number of times to work as a "pulley" device, or to use a turnbuckle to help apply the right amount of tension to the sail. Stop pulling the shade sail when you see that the sail has no more wrinkles on its surface. Remove the rope or wire, if necessary.