Shade cloth vs waterproof PVCWhich one goes over your head.

Knitted shade cloth breathes. It blocks up to 99% of the UV, lets hot air escape through the weave, and sheds light rain only. Waterproof PVC is a welded membrane that stops the weather outright, so the space underneath stays dry through a Sydney downpour.

We've been at this forty years, and both kinds of sail are made in our own Rydalmere factory. The usual mistake is buying cloth expecting a roof, or PVC expecting a breeze.

Heat and airflow

Shade cloth is knitted, with gaps left between the yarns. Hot air rises straight through it. The fabric takes the sun before it reaches you, and the heat it picks up leaves through the weave. Stand under a well-tensioned cloth sail on a still February afternoon and the air still moves.

A membrane is a sealed sheet. Nothing passes through it, water or warm air. Under a small, low canopy with walls close by, the air can turn stuffy by mid-afternoon.

The fix is design rather than fabric: more height and fall, with the sides left open so a cross-breeze has somewhere to go. Over a boxed-in courtyard with none of that, the air under it just sits.

Rain: the question that decides it

Shade cloth is not a roof. A tensioned cloth sail sheds a passing shower and keeps the table dry for a moment, then the water finds the weave and comes through as a fine mist.

PVC keeps the rain out entirely. The seams are heat-welded, not stitched, so there are no needle holes for water to find, and the sail is patterned with fall built into it: a deliberate slope, and enough tension that the water runs off. Get the fall wrong and a puddle sits there stretching the fabric.

Light, look and feel underneath

Under a cloth sail the light is filtered and dappled, tinted by whatever colour you chose. A dark cloth reads cooler and shows less dust, while a lighter one throws more brightness back into the rooms behind it. Hold a swatch against the house before you decide; screens do not show colour accurately.

Sit under PVC and you have a proper ceiling. The light is even, and the trade is that you take on more structure and more presence.

Cost: which way it runs

PVC runs more per square metre than knitted cloth. The membrane costs more and the structure under it carries more load. For what moves a quote, read our shade sail cost guide.

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Lifespan and upkeep

Both carry our 10 to 15 year warranty. They age differently, though. Cloth wears from UV: over a long time the sun works on the yarn until the colour softens and the fabric goes brittle. PVC wears on the surface, because the membrane itself lasts well but collects grime, and a dirty white canopy looks tired.

• Cloth. Hose it down a couple of times a year, soft brush and mild soap on any mould, and let it dry tensioned. No pressure washers, no bleach.
• PVC. Wash it more often, because dirt shows. The same mild soap and soft brush; the smooth surface makes it an easier clean than cloth.
• Both. Check the tension after a big blow, and watch the corners. A sail left slack flaps in the wind and wears out early.
• Both. When the fabric finally reaches the end, the posts and footings are usually still perfect. Re-skinning on the same posts is a much smaller job.

Which we would pick, space by space

• Over a pool: cloth. Rain on a pool does not matter, and dark cloth keeps the surrounds cooler underfoot.
• An alfresco or outdoor kitchen: PVC. The furniture and the joinery out there will not take the weather.
• Play spaces and school yards: cloth, almost always. The UV is blocked and the air keeps moving.
• Cafes and dining terraces: PVC. A wet Saturday should not close the outdoor tables. Clear blinds on the weather side finish the job.
• A car park or driveway: cloth for UV across a big area; PVC where the brief is dry cover for a bay or two.
• Lawns: cloth. Grass under a sealed membrane gets no rain and no light.

If PVC is where you have landed, our waterproof shade sails page covers how we pattern and weld them. If it is cloth, start with the sails on our residential shade page. We measure the site free, seven days a week, and the written quote comes back the same day as that visit.