Shade sail repairs · SydneyWe repair sails, including ones we didn't build.
Loose fabric, an open seam or a worn membrane call for different repairs. Start with a photo of the whole structure and the damage.
Repairs, re-tensioning & replacement
Find the fault before choosing the fix.
A slack sail might only need re-tensioning. It might also be a seam that has let go, or a post that has moved in its footing. We look at the fabric, the corners and the structure before anybody recommends anything.
We re-tension and clean sails, restitch fabric that still has strength in it, replace worn fittings and make new membranes for sound structures. A new sail is cut and sewn at our own factory in Rydalmere and engineered to the NSW wind codes, with certification available on request.
- Cleaning and re-tensioning, or a new skin on posts that are still sound.
- The structure checked before a new membrane is ordered.
- Condition decides the repair, and age is only a clue.
Selected work
Sails we brought back.
A shade repair at Cabramatta, a carpark sail replacement, and a sail replacement at Campsie.
On site
What the visit involves.
Re-tension and clean
Where the fabric and the supports are still sound, a re-tension often puts the shape back. Cleaning lifts the deposits off, using a method the membrane can take. It will not undo UV damage, because that is the fabric itself going.
Stitching and local damage
An opened seam or a single tear is often repairable, as long as the cloth around it still has strength in it. We check that first, then restitch, patch or rebuild the corner.
A new membrane
When the fabric has gone everywhere at once, a new sail is the honest answer. Existing posts can stay if their condition and capacity suit the membrane going on. Moving across to waterproof PVC is a different question again, because the loads and the drainage both change.
Supports and fittings
Movement, corrosion and a damaged connection all need sorting before the sail goes back under tension. A new membrane will not correct a failing post. It will just hang off one.
Send useful photos
From the ground, photograph the whole structure, the damage and any corners you can see clearly. Tell us roughly how old it is and what changed. Photos get the visit planned; some faults still want somebody standing under it.
Good to know
Repairs, answered.
Can you replace the cloth and keep my posts?+
Often, yes, if the posts, footings and connections suit the sail you want. We check the geometry and the fabric against what is being kept, then measure the new sail to the structure that stays.
Do you repair sails you did not install?+
Yes. Send your suburb and photos of the whole structure and the damage. Old drawings or a fabric name help, but nobody needs them to start.
Should I tighten a sagging sail myself?+
Leave it. A tensioned fitting is holding a lot of stored load, and winding more onto it without finding out why the sail went slack can take a corner with it. Keep clear of a support that is moving or fabric that is flapping, and get someone out to look.
Does replacing the fabric need approval?+
In our experience of ordinary home enquiries, almost never. What decides it is the size of the structure, its height, where it sits on the block and the land it stands on, so going up in size or across to a solid roof is the change worth checking. Our NSW council approval guide sets out what to look at.
How soon can it be repaired?+
It depends on what the sail needs. A re-tension or a stitch is a small piece of work on a structure that is already standing. A new membrane has to be measured, cut and sewn first, and a fitting that has to be ordered sets its own pace. Once we have seen the photos and been out to it, we can tell you where yours sits.
Who we are, and how a job runs from the first visit to the last tension.
Read next
Keep going.
Car park shade structures · Sydney & NSW
Carpark shade structures for Sydney and NSW. Compare T-post sails, hip roofs and arches, with bay clearance, site access and drainage planned before fabrication.
Repair or replace a shade sail
Choose between adjustment, fabric repair, a replacement membrane or structural work. Read the visible symptoms and the questions that make a repair quote useful.
Shade sail lifespan
Ten to fifteen years is the honest planning range for a good sail in Sydney sun. What shortens it, what stretches it, and how to read the signs that matter.
Shade sail maintenance
How to wash a shade sail without wrecking it, the four places to look each season, and the point where a change in the cloth becomes a job for the installer.
Council approval · NSW shade sails
Almost never, for an ordinary home sail. What decides it is the size, the height, where it sits on the block and the land, with links to the NSW rules.
Send us a photo of your sail.
Email photos of the full structure and the damage, taken safely from the ground. Include your suburb and contact number.