This is a good question, and you’re smart to ask it. Business awnings are a major investment, and naturally you want them to last as long as possible. Accidents happen, courtesy of storms, vandals or other unforeseen circumstances. Age happens, and over time you’ll see signs such as loose or frayed stitching, stretched or sagging fabric, faded colors.
If your business awnings aren’t badly damaged, they can probably be repaired and refreshed, returned to their original condition. But eventually there comes a time when replacement is in order, either because your business awnings have reached the end of their expected lifespan, or because change happens, too.
Your business awnings have served you well. And although they still look pretty good, you’re making changes and your awnings have to keep up. You have a new logo, a new name, a new menu or apparel focus, an entirely different line of services. Or your business is part of a franchise family, and your corporate HQ has ordered a remodel and corresponding facelift for your business awnings.
What to do?
Most often, you won’t need to replace the framing, because it’s built for long-lasting strength and durability. It’s also cheaper and faster to recover than replace the entire awning, especially since recovering can usually be done in place. But if you’re going for an entirely new look, you may have to start from scratch.
Newer fabrics give you more choices than ever, available in a vast array of colors and a variety of textures. Fabrics for business awnings are now tougher, so they come with longer warranties. And many products are now engineered to offer special high-tech characteristics or produce certain special effects. They can:
- Virtually eliminate the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
- Resist fire and heat, mildew, mold and stains.
- Accentuate your illumination with eradicable graphics.
You can find multi-layer fabrics that are especially resistant to stretching, eradicable fabrics that accentuate your illumination and products that serve as translucent panels. And since business awnings need business graphics, your new covering provides a blank slate limited only by your imagination.
Treat your awnings well, and they’ll last a long time.
Whether you choose to recover or put up new business awnings, they’ll look their best and last longer if you keep them clean. Dirt and grime, debris such as sand or leaves all shorten the life of your business awnings. They can cause unsightly stains and damage or deterioration.
Regular upkeep doesn’t have to be a lot of work. Along with periodic cleaning, an annual inspection will let you know if any small problems are cropping up. The sooner you catch something, the sooner you can repair it so it doesn’t grow into a premature replacement issue.
What not to do?
DIY is a poor plan. If it’s time to give new life to your awnings, it’s time to call your local awning professional. An expert who knows your area well and specializes in business awnings can help you determine which approach makes the most sense for you, aesthetically and financially. They can help you sort through the overwhelming options, so whatever you choose will be exactly what you want.
Choose an awning company that can do all the work themselves, from design through production and installation, so you don’t have to juggle multiple vendors. A full-service company can show you fabric samples and color renderings of how your finished business awnings will look in place.
Business awnings have to project a superior professional appearance, and that requires top-quality workmanship and proper installation. Besides, your time is better spent concentrating on building your business – creating your next marketing campaign, improving customer relationships and satisfaction, looking for your next location, etc.
Leave your business awnings to the pros. They know what they’re doing and they can get it done a lot faster than you can.
