Awnings, that are coverings on the external walls of a residential or commercial building, can get you shade and cover an area. Generally they are used for commercial purposes like signboards and billboards. For private as well as public purposes, awnings are also used to provide protection from sunlight, snow, rain, winds etc. The material used is in most cases are acrylic cloth or canvas and beautiful and attractive patterns can be printed to get an aesthetic appeal.

Awnings do add color and brightness to a place. They can be backlit or front lit and the backlit material for awnings is different than front lit material. Often vinyl laminated or coated polyester is used for backlit awnings. Other material used for awnings are PVC coated mesh, Acrylic, Vinyl or resin coated polyester, Acrylic painted cotton/polyester, etc.

It is wise to insist on fire retardant material and paint on awnings and remember that they generally are not covered by insurance. Some awnings are temporary and can easily be retracted and most awnings are retracted during winter to prevent damages by collection of snow.

Poles must be used to provide support for large awnings. Often the awnings have attractive patterns and pictures printed over them to increase the appeal of a building and match with the house. Today they are available in a wide variety of colors, shapes, sizes and design. Steel, iron, aluminum and wood are generally used for the frame and aluminum is the preferred material since it is light.

Awnings over windows help in keeping the interiors cool by blocking sunlight from entering the room and this can reduce your electricity bill by almost 25 percent on air conditioner electricity consumption.

There are many companies involved in making and installing these products and most of them provide free estimates and costing. One special advantage with awnings is that they can be used to change the 'feel' of a building be it commercial or residential. A bright awning adds to the aesthetic appeal of the building, making it more attractive.

Usually there are two types of night awnings, backlit and front lit. The material is different depending on the type. For backlit awnings usually vinyl laminated and polyester coated material are used. Other awnings have acrylic coated mesh, PVC coated mesh, vinyl coated polyester and resin coated polyester. There are materials which have fire retardants in them to increase the safety.

Retractable awnings are also available in the market and very popular as retraction is required to protect the awnings in winter. Retraction can be either manual or motorized and these day more people seems to prefer the manual type. Not only for the price, also because they want the exercise.

Generally these products are easily washable but you have to use the proper equipment. Stain and mildew removal is easily attained, just use mild soap and a soft brush. One should try to prevent pooling of water on the awnings as that may stretch the material and cause damages. Also remember to retract them if the wind speed reaches around 30 miles per hour.