Tips & Tricks: Covering over old awnings

What is the purpose of this article?
We're going to look at low-cost options that may save you hundreds of dollars over replacing an old awning. We'll also cover how to cover up old business names on awnings, repair smaller non-structural tears, and even repair tents, sails and pop-up canopies!

Where do I start?
For the purpose of clarity, I'll refer to awnings, but this also works to apply in general to tents, canopies, sails, sport team uniforms and just about any fabric application.

Will it work on my fabric?
Before going any further, you'll need to see if your fabric (awning, tent, jacket, sail, anything) has been treated with silicone, as nothing will stick permanently to silicone.

Silicone test:
A simple test to see if a fabric has been treated with silicone during manufacture or as an after-market finish is to try to stick a new label, decal or bumper sticker to the fabric. While the sticker may not adhere well, if it stays put then it's probably okay to proceed. For a thorough test, send for a small sample piece of LetterBank GripAwn fabric to test, as the material is custom-cut and not returnable.

The self-adhesive LetterBank GripAwn material is sold by the linear yard  in black, red, blue, green and white (in a standard master roll width of 54" x 3 feet length) and in white fabric only in 14" and 18" roll widths.

GripAwn is the magical base layer for the LetterBank Awning Decals. 

This woven fabric has an extremely aggressive acrylic adhesive on the reverse side, covered in a backing liner until it's ready to apply. The LetterBank GripAwn self-adhesive fabric has been tested on awnings from Canada to Florida for over ten years without any failures reported, even in hurricane-strength winds.

Here's a partial list of ways you can use your LetterBank GripAwn fabric.
• Cover over old awning lettering (painted): Measure area to cover and purchase enough fabric to cover.

• Repair an awning/tent/sail tear: Clean and brush awning thoroughly, then apply a patch at least 12" wider than the tear on the front of the awning and on the reverse side as well. Burnish thoroughly.

• Add wording to your awning: There are several ways to do this. You can order Paintmask self-adhesive stencils to paint your exact typestyle perfectly, directly onto an awning, or apply the Paintmask to the LetterBank GripAwn fabric and paint your wording or logo directly, then apply the LetterBank GripAwn fabric to your awning, sail or team flag.

• Make Team Sport Jacket or uniform numbers easily by cutting the LetterBank GripAwn by hand, removing the backing and pressing onto the jacket or uniform. Machine washable gentle cycle.

REPAIRS:

This material is useful for small tears in canvas and canopies, tents, flags and almost any material which has not been treated with silicone at the factory or as an aftermarket application. Very little will stick to silicone if anything will.

How do you use the LetterBank AwnGrip fabric in your awnings or crafts?
Tell us and automatically be entered to win a roll of self-adhesive LetterBank GripAwn fabric! No purchase is necessary. Must be 21 or over and a legal USA or Canadian resident to win. Many additional prizes and discount coupons are available as additional prizes. We will pick one winner every quarter. Enter below.

See related articles here: Stencils vs. Paint Masks

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