How to Install a Shade Sail | Ask This Old House

Host Kevin O'Connor has two simple sun-blocking solutions for keeping a deck and home cool during the summer. (See below for a shopping list, tools, and steps.)
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Shopping List for How to Install a Shade Sail:
- Shade sail, to shade the deck
- Steel mounting posts, to secure shade sail to deck
- 4-inch lag screws, 3-inch carriage bolts, for securing steel posts
- Roller shade, to shade windows
Tools List for How to Install a Shade Sail:
- Impact driver
- Open-end wrench, to tension the sail
Steps for How to Install a Shade Sail:
1. Install three steel posts, attaching them to the deck framing to support the shade sail. Fasten each post with lag screws and carriage bolts.
2. Screw head-rod clamps to the house fascia spaced 3 feet apart.
3. Raise the shade sail up to the fascia and slip its head rod into the clamps. Tighten the wing nuts on the clamps to secure the rod.[BR]
4. Use anchor shackles to attach the outer edge of the shade sail to the steel posts.
5. Use a wrench to tighten the hex nut on the eyebolt on each post.
6. Once you've tensioned the shade sail and pulled out all the wrinkles, tighten the second hex nut up against the first nut to lock it in place.
7. To install a window shade, start by screwing a long roller tube to the house wall above the windows.
8. Slide the upper hem of the fabric shade into the slot in the roller tube.
9. Use a long-handled crank to raise and lower the shade.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Install a Shade Sail | Ask This Old House
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