Commercial Awnings

The Difference in Quality with Commercial Awnings

Normally, the terms commercial and residential conjure up differences in size or use. Commercial things are larger, more utilitarian. That's not the case with commercial awnings. There is only one difference between commercial awnings and residential awnings: quality.

Most residential awnings (even from some famous brands) are flimsy budget lines. The idea behind residential awnings is that they'll be discarded quickly, in a couple of years. So the materials can be as disposable as the awning.

Commercial awnings have a different philosophy. Most businesses, from office buildings to restaurants and even apartment buildings, want to establish a signature brand. That's just as true in their physical appearance as their company logo. That means that commercial awnings need to be unique (to establish a style) and commercial awnings need to be durable (both for appearance and for business budgets). Commercial awnings do have some special features like screen printing and fire-resistant finishes and unique frame styles (RetractableAwnings.com has nearly two dozen frame styles). Still, the main focus for commercial awnings is quality materials that extend both the lifetime and the performance of the awning.

The structure of the frame is really important with retractable commercial awnings because the entire frame has to be self-supporting (no stanchions) and easy to move.

Low-grade residential or budget awnings use brittle, breakable materials like PVC or wood or rust-prone materials like steel. Budget lines usually compound the problem by using inferior finishes like enamel or paint, which chip in normal weather. Not commercial awnings!

Commercial awnings (which cover almost every awning at RetractableAwnings.com) use two exceptional materials to resist wear:

• Stainless steel or aluminum frames
• Electrostatic powder coating (instead of paint)

These two elements are why RetractableAwnings.com frames are so durable and an unparalleled 25-year warranty.

A second interesting advantage with commercial awnings is environment-driven accessories and controls. Most residential awnings have extremely limited ways to move motorized awnings, usually just a sun sensor and maybe a wall switch. The issue is that every place has different weather and different usage needs. A variety of sensors (interior temperature, wind, motion, rain) and control devices (keyrings, remote controls, keypads) provides a lot more flexibility in using your awning.