Market for used awning fabric??

[worksology]

Our recently-purchased 2007 27' International came with a curbside patio ZipDee awning, but we're interested in adding street-side & rear window awnings too. The fabric on the current awning is the modern standard "Charcoal Tweed" by Sunbrella, but we're pretty keen on choosing our own fabric color instead.. ZipDee quoted us $558 for a replacement canvas.

So my questions:

1) Is there a market for the canvas we'd be removing? It is only 3 years old, in perfect shape, and probably somewhat valuable.

2) How difficult is it to replace the canvas? I've read Andy's posts about his "near 100%" failure rate, but I've also read a handful of successes, too. How big of a deterrent is the work?

3) What about removing the full awning, including hardware, and trying to sell that? I think replacing the full patio awning will cost more like $1400. What could I get for my used one, and is there even a market?

4) Should I just suck it up and buy the two new awnings with Charcoal Tweed fabric and forget about choosing our own color. I'd be a *bit* bummed, but nothing too serious. I actually don't mind the Charcoal Tweed.

Thanks!!

[Splitrock]

Me thinks you should read Ayn Rand's, "The Fountainhead", then of course buy the new awnings in the fabric you like.

The old one won't matter if you read the book.

Gary

[2airishuman]

i find the charcoal color dull and NOT bright underneath at night or in the shade...

u will spend a LOT of time looking at it, get a color/colors u enjoy.

the entire patio hardware can be sold, but shipping is the issue.

and it's uncommon for someone to NOT have a patio awning on any newer stream...

so that usually means finding a buyer with an older stream

or with a damaged awning of the same length...

so it's a small market.

a/s at the factory often takes off awnings that are relatively new,

and offers them 4 sale in the shop to employees, for NOT very much.
_______

rather than swap out the cloth, consider making the trip to zipdee land and letting THEM do it...

they could then install the other awnings too, or a/s could do this in ohio...

professional work is sometimes worth the cost.

IF you opt to try installing new fabric, the silver/gray could be used for a patio ROOM...

or for tire covers, or for bike covers or many other things...

the awnings on my unit are burgundy,

and i don't really care for monochromatic dark colors...

the light/colorful contrasting stripe options are a LOT brighter and interesting imo...

but the charcoal gray is no LESS functional and should last for years and years...

cheers
2air'

[worksology]

The thing is, we'd like to trade the dull gray stripey tweed for a DARKER, duller, grayer solid fabric (specifically "Slate"). It'd be a subtle difference for most people, I'm sure, but I'm still compelled to investigate our options. If I'm going to be spending $1200 on new awnings anyway, I'd feel a little dirty spending it on fabric I'm not 100% excited about.

Good ideas for alternate uses for the fabric, but I'm not sure the wheel covers, etc would be worth the $600 upgrade. I wonder if we had ZipDee do the work, if they'd subsidize the cost of the new canvas if we let them have the old one. Hm. Probably not much.

Thanks guys. Nice Fountainhead reference by the way. I had to reference Wikipedia, but I think I get the point. Still worried about the opportunity cost, tho.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by worksology

The thing is, we'd like to trade the dull gray stripey tweed for a DARKER, duller, grayer solid fabric...

why am i not surprised...

so no pink/teal/green/white stripes with a splatter of yellow happy faces, huh?

so get the window awnings in the duller culler...

the patio awning will darken if ya just neglect it a bit...

gotta love personalized tastefully done streams.

cheers
2air'

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, before we bought our trailer, I assumed that all Airstreams came with blue and white striped awning material; Well I was dead wrong. Mine came with some sort of gray material and I wasn't too excited about it. I wanted the blue and white material, but not willing to waste my money just for looks. We agreed that I could have any color I want when this one goes bad. For as little as we us it, it will last decades. So I will just be happy with what my trailer came with.

[Becky B.]

I was at the Zip Dee factory this summer. To have the fabric changed on my 31' trailer would cost $700 installed. Might get new fabric for my 50th birthday coming up! I'd change out the one I didn't like if I was getting new on all the other windows. My fabric is 25 years old--that's a long time to live with something you don't like, not to mention getting more awnings with fabric that you don't like! I don't think the factory will give you anything for your old fabric, though. Maybe you could sew a bag for your rug outside!

[Streamer Dan]

Give it a go yourself and see how you get on, the worst that can happen is that you can't do it, then you can just take your fabric to wherever you were going to have it done anyway, and if you can do it, I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of people out there who'll wanna know your secret......

[Becky B.]

Originally Posted by Streamer Dan

Give it a go yourself and see how you get on, the worst that can happen is that you can't do it, then you can just take your fabric to wherever you were going to have it done anyway, and if you can do it, I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of people out there who'll wanna know your secret......

I wouldn't bother trying to put it on if I could get it put on for $85/hour (what Zip Dee charges). It takes them about 2 hours. It would take me 3 days & possibly take my arm off reactivating the spring!

[kennethowens]

Suggest:

a. order your new hardware
b. find a awning shop local(they have books of colors / types)
c. pull the canvas, take the canvas to the awning shop so
they can use it as a pattern.
d. the back is the same size as the front(or should be).
e. streetside size...well - call ZipDee.

oh yes - be carefull - spring loaded equip can really hurt a person.

[worksology]

Great ideas everyone... thanks so much! Right now I'm leaning towards buying the new window awnings in our preferred fabric, nevermind that they won't _exactly_ match the patio awning. I'll see how I get on installing those myself, and then live with the mismatched awnings for a while. If it really bothers me, I'll revisit the idea of swapping canvases in the future (maybe sooner than later).

Baby steps, then.

[worksology]

I just noticed that ZipDee will sell you a replacement canvas already attached to ONE case slat. This seems like a great way to avoid the hassle of carefully removing the previous fabric, or the inherent difficulty of aligning the new canvas just so.

Awnings By ZipDee

The big downside, of course, is they can't just fold it up and mail it in a box... it'd have to be shipped on a truck, or picked up at the factory. Good to know though... sounds like a better solution.

[kennethowens]

"already attached to ONE case slat." - YEP THEY WILL - but that only
saves a fellow from having to remove the hardware which is mounted
to the trailer....it doesn't get the new canvas attached to the large
spring loaded cylinder. remember - the benefit of part-a doesn't eliminate the
necessary work of part-b.

one more time:
oh yes - be carefull - spring loaded equip can really hurt a person.

[worksology]

Originally Posted by kennethowens

the benefit of part-a doesn't eliminate the
necessary work of part-b.

Ahh, okay, so I'm misinterpreting this, huh?

I thought the difficulty was in perfectly-aligning the attachment of the fabric to the trailer, but that's wrong -- it's in perfectly-aligning the attachment to the roller, and you'll have to do that anyway. Ok, my mistake.

There clearly IS a benefit to having the slat pre-installed: just slide out the old, and in the new, and you avoid having to release & recrimp the channel that holds the fabric (which can lead to metal fatigue), but it's got to be weighed against the added cost of shipping and the cost of the slatted-option itself.

More decisions!

[kennethowens]

suggest:
go out and extend your small awning all the way out and look at
how it is rivited to the lg roller

suggest:
go and look in the awning section of this forum for pics
of folks who suffered hand injuries(pics) from spring loaded
awning equipment

[jaojamjab]

Does anyone know how to repair a rip in the awning? I can't seem to find any info on repairing a rip. Thanks for any help.
Julie

[Lumatic]

I took a used 20' awning and cut it down to 12'. It was not rocket science, although the spring thing almost took out my thumb (see my thread "Airstream Owies"). I'm now cutting down another long awning to make a streetside and rear window awning.
I figure my new to me awnings will cost me 25% of a new one.

Zipdee is very helpful when you get stuck.

Incidentally Sunbrella no longer makes the 60s/ 70s blue and white stipes.
Incident

If I was able to take it to Zipdee for $85 an hour I would, but I can't, and I don't trust the so called local experts.

[Lumatic]

Went back and looked it up. Also just noticed it is an "attached thumbnail"

http://cdn.airforums.com/forums/atta...1&d=1241971561

[lewster]

PUBLIC SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT!

It isn't rocket science to remove your roller tube from a Zip-Dee patio awning and remove/replace the fabric, BUT IT SURE HELPS IF YOU HAVE DONE IT BEFORE! Being a veteran of many installs and re-coverings in the awning arena, I can say that with certainty.

Safety is of prime importance when de-tensioning the roller spring. I have seen too many folks with bruised/broken limbs and fingers.....all while trying to save a few dollars.

SUCK IT UP AND PAY THE EXPERTS!!!!! What is your health and safety worth. Want to get bloody and/or bruised.......be my guest! If you DO have an awning 'expert' locally, why not watch them do an installation or repair. You can easily judge just how good they really are and make the decision for yourself.

BE SAFE OUT THERE!

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by Splitrock

Me thinks you should read Ayn Rand's, "The Fountainhead"...

not quite the book,

but tbs is showing the gary cooper film this evening...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountainhead_(film)



who's got butta for the corn...

cheers
2air'