Sun shades

[tommy steam]

Has anyone installed coolaroo sun shades on there Lanai ? What do you think of them . Were they installed on the outside or inside? Thanks.

[Canabarrybarb]

I bought a big roll of Coolaroo material at Amazon and then made drop roll curtains for the lanai a few years ago. They are inside the screens. They have stood up extremely well under the sun and rain that we get and are highly effective at blocking the sun when needed.

[bonrich]

We had Coolaroo sun shades installed in our lanai. Our lanai is situated so the sun rises on one side, travels across and sets on the other side. Nice in the AM but increasingly warmer as the day progresses so by 6PM not the best place to be to enjoy a toddy or meal.
Bought them at Lowes, picked out colors etc, then had their installers come and measure each opening. Best investment we have made. We drop those down, can still see out, but blocks the sun, privacy if that is an issue, since you cannot see inside, except when a light is turned in the evening. Makes all the difference in being able to enjoy your outside activities.
Go for it!

[jimbo2012]

They R nice, but cut down air circulation.

I intend to add Bahama shutters, 99% ventilation, 95% visibility.

Also offer storm protection

http://lashome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/LAS-Bahama-Shutters-22-170x170.jpg

http://www.bahamashuttershades.com/images/layout/hp-main.jpg

or just short ones to shade

http://www.sunbarrierproducts.com/Websites/sunbarrierproducts/PhotoGallery/1469614/brochure%20pic%201.jpg?01447

made out of wood, fiberglas or aluminum

[gomoho]

Jimbo - are they going to be as large as the screen area or just enough to provide shade? I love those shutters - also thought they were so tropical.

[graciegirl]

We like our Cooleroos and you can feel the heat diminish as you lower them. However so does the breeze. I think it keeps the heat off the sliders and makes the interior air conditioning work a little less hard.

It cannot make the lanai like an air conditioned room but with the fans and the sun shelter it sure helps. It provides privacy and you can see out. We don't lower them to the floor so there is still air flow, not as much but some.

We had the west facing done and they were having a sale at Lowes and the whole job including measuring and installing cost just over a thousand dollars and we have a largish area.

[bonrich]

In response to Jimbo, it is true they do cut down on air circulation, but we do not lower ours all the way down, just enough to block the sun and still allow for air movement. Add to that our ceiling fans, and it creates a pleasant area to be in, instead of the hot house it was.

[tommy steam]

Thank you everyone !

[jimbo2012]

Jimbo - are they going to be as large as the screen area or just enough to provide shade? I love those shutters - also thought they were so tropical.

I think either way may work, try taking a piece cardboard about 3' in length and as wide as you can find, try staging that in place and see what the shade looks like.

It may be enough, if not try 5' or 6' in length.

Remember in the summer the sun is much straighter or over head than winter......:posting: