Slat & Shade

About Slat & Shade

Outdoor structures are photographed on the day they are installed, and that photograph is what sells them. The interesting question is what the same structure looks like after a winter and a summer -- whether the fabric has faded on the south side, whether untreated timber has moved, whether the fixings have rusted where they meet a different metal. Almost no review stays around long enough to answer it.

Slat & Shade is being built to answer it. The plan is to follow structures across seasons rather than reviewing them at installation, to report UV rating and fabric weight for shade sails and awnings, and to be specific about timber species, treatment and expected movement. Wind rating will be stated where a manufacturer publishes one, and its absence noted where they do not, because it is the figure most often missing.

Slat & Shade will earn affiliate commission on purchases made through its links, paid by the retailer rather than the reader. No manufacturer will be able to pay for a placement, and a product that ages badly will be reported that way regardless of what it earns. Long-term durability is the whole point of the site, so it cannot be for sale. This hub carries no affiliate links. Read the full affiliate disclosure.