Shade Cloth - White 50% Vs. Black 70%

[monsta2ownzu]

So my camp has IMMEDIATELY begun plans for the expansion of our shade structure ( A pretty bitchin 1V dome with 10' struts ). We are planning to build a second dome and rig shade cloth to make the 3D rendering below come to life. We are trying to decided between buying 70% black shade cloth or 50% white shade cloth. I have heard there is a heat issue when dealing with the black shade cloth. However I'm not sure the 50% is gonna give us enough coverage if we go with the white. Can anyone offer some experience? Thanks a bunch!

[danibel]

I believe there are other options besides white 50% and black 70%.

Our camp has two large pyramids, one has a 80% black and the other is 70% black. Since visibility is important to some members the thicker 80% cloth does not go all the way to the ground.

One of our camp members puts up a 20x20 flat roof shade in front of his trailer. He used 90% green shade cloth.

I find no issues with any of this cloth. It's a nice mesh for the breeze to go through and shades our kitchen and seating area just fine. Perhaps the color matters, I just don't find it to be an issue. I would buy the best coverage I could afford (highest % of coverage).

But that is just me.

[some seeing eye]

When sun hits black, heat is absorbed and then radiated to the shade side, but some of that heat becomes convection and rises through the mesh out of your zone.

Suggest greatest greatest shade percent overrules reflectivity.

For greatest reflectivity, silver, white. You may find that the seaming and grommeting makes the price difference between black, white, Aluminet minimal. Always suggest Gothic Arch Greenhouses as a supplier and place to compare prices. Sometimes there are Craigslist scores.

[motskyroonmatick]

50% in my experience provides barely noticeable shade. I am a firm believer in buying above 80% shade cloth in the knit variety for any shade structures I make. Some times there are discounts for choosing a color that is not popular. If $ was no object I would go with the highest shade # of aluminet.

One shade I had made I requested a sandwich of shade cloth and a multi color breathable truck tarp material. It's a pretty tough combination and the truck tarp provides a little more shade than the shade cloth by it's self. One way to think outside the box with shade. DPW uses Geotextile Road Fabric for 100% shade on many of their structures but it is securely attached to a frame so is not really applicable to stake and stretch uses. It works damn well though.

[Bob]

Black.

[CornMan]

I know this is different than the plans in your picture, but our structure is a combination of peaked black shade mesh and flat silver poly tarps. I think that is the coolest possible combination. The side walls are black shade mesh which turns tan with the dust anyway.

[gyre]

On the aluminet site, % of material and % of light and heat transmission is not the same, but much higher than the material %.


Black radiates heat more effectively than white or silver and radiates on both sides, so releases heat more effectively.
This is why heat sinks are black.

[dragonpilot]

We used Aluminet about 80%...wonderful cool shade to hang out under during hot part of the day.

[CarrieSnarf]

Can I ask a dumb question?
What's with the dog legs coming off your cover. Do you intend for people to sit there? I have a 10 foot 1V dome, everyone sits inside the perimeter. It seems to me you could save yourself some fabric, not loose any real shade and make things a whole lot easier for your seamstress (seamster?) if you just made it even all around and staked it out. Entirely possible that I'm missing something basic though.

I have no comment as to cloth. I used a pink 26' diameter parachute (dubbed the spincter of science) which was barely adequate this year. It was the first year for our dome, so I wasn't mad at it- but it could be better. We are looking in to our own improvements.

[Bob]

So post a drawing of your own thing if you're so smart.

[gyre]

Black material is best to block light, unless you have a layer of black or metal to block the light in a layer.

The better silver gray tarps do this.

[tamarakay]

In the Dye Shop we had 75% white/blue shade cloth with a parachute underneath (tie dyed of course) and this was spectacular as shade. The area where there was no parachute was noticeably hotter and people would bunch up under the parachute/cloth combination.
On the larger monkey hut over our trailer 1/2 was 70% black and the other half was 90% black. If I had to do it over again I would buy NOTHING except black 90%. It was simply fabulous.