A comfortable, effective awning is the difference between
enjoying a cozy night by your RV—or having a little bit of weather affecting
the entire experience. That’s why it’s imperative that you know how to maintain
and repair your RV awning when needed. So how do you handle RV awning repair
without breaking the bank? Here are a few ideas.
Examine The Tear In
Your Awning
If there’s a leak in your awning, then it’s not going to
work—it will let in rain and won’t even shade you properly. But you need to
know whether the tear you’re dealing with is something you can handle—or whether you should outsource this particular task
to an expert.
Generally, a tear of about three feet or less is something
you can handle with home repair—especially if you have the right tools. If the
entire awning is torn or if the length of the tear is far more substantial, you
might want to see an expert or even think about replacement. But what’s the
next step if you can handle these
repairs by yourself?
Find The Appropriate
Materials
Dealing with an awning is a little different than most
material repairs. You could repair an
awning with duct tape, but you may find that this looks so unsightly that your
awning loses most of its value right away. It’s better to instead invest in
some awning tape. This clear, wide tape can function much like duct tape.
Make sure to apply it from the underside of the awning
fabric—that way the tape itself will generally remain out of sight. Lay the
awning fabric out flat and carefully apply the tape. Generally, you’ll want to
keep the tape on the roll so that you can dispense more adhesive as you go—anything
else will generally cause more problems than it’s worth.
Dealing With Solid
Awnings
If you have a solid RV awning, then it’s time to get serious
about your hardware. We include several RV sealants for effective
repair—just make sure that you match the material of your awning with the
appropriate sealant product. Here are some other tips you’ll want to be
aware of as you seal up your awning:
- Clean &
Dry First. Dealing with an RV repair is much easier when you work with
materials that have been cleaned of debris and allowed to dry out properly.
This gives you a great platform for your adhesives, giving a better long-term
cure. A well-rounded cleaner like Suds
should do the trick. - Use
Tools. A few dollars can completely change how your repairs look in the
end. The Stick from RV by LIFE
can help you achieve an even application of sealant to make your awning look
every bit as smooth and consistent as it did before. If you ignore this simple
step, the repairs might end up much less attractive as a result.
Shop More Great RV
Products
Want more tips and products for dealing with an RV awning
effectively? Continue browsing this site and all the RV repair products to make keep
your RV in shape easy.
