Awnings
Commercial Awnings and Canopies for Restaurants & Retailers
Awnings and canopies are great examples of products that serve multiple purposes. Custom awnings, which essentially act as functional signs, not only help you advertise your business - they also provide shade when it’s hot and keep you dry when it’s wet out.
Installed year-round or only seasonally, this type of signage is commonly used for entrances at hotels and retail stores, outdoor seating for restaurants and cafes, outdoor waiting areas, and more. They provide comfort for your customers as well as savings for your business, since they can lower utility bills by lowering the need for air conditioning or fan usage thanks to their shading.
What Types of Awning Are Available?
Awnings are made up of fabric or fabric-like material and a frame to support it. They are easy to find throughout the local area, where they are installed over windows and doors to advertise and identify businesses while also providing protection from the weather. They provide comfort for your customers as well as savings for your business since they can lower utility bills by lowering the need for air conditioning or fan usage thanks to their shading. In the age of COVID-19, awnings can also help make sure that customers at dining areas can stay outside for more of the year without being at risk for the elements.
Options for Awnings Available at Blue Dot Signs
Installed both all year and seasonally, this type of signage is commonly used for entrances at hotels and retail stores, outdoor seating for restaurants and cafes, outdoor waiting areas, and more. We offer several kinds of awnings to accommodate a variety of installation locations. Awnings options include:
- Retractable Awnings - Meant to be pulled out when the weather is good and/or when your business is open, and retracted for safe storage when not in use.
- Storefront Awnings - More sturdy than retractable awnings, these are most often displayed year-round.
- Vestibules - Unlike the other two types of awning, vestibules encloses the entire entrance or waiting area. They can be used seasonally or year-round.
Vinyl awnings are perhaps the most popular option we offer for materials, but we also offer acrylic and fabric awnings. These materials are manufactured by top brands like Sunbrella, and are resistant to water, fading, mold, and other forms of weather damage.
Benefits of an Awning for Your Business
Awnings are a sign that has both promotional value and function. Adding one to your storefront or to cover an outdoor area will both bring in customers and benefit your business because awnings are:
- Attractive - A well-kept awning is a great way to welcome people to your business. It clearly indicates your storefront, especially when custom printed with your name, and is hard to miss on a busy street.
- Direction - Awnings and canopies helps brand your business in the minds of customers and helps them find you.
- Protect Against Weather - Whether over your storefront or a patio area, an awning will give customers and employees protection from sun, heat, rain, and snow.
- Energy Savings - Weather protection also means lower energy costs as it reduces the need for heating in the winter and fans and air conditioning in the summer months.
- Durable - The fabrics and vinyl we use from top manufacturers like Sunbrella are made to last. They can withstand wind and rain for several years and are UV-resistant to prevent fading.
Taking advantage of these benefits does require that your awning be properly installed and maintained over the course of its service life. This type of signage is large and can be dangerous if not secured properly during installation.
Additionally, if your business only uses the awning during certain seasons, you have to plan for removal and storage in the off months. Blue Dot Signs has the licensed and insured services available to assist with all of your awning needs.
Types of Industries that Use Awnings
Between the heat and occasional storms in the summertime and the frequent snow and wind in winter, many local businesses rely on awnings as their storefront signage for the protection they give. We create custom awnings for companies like:
- Retail Stores
- Bodegas
- Ceilings
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Cafes
- Hotels, Condos, and Apartments
We can also create awnings for personal use if you have an outdoor entertaining space or windows that you would like additional weather protection for. The high-quality materials that we use are a suitable and long-lasting option for home use.
Contact Us to Order a Custom Awning in NJ
Blue Dot Signs is well-known for providing high-quality signage products. We are a top awning manufacturer and have created printed awnings in New Jersey and the surrounding area for a wide variety of businesses. Please contact us at info@bluedotsigns.com for further information on our awnings, canopies, and other signs today. We want to help you further your business by providing you with signage that both promotes your name and makes your customers more comfortable.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I leave my awning up year round?
Yes. However, if you have a retractable awning, you should retract it during severe weather like high winds or hail.
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Can my business’s custom logo or color be added to my awning?
Yes. We can create one color awnings or full color prints. We can add logos, text, or even graphics (though those are less common). We are able match almost any color you need, even if it is custom made for your business. Our printers are also able to reproduce custom graphics like logos.
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Do I need a permit to install and display my awning?
Depending on the size and design of your awnings as well as where you want to install it, you may need a permit. If you’re unsure how to ensure local code compliance, we offer permit filing services.
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How do I clean my awning?
In most cases, a soft brush used with mild dish soap and water can to remove most types of staining that awning fabric may sustain. Avoid using bleach or other traditional cleaning products unless specifically recommended for you as they can fade the colors on your awning.
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How do I install my awning?
We can provide instructions for how to install your custom awning. However, we offer installation services for awnings and many other kinds of signs. We recommend this service because it results in a safely and attractively installed awning.
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How do you keep the colors and designs on awnings from fading?
The ink we print with is UV ray resistant, and we offer PVC coating for some materials for extra protecting against fading. Retracting or otherwise storing your awning indoors when not in use can also prevent fading.
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How large should my awning be?
This depends on the size of the area your awning will be covering and the direction that area is facing. If you’re unsure of what size awning you need, we can make a recommendation based on those details. For example north or south-facing awnings should be as wide as possible, around 6”-12” wider on each side than the area your awning will cover, to accommodate for the way the sun moves in the sky and shifts the shade from left to right.
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How long do awnings last?
It’s variable according to the specific kind of fabric used and what kind of awning you have. In general, the awning fabrics we use last about 10 years.
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What are awning frames made of?
Awning frames are designed to be both lightweight and highly durable. We offer them in aluminum, powder-coated aluminum, or steel.
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What surfaces can storefront and retractable awnings be installed on?
They can be installed on almost any flat, firm surface, including brick, concrete, wood, aluminum, and more.