
The Complete Buyer’s Guide to Fence Windscreen
Fences act as boundary markers, barriers, and ornamentation. A good fence must be not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. A chain-link fence is typically installed to separate different usage areas. Despite being an effective barrier, it’s nearly invisible from a distance and could act as a dangerous collision hazard, trip hazard, and a dangerous climbing nuisance. This is why it’s critical to elect a fence windscreen over the chain link.
A fence windshield is a type of fabric mesh designed to provide privacy, block off wind gusts, increase visibility and improve the fence aesthetics.
Types of Fence Windscreens
There are different types of fence windscreens in the market today. They are made of various materials, come in different colors and patterns. Fence screens can either come in small or large and can be opaque or translucent.
Durability is dependent on the material it is made from and can last from between two to five years. The most common materials, from least expensive to the most expensive, include:
- Polypropylene
- Polyethylene
- Extrusion-coated vinyl polyester mesh
- Dip-coated vinyl mesh
- 100% opaque vinyl-coated polyester
Fence Windscreen Applications
Before purchasing a fence windscreen, you must consider where to apply it. This is because Fence windscreens can be applied for commercial, industrial, and residential uses. The applications include:
Safer and More Private Sports:
Besides poor playing conditions, distractions and wind gust significantly affect ball performance. The fence windscreen minimizes the gusts, thus providing a better play experience for the players. Fence windscreens also increase safety on the playing fields. This is because chain-link is easily climbable and provides hand and footholds for anyone who would want to climb up the fence. A fence windscreen limits the handholds depth, discouraging people from going over the fences.
Chin links work well in partitioning spaces but provide no privacy. No privacy on a playing field means that all can see your embarrassing and awkward moves. Fence windscreens are generally opaque, thus protecting the players from the prying eyes of other people.
Some of these opaque windscreens offer a light-blocking shade between 55-95%. Therefore, they keep the players safe and their playing surfaces shaded from direct sunlight. The opaqueness of the fence windscreen protects the players and surfaces from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
Safer and Private Construction and Storage Sites:
Privacy fence tarps provide security to outdoor storage spaces and construction sites. They are installed to line the perimeter of the site, restricting the view from nearby streets and sidewalks. These fence windscreen tarps also protect the surrounding areas from dust and debris from the construction site. Thus, protecting pedestrians as well as cars from harm and or damage.
These fence windscreen tarps are typical for commercial applications but also have residential uses. These tarps are weather, abrasion, and acid-resistant; thus, can handle long-term exposure to such substances and elements. For example, fence windscreens come in handy when surrounding homes during renovations.
Other fence windscreen applications include mountain ski resorts, home and gardens, golf courses, and parks.
Benefits of Fence Windscreens
Before purchasing, the buyer must consider how beneficial the fence windscreen will be to them. the benefits include
- Privacy: fence windscreens provide privacy on construction sites, residential buildings, and city parks located on busy streets
- Aesthetics: fence windscreens upgrade other types of fences like chain links overnight.
- Reduces wind: fence windscreens assist in minimizing wind gusts that may affect whatever is going on in the fenced area.
- Blocks distractions: a fence windscreen helps those working in the enclosed area concentrate on what they are doing by blocking off distractions from busy streets or other events in their surroundings. In the case of sports, the windscreen helps the players focus on their game.
- Provides visual background: This is commonly known as batters eye in baseball. The windscreen helps the players visualize the ball better.
- Provides shade: during hot summer months, the fence windscreens provide shade to ballparks and tennis courts, making them more comfortable.
Why Choose the Fence Windscreen
Cost-effective: fence windscreens only cost slightly more than the regular chain links. Considering the many benefits the fence windscreen has over chain link, the extra in price becomes worthwhile, and the fence windscreen becomes the better option.
Easy to install: fence windscreens are installed through the metal grommets system that attaches them to the fence. While installing, you only need to decide where you want it attached and attach it.
Windscreens are designed to withstand bad weather, sports events, and construction sites. An adequately installed windscreen requires little to no maintenance. Once installed, the windscreens attachment points should be inspected once in a while because holding them correctly and in place extends their lifeline.
Eliminates safety concerns: the mesh or chain-link hands and footholds allow children and strangers to climb up the fence. On the other hand, the fence windscreen eliminates these fears by minimizing hand and probable footholds, making it impossible for anyone to climb up the fence.
Serving Its Purpose
Before purchasing the fence windscreen, the most important thing to consider is whether it will serve its purpose once installed. If privacy is your concern, can you get a dark or an opaque fence windscreen? Will it uplift the fence aesthetically? If it’s strictly for barrier purposes, will it keep out people and keep in debris and dust where applicable. If your answer is yes, you can then make the purchase.