Re-Treating Sunbrella® — Which Side Is the Outside?

All Sunbrella fabrics are treated with a fluorocarbon finish that makes them water-resistant, but after years of being out in the rain, the finish can wear off. If you notice that your outdoor Sunbrella fabrics aren’t beading water like they used to, it’s probably time to re-treat them and restore their water repellency. We’ll show you what to use and how to re-treat your fabric so it repels water again.

To restore the water repellency of your Sunbrella marine fabric, we recommend using 303® Fabric Guard. In fact, Glen Raven, the maker of Sunbrella, recommends Fabric Guard to restore the fabric’s water repellency and stain-protection properties. 303 Fabric Guard also protects against stains and provides UV screening without affecting the fabric’s color, feel or breathability. While Fabric Guard is great for canvas fabric like Sunbrella, it should not be used on vinyl, zippers, plastics, rubber, fiberglass or imitation suede. Be careful when applying it to your canvas near these other materials.

How do you know when to re-treat your Sunbrella? We recommend always re-treating your fabric after a thorough cleaning and also when you notice the fabric stops beading water. Do a quick test of your cover every couple of months by pouring a small amount of water on the cover to test if the water beads up and runs off or if it soaks into the material. If the water soaks in, it’s time to re-treat. After re-treating your cover, 303 Fabric Guard restores your Sunbrella fabric to about 85% to 90% like-new water repellency. One 16-ounce bottle covers approximately 40-75 square feet of fabric.

Now that you know when to re-treat your Sunbrella, let’s talk about which side to apply Fabric Guard on. Because Sunbrella is a solution-dyed acrylic fabric, both sides of Sunbrella Marine Grade and Sunbrella Shade fabrics are the same. This means that either side can be exposed to the outside. However, you only need to apply Fabric Guard to the outside of your cover, awning or other outdoor project.

You can find 303 Fabric Guard and other products for cleaning and maintaining your fabrics in our Care & Treatment product category.