How to Replace Your RV Awning Fabric: A Step-by-Step Guide

Awning operations vary by brand/type and user personal preferences or procedures. Ensure you take care at all times when operating your awning. Take care at all times to ensure the awning does not "spring" in or out and cause you or others harm. This article and the information within are intended for general consumption and not specific advice; vinyl installation should be carried out by a professional

A general guide to replacing your RV awning

After a few incredible summers enjoying the RV life, you will notice the unavoidable wear on your awning.  It is a sad fact, but awnings don’t last forever, especially if you make the most of your RV. Often, changing the awning is one of those things that people keep putting off, and it is understandable why that might be. If your awning is on its last legs, we highly recommend buying a new one. You should take the opportunity to purchase a top brand such as Fiamma or Carefree. This will ensure you get the maximum duration out of your new RV awning. However, if you are curious to see how you replace the awning fabric, we thought we would give you a general guide. 

Before you take it down

Don’t rush into it; you should begin by getting those crucial measurements for your new awning fabric. Pull out your awning and measure the width and depth. Write these down somewhere safe so that you know exactly what you need when you make your purchase. Also, when doing this, examine every part of the awning to check for anything else that might need replacing. If you have any damaged parts, there is a chance that these won’t survive the rest of the process. 

Choosing your fabric

Thankfully, this part isn’t too tricky. This is a common dilemma that people encounter, and there are loads of products out there. Before shopping, check your insurance policy because your awning might be covered, so you won’t need to dip into your savings. 

Dismantling your old awning

• Step one: Locking the spring – Pull out your awning and put up the A-arms. You will see a lock-in lever on the front end of your awning roller; you should press it down. You should use a pin or a nail at the back end to lock the spring in place. There will be a hole that aligns with a winder inside. This will stop the risk of your awning reeling itself in. 
• Step two: Loosen the bolts and remove the awning tube from its arms – Now it is time to remove the awning tube from the arms. Carefully undo the bolts on the front end, ensuring not to knock the spring lock-in lever. Once the front end is undone, make sure your awning is propped up on something sturdy. Then repeat the process on the back end. This should disconnect the tube from the arms.
• Step three: Unwind the springs – Use a screwdriver to hold the end cap in place and a vice grip to unwind the spring. Make sure your grip is tight, as it can be dangerous if the springs rapidly wind up again. While doing this, count how many times you unwind them, as you will need to rewind them up the same number of times when attaching your new awning fabric.
• Step four: Remove end cap – Use a marker to mark the lever position on your end cap because you will need this to refer to when reassembling. Then unscrew the cap and take out the spring. 
• Step five: Remove roller – You should now be able to pull the roller from the old awning fabric reasonably quickly.
• Step six: Remove the awning arms – Now, carefully unscrew the awning arms on the front side of the RV. There should be two main bolts. Once they are unscrewed, you can pull off the arm. 
• Step seven: Pull out the fabric – Depending on the size of your RV, you might need a little help with this. Once you get past the first part, the old awning fabric should slide out easily. 

Installing the new fabric and reassembling your awning

It is time to install the new fabric. This is a simple process, but it might be tricky sometimes, so getting a friend or two to help you is best. 

If you haven’t already, check the new awning fabric's measurements to ensure they are correct. The last thing you want is to attach the new fabric and find out it’s too short. 

• Step one: Attach the fabric to the rack – You will have two ends to your new awning fabric. One end with a single cord and one with two. The single cord end is to be attached to the rack on your RV. Slowly slide it into the slot, and once you have momentum, it should go in smoothly from there. 
• Step two: Attach arm – Reattach the arm using the two bolts you took off to remove the fabric. 
• Step three: Attach the fabric to the roller – On this end of the fabric, you have two guiding cords. It is a good idea to cut them if they are too long, but don’t cut them too short. Next, carefully thread the two tubes into the roller, keeping the fabric tight and at the same level. Just like attaching the last piece, the first bit is tricky, but after that, one person can hold the material while the other one pushes the roller in.
• Step four: Reassemble the spring and attach the cap – You are almost there. You need to insert the spring and attach the cap using the marker that you put on it. Once you have done this, you can wind your spring. Remember to wind it the same amount as you did before. 
• Step Five: Attach roller arms – The final step before you can test out your new awning fabric is to reattach the arms to the roller.
• Step six: Pull out the awning – It is now time to pull out the awning to make sure it is in working order. Once you are satisfied, relax and enjoy your new RV awning. 

There you have it

As you can see, replacing your RV awning fabric is a pretty arduous task that should be done by a professional. If you have noticed it’s time for a new awning, RV Parts Express is your go-to place. We have the best RV awning brands at unbeatable prices. So get in touch with our team of experts today. You won’t find a better choice of products anywhere in Australia.