Introduction

If you are new to marquees it is very easy to get confused over which kind of marquee you should be looking at in regards to your needs.

If you read through this page and still have questions or are unsure as to which kit is right for you, please call us on 08443 570211 and someone will be happy to help you.

PE vs PVC

PE (for a more detailed description of what PE is click here )

PE is a hard wearing plastic weave, our PE is coated on both sides to fully waterproof and wind proof and is also UV treated and mildew resistant. PE comes in different grades, usually from around 90gsm upto 280gsm and although not much on the market since the introduction of PVC to the frame tent market you can still see some 380gsm PE marquees about.

PE marquees are more suited to the private market, for parties in your garden where the marquee will usually only be left up for a few days at a time and only used a few times a year.

PE marquees are usually easier to transport as the boxes weight much less than the PVC marquee of the same size.

Our PE material is fire retardant, but is not tested in this country due to the fact that these marquees are not normally used commercially, for this reason the PE marquees are not supplied with a fire certificate.

PVC (for a more detailed description of what PVC is click here )

PVC Is more suited to commercial applications where a marquee is being used regularly for events throughout the year, PVC material is welded together as opposed to stitched and this makes joints stronger and more resistant to wind.

The PVC used in our marquees is fully waterproof, UV stabilised and Mildew resistant, the PVC marquees also come with fire certificates.

 

 

Galvanized vs Powder Coated

Galvanized (for a more detailed description of what Galvanizing is click here )

Framed marquee poles and joints are usually made from steel (some very cheap versions will use plastic joints), to stop corrosion of these parts they are coated in zinc, this is called galvanizing. When a pole is galvanized, scratching or denting the pole does not affect its corrosion resistant properties.

Galvanized poles will prolong the life of your marquee.

Powder Coated (for a more detailed description of what Powder Coating is click here )

When poles are not galvanized they will usually be powder coated, this is the process of melting a plastic powder over the tube in order to protect it against corrosion.

The difference between this and galvanizing is, if you scratch or dent a powder coated pole, then that pole will lose its corrosion resistance. Once corrosion begins on a pole it will spread to the rest of that pole.

 

Bolted vs Push Fit

Bolted Frames

On some marquees the frames are bolted together using alun bolts or wing nuts, this is done to aid the erection process and not to strengthen the marquee. When a marquee is erected, it is the roof that holds the frame work together and it is the tie down kit which pulls the roof section down onto the legs and secures everything tightly down to the ground bars, this makes a marquee ridgid and stable.

Push Fit Frames

When a marquee has no bolts or wing nuts to hold the frame together it will make erection more difficult and will usually require more people to erect in order to stop the frame from falling apart before the roof is fitted.

Once the roof is fitted correctly this will hold the frame of the marquee together, so long as all of you push fit joints are tight fitting and not loose your marquee will not be any less stable than a bolted frame once it is secured with a tie down kit.

Push fit frames will be quicker to erect with enough people than a bolt together version as there are no bolts to tighten.