More and more Americans are choosing to fly the American flag on days other than Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. Displaying the American flag in neighborhoods offers a challenge to those who would destroy the American way of life.
Is it difficult and expensive to buy an American flag? No, American flags are available and affordable through several online outlets as well as in specialty stores. The following list of product specifications will clarify the various choices buyers have when purchasing an American flag.
Size
The standard size for residential use is 3 feet by 5 feet. Flag stores commonly offer sizes ranging from 2 feet by 3 feet to 8 feet by 12 feet, so buyers can choose the best size for their home use. Buyers should determine the placement of the flag before deciding size.
Fabric
There are two fabrics that flag distributors recommend for outdoor home use: nylon and polyester. Both types have rich colors and are popular choices. The nylon is lighter weight and requires less wind to fly. The polyester is more durable and requires a stronger wind to fly. The nylon flag is the most popular and most affordable.
Stars and Stripes
Most retail sites offer the buyer the option of choosing screen printed stars and stripes or embroidered stars and sewn stripes. The screen printed flags are the least expensive, but the embroidered and sewn flags are definitely more attractive.
Type
The two types of flags available for outdoor display are banner and grommet. The banner style flag has a pole sleeve sewn on the short side. Often homeowners will attach banner flags to the house. With this display, the flag hangs down from a metal or wooden pole. The grommet style allows the flag to fly from a vertical pole and is the best to use for larger flags.
Flag poles manufactures offer hardwood, fiberglass or aluminum poles for residential use. Flag poles may be telescoping and/or rotating. Rotating poles prevent the flag from wrapping around the pole. Wrapping occurs with both banner and grommet style flags. Final installation may require ornaments, mounting clips, brackets, in-ground sleeves and base plates. Installation hardware depends on the whether the flag is a banner or grommet type and whether the flag flies vertically from the ground or from an attachment to the house. The flag retailer may offer flag kits which include the pole, mounting brackets and a 3 x 5 American flag.
The United States Flag Code is the final source of information on protocol regarding the display of the American flag. The Code permits the flying of the flag on any day of the year, but particularly recommends flying it on patriotic days such as Flag Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Day among others. The flag flies from sunset until sundown. If properly illuminated, homeowners may fly the flag at night.
An American flag with its distinctive red, white and blue colors and stars and stripes is uplifting, comforting and hopeful to homeowners and passersby. It’s time to bring the American flag home.
