Umbrella Buying Guide

Not sure what you're looking for. Let us help you find the best umbrella to fit your needs.

Umbrellas are designed to provide shade in a specific area. There are many type of umbrellas that fit different spaces: Through the Table, Freestanding, Offset or attached to a Balcony or Railing. The first thing that needs to be determined is how much room you have for your umbrella.

How big is your area?

A tight area, such as a small patio or balcony may limit the size of the umbrella. A large patio gives you a lot of size and style options to choose from. Determine the area for your umbrella by measuring the length and width. You'll want to allow about six inches from all sides of the umbrella for clearance. This will allow it to go up and down without any obstruction.

Example: An 8' x 8' balcony will fit any umbrella up to 7 feet. A 10' x 10' area will fit anything up to 9 feet. A wide-open patio of more than 12' will fit our entire selection.

What do you want to cover?

Now that you've found out how big of an umbrella will fit in your area, what will the umbrella be covering? Smaller umbrellas are great for café and bistro sets. Mid-sized umbrellas, such as 9 foot and 10 foot umbrellas are best covering a dining set or chaise lounges. Large umbrellas, like our 11 foot styles, cover larger oval and round dining tables, as well as mixed seating groups.

See the simple chart below to pick the right size umbrella.

Is your umbrella going through the table or freestanding?

With the right umbrella base, all umbrellas can be freestanding, but not all can go through your table. It all depends on the diameter of the umbrella frame pole. Most tables have an umbrella hole of 1.75”. We sell a variety of umbrellas with diameters from 1 3/8” to 2”. The 2” diameter poles are generally commercial grade and unless the table hole is modified, are usually freestanding. Take this into consideration when choosing your umbrella.

Frame Design:

Most outdoor patio umbrellas are either made of wood or aluminum. Choosing the right design is all about personal preference. Wood frames provide an elegant look and go especially well in tropical and classic settings. Where as, Aluminum frames are available in a multitude of colors completing a modern look and have some neat functions not usually available on wood frames.

See below for the key features of wood and aluminum frames.

Wood:

• Usually made of Asian Hardwood (Ramin, Chinese White Oak, Nyatoh) or Teak

• Opens and closes with either manual lift or pulley mechanism and brass holding pin

• One piece or two piece center pole, with 1 3/8” to 2” pole diameter

• No tilt

• Easy to replace parts through the years

• Recommended for high traffic areas and contract applications

• Marine varnish finish or painted (usually white)

• Elegant look with low maintenance

• See Wood Umbrellas

Aluminum:

• Made of extruded aluminum with ABS plastic fittings

• Powder coated (White, Bone, Hammered Bronze, etc.), anodized ( Champagne ) or laminated (Faux Oak & Walnut)

• One piece or two piece center pole, with 1 3/8” to 1 1/2” pole diameter (not including offset umbrellas)

• Opens and closes with either crank, manual lift, pulley mechanism, kwik lift, or remote control

• Available with either push button tilt (3 positions), non-tilt, auto-tilt (keep cranking to tilt) or full rotation functions (offset umbrellas)

• Harder to replace parts

• Huge selection of frame colors allows easy matching to furniture

• Crank and tilting functions not recommended for high traffic and contract applications

• See Aluminum Umbrellas

• For the really cool features, see our Speciality Umbrellas

Here comes the really fun part, what color fabric will set the tone for your backyard vacation?

From our experience, two fabrics have proven themselves throughout the years, Sunbrella ® and Olefin. Many other fabrics are out there, but from the test of time and the huge color selection, these two fabrics win, hands down.

Choosing your Umbrella Fabric:

Sunbrella® is a 100% solution-dyed acrylic fabric. Sunbrella withstands sun, wind and rain while remaining beautiful for years. The secret to the lasting color is found in the solution-dying process that locks colors into the acrylic fibers, so they can't wash out or fade. Sunbrella® fabric is not waterproof; it is water repellant. This means that during the finishing process a water repellant finish is applied to the fabric. Normal wear and usage will reduce the effectiveness of this finish as will cleaning the fabric. Sunbrella® fabrics, if kept clean, will not mildew. An inherent characteristic of acrylic fiber is that it will not support the growth of mildew, as a natural fiber will. Sunbrella® fabrics have been tested and proven to provide up to 98% UV protection from the harmful effects of the sun depending on depth of color. Whites and lighter colored fabrics provide less protection than darker fabrics, which have more depth of color. This protective factor is inherent to the product and will not be reduced by usage and/or fabric exposure to the sun. Three-year warranty. Made in the USA .

Olefin is a polymer fiber fabric where a color solution is added to the polymer before the fiber is spun. Olefin fibers are characterized by their resistance to moisture and chemicals. The fabric is water and fade resistant, but is lighter and less tightly woven than Sunbrella. One-year warranty. Made in China and the USA .

We offer 30 Sunbrella, 10 Olefin and 7 Suncrylic choices stock ( see colors ), not to mention many PVC and Textilen fabrics. However, if another color or fabric choice strikes your fancy, let us know by visiting our Custom Umbrellas section. If it's made, we can get it.

Will you need an Umbrella Base?

Umbrella bases are kind of like “excuses”; you never think you need one until you get into to trouble. Umbrella bases are designed to secure your umbrella, hold it straight and protect your umbrella from a good gust of wind. Even if your have good support from your table, a base is always recommended. We had a call where a strong wind blow an umbrella and flipped a table into a neighbors yard. Not a good way to get rid of your furniture, especially if you wanted to keep it.

The type of base is determined by the size and use of your umbrella. A larger umbrella requires more weight, while a larger diameter umbrella pole needs a larger (FS) neck. See the chart below to find the right base for your umbrella.

* To put a 2” umbrella pole through your table, you must have at least a 2.25” table hole.