What type of patio umbrella is best

Button or pop-up: Like regular hand umbrellas, a pop-up umbrella opens and closes with a button. The most common type of patio umbrella is the market or beach umbrella. Market umbrellas usually have fixed shades that do not tilt. By contrast, cantilever umbrellas are built with two poles: One to hold it up and another to hold the shade off to the side. This lets you cover various seated areas without the pole getting in your way.

For instance, you might use a cantilever umbrella to keep you cool on a pool chair. When it comes to shade type, you can choose from single or double canopies. Single canopies are best for smaller groups of people, and double canopies can provide shade for about eight adults. Commercial-grade double canopy umbrellas feature two large, separate canopies on either side of a pole, but for patios and decks, opt for connected canopies on a smaller pole. If you live in a particularly windy or rainy area, choose durable fabrics and rib strengths.

The ribs provide structure to your umbrella, and the more it has, the stronger it will be against all conditions. Fiberglass is the strongest option, while wood and aluminum are ideal for light use. Specialized materials like fiberglass and synthetic grass are also available, depending on your umbrella model.

A market umbrella is the traditional option. Double canopy umbrellas are great for covering multiple tables or rows of chairs. If your family spends ample time outside, this means a table arrangement and a playing area can both stay covered under one umbrella.

Pagoda umbrellas are small and are used mainly for aesthetic reasons. A pagoda umbrella features an exaggerated pointed tip resembling a circus tent top, and they come in a variety of fun colors and designs. The classic choice is white and red striped or any stripe combination. Pagoda umbrellas typically give shade to just one or two people, making them ideal for lounging next to the pool. Fiberglass umbrellas are hardy and weatherproof. As the name suggests, a sail umbrella is shaped like a boat sail and is held up by multiple poles.

Only by adjusting the tilt of the umbrella, it can change angle with the sun moving. Cantilever or off-set umbrella. Cantilever umbrella or offset umbrella essentially has a support base that is big and solid enough to make it stand stable on the side. Different from table patio umbrella and tilting patio umbrella, the pole of a cantilever patio umbrella is designed on the side of the canopy not right in the middle. There is a long arm that can hold up the big canopy for people under the umbrella.

A table can also be placed under the umbrella for dinner or drinking, but not required a patio table, a small tea table or several seats are also enough. This kind of umbrella has a hole for the pole as the cantilever umbrella can be off to the side so it can ensure a larger movement area.

Because of the need of supporting the long arm that holds up the big canopy, off-set umbrellas are much heavier and less portable than others. It is ideal for a certain leisure situation. Palapa Tiki-Style Umbrella. Palapa Tiki-Style Umbrella is made of polypropylene faux grass cover that make it look like a grass tiki hut.

This kind of umbrella is exotic that can be used not only at home yard, but ideal for beach and pool. If you use it in the beach, you can stick it in the sand.

If you want to use it with a table, then a pound around stand base is needed. Designed with grass material, the umbrella is suitable for both sunny weather and windy weather. If it is use in windy weather, a pound base is recommended. Sail Umbrella. Sail umbrellas are popular for those who have children.

Commercial patio umbrella. This reliable umbrella will resist sun and wind damage more effectively than cheaper models and will likely last four times as long. It comes in dozens of color and finish combinations. When we asked landscape designers and patio-furniture experts which umbrellas they recommended, the name they gave us again and again was Treasure Garden. Durability separates an okay patio umbrella from a great one, and the 9-foot-wide Market Aluminum Push Button Tilt Umbrella should last longer than any of the other umbrellas in our test group.

This is especially true if you opt for Sunbrella fabric, which our experts recommended for its resilience outdoors. The quick-ship configuration we suggest for our umbrella pick offers the best value within the Treasure Garden line, including just the right features to make it functional—like a push-button tilt system and crank lift system—and omitting the extras that drive up the price.

The push-button tilt frame carries a one-year warranty; and both fabrics have great warranties —the Sunbrella fabric is guaranteed not to fade for five years, and the O'bravia version is guaranteed for four years. About half the price of our main pick, this umbrella is a sturdy option with a larger diameter than most standard umbrellas. This model opened and closed more smoothly than other similarly priced umbrellas we tested.

It also comes standard with an auto-crank tilt mechanism to angle the canopy—an upgrade feature you have to pay more for with our top pick. The canopy is made from Olefin fabric, which is not as weather- or fade-resistant as Sunbrella, but it is still known for durability and colorfastness.

The umbrella comes with a two-year limited warranty from Home Depot, where this is an exclusive Hampton Bay is the company's in-house brand. The Sunnyglade umbrella is an affordable option that gets the job done. Not everyone needs an umbrella that will last in the wind, rain, and sun for several years. The canopy is hard to get dirty and simple to clean, and the whole umbrella easily fits into an included reusable plastic sheath for simple storage.

This compact concrete base is streamlined, sturdy, and pleasant to set up and move around, with smooth edges, generous hand-holds, and two screws for added security. The base, a smooth mix of concrete, sand, and stone, has been cast with a slight texture and is easy to wipe clean.

Compared with other market umbrella bases of this weight class and material concrete and steel , the Paima base falls on the lower end of the price range, while the quality and attention to detail do away with common pain points we encountered with more expensive bases.

It is a single, heavy—but thin—disc of powder-coated steel and robs the least amount of footroom if used under a table. And like our top pick, this base uses two screw knobs, rather than just one, to hold the umbrella in place.

While it seems like a small detail, the knobs were the biggest and smoothest of any of the bases we tested, which made securing the umbrella pole easier and more pleasant. But for some people, the aesthetic upgrade and lower profile may be worth it. This rolling base is worth the price if you want to be able to easily move your umbrella during the day for optimal shade. The Shademobile Rolling Umbrella Base is unusual among bases because of its ability to roll and pivot across a smooth deck or patio—a crucial feature for anyone who may not be strong enough to easily lift 50 pounds or more.

The practical, no-nonsense plastic resin base comes empty, weighing only about 20 pounds, also making it the easiest to tote around before committing to a location.

And you can definitely use this base at that weight without a table. The original author of this guide, Kalee Thompson, lived for more than a decade in Los Angeles, where the near-constant sun fuels an equally constant quest for more and better shade. The first was never the same after an epic windstorm. The second and third umbrellas simply got shredded by some combination of temperamental Santa Ana winds and incessant UV damage, after a little more than two years of year-round use.

Longtime sales associate Veronica Hoodless at the high-end Fishbecks outdoor-furniture store, manager Jesse Mezger at the upscale Patioworld , and manager Jesse Bawsel at Armstrong Garden Centers all in Pasadena, California provided additional insight into what customers are looking for when it comes to patio umbrellas, and which styles and brands offer proven durability.

Kalee also studied a couple of primers on the differences PDF between common umbrella fabrics, size considerations, and various umbrella features and designs. In August , Ellen Airhart updated this guide to include a wider variety of umbrella picks in different price ranges. We evaluated 22 new models, chose five, and set them up one by one on a windy balcony in San Francisco, which made the experience of hoisting the umbrellas up and down more like operating a sailboat than enjoying a leisurely backyard barbecue.

We spent about eight hours cranking each of the umbrellas up and down, measuring the canopies, and getting the fabric dirty and then cleaning it. After these tests, we added two new picks, the Hampton Bay 10 ft. In May , Katie Okamoto updated this guide to include more umbrella base options.

Katie evaluated 20 models and tested five and pound bases on their second-floor apartment balcony in Los Angeles. We spent a sun-blasted afternoon setting them up with our top pick and budget pick umbrellas, moving them around the space, stepping on them and dusting them, and two weeks observing how they held closed umbrellas in the wind, sun, and dust. If you need some shade to make outdoor dining or lounging more comfortable, a patio umbrella is likely the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to go.

Each of the 9-foot-diameter market umbrellas we review here can do double duty, as a table shade most outdoor dining tables include a hole for an umbrella, and a 9-foot umbrella is the perfect size for such use and as a standalone umbrella to shield a couple of lounge chairs or a play area. You measure umbrellas of this type by doubling the length of one spoke; because the spokes slope downward even when an umbrella is up, the total midday sun shade area for a 9-foot umbrella is actually less than 9 feet in diameter.

Landscape designer Maggie Lobl told us she often urges her clients to consider the humble umbrella over more expensive and less adaptable pergolas or shade trellises. You can add a pop of color, and they look really nice. The most common mistake people make with umbrella bases is not buying one at all they are almost always sold separately or choosing one that is not heavy enough.

Yes, an umbrella will typically stay fairly steady if you simply slide it into the hole in the center of a patio table and let the tail end of the pole rest on the ground. But if winds unexpectedly pick up, that umbrella could easily be lifted from beneath, fly through the air, and crash-land—potentially injuring someone, damaging property, or breaking spokes or tearing fabric the latter has happened to us. For maximum safety, some experts recommend buying a standalone base that weighs 10 times the size of the umbrella so a 9-foot-wide umbrella would require a pound base.

A sufficiently heavy base is extra important if you plan to leave an umbrella open and unattended. If you close your umbrella between uses, you should be able to get away with less weight.

For this guide, we chose to focus on market-style umbrellas that are at least 9 feet across in size, have aluminum poles and adjustability mechanisms, like crank lifting and tilting.

In spring , we examined the specs of 16 umbrellas and ultimately tested five popular models. Not surprisingly, after just a few weeks we saw no noticeable deterioration of the fabric on any of the umbrellas. As we know that fabric tends to be the point of failure for umbrellas, we had to rely largely on outside expertise and reviews in evaluating the options.

But our top umbrella pick, the Treasure Garden, is now entering its fifth summer and has weathered two coasts, first in Los Angeles and now in Portland, Maine, and there is still no noticeable fading. Though you will occasionally see 6-, 7-, and 8-foot patio umbrellas for sale at Home Depot and similar stores, 9 feet is the most common size for patio umbrellas that are meant to be used over a dining table for four.

This is also a good size to move around a deck to provide shade for reading or playing. We chose to focus on umbrellas with aluminum poles, rather than wood, for a couple of reasons. First, they tend to be more widely available. Second, aluminum umbrellas are much more likely to come with easy-to-use crank-lifting systems as opposed to line pulleys , as well as with tilting functions that allow you to shift the head of the umbrella to the side, providing you with more control over your shade.

All the umbrellas we tested had similar cranks that we found equally easy to turn. All of the umbrellas we tested also had a tilt mechanism that allowed us to pivot the entire head of the umbrella to the side while it was open, helping to keep us shaded over the hours as the sunlight shifted. Push-button tilt is a common design that requires pushing a thumb into a button high on the pole to tilt the umbrella head to one side.

Crank tilt moves the head to the side with another rotation of the same crank you use to lift the umbrella. Several umbrella brands offer both types of tilt; others, just one. Wood umbrellas, which often cost more than metal models, tend to lack the tilt function and more commonly rely on fussy pulley-lift or lift-and-pin systems. Some of our picks do come in versions with wood poles and spokes, though, which many people may prefer for aesthetic reasons.

But we think a lot of people will appreciate having a passable option in that price range. All of the experts we talked with mentioned Sunbrella fabric by name when we asked how to identify a good-quality umbrella. Several of them noted that customers are frequently confused, thinking Sunbrella is an umbrella manufacturer. In fact, Sunbrella fabrics are made by Glen Raven, a year-old South Carolina textile company that makes materials for flags—including the one on the moon—and flame-retardant clothing for race-car drivers, as well as fabrics for marine-grade awnings and casual backyard pillows and umbrellas.

Sunbrella fabrics are made of solution-dyed acrylic. Though umbrella manufacturers can buy Sunbrella fabrics in different weaves at different prices, all are colorfast and all come with the same five-year warranty , Gant said. Three of the five umbrellas we tested used Sunbrella fabric, and when it was an optional upgrade, we chose it. However, we also learned of many other solution-dyed fabrics —such as Olefin, the fabric used in one of our picks, the Hampton Bay Patio Umbrella —that have a generally good reputation for durability and colorfastness.

A couple of our experts recommended double wind vents for people who live in particularly windy locations, such as near the beach or on the top of a hill. Note that double wind vent configurations may add additional cost or lead time on orders, since they are typically not the default option. In , one of our testers ordered a double-vented version of our top pick umbrella, which took six weeks to ship out.

Though we heard from several salespeople that cantilever umbrellas—the large umbrellas that have a base to the side and are often used over lounge areas—have been growing in popularity, we decided to limit our review to the more common, 9-foot market umbrellas, which are a staple of both small apartment patios and sprawling backyards. We devoted another 10 hours to reading about umbrella bases and sifting through hundreds of offerings online.

And so we focused on bases that weighed at least 50 pounds, which experts recommended as the minimum to weigh down a 9-foot umbrella when used with a table note that you will need more weight if using an umbrella on its own. Beyond weight, we emphasized practicality over aesthetics. All of the bases we considered have a mechanism that allows the base tube to tighten around the umbrella pole, ensuring a wobble-free fit. We made an exception for the Shademobile Rolling Base , our also-great pick, which can be filled to weigh up to pounds and has wheels that allow it to roll and pivot, thus offering far more functionality than any other umbrella base we found.