The patio is a great place to sit back and relax after a hard day’s work or to entertain family and friends for special occasions. It’s also a place to enjoy Mother Nature while still being near the comforts of home instead of the uncertainty of the great outdoors. The area just needs a patio umbrella to spruce up the surroundings, add the desired ambience and provide additional protection from the elements including sun, rain and snow.
Each patio is different from the other patios in the neighborhood in terms of space, ambience and uses. Fortunately, the market offers a wide range of patio umbrellas to choose from the small to the large, from to temporary to the semi-permanent, and even from the round to the rectangle. This article discusses these choices so that homeowners will have a better idea of these products even before logging on to an online site or visiting a home improvement store.
Choices in Materials
The most rustic and romantic of patio umbrellas are usually made from wood, said material of which is used on the poles and ribs. Wood provides for a classic and classy feel that other materials like cold metal often cannot offer the homeowner. However, wood can be less than durable than metal in terms of being able to withstand the vagaries of nature although many wooden patio umbrellas now have metal at the core of the wooden pole to boost durability.
An aluminum patio umbrella is a good choice, too. Usually, the aluminum is used on the poles and ribs with the cover being made from canvas, which makes for durable, lightweight and beautiful patio umbrellas. Consumers who live in windy areas benefit the most from aluminum models with the added advantage of being able to choose from many kinds of finishes to the metal.
Aluminum patio umbrellas also come with fiberglass ribs. The result is an umbrella that can withstand strong winds since fiberglass is more flexible and yet more durable than wood and aluminum combined.
Choices in Styles
Usually, a patio umbrella looks like the portable umbrella with the pole in the middle. But there are inherent problems with the design as the pole can get in the way of people facing each other. Manufacturers offer the offset patio umbrellas, also known as cantilever umbrellas, which provides for extra flexibility, shade and area. Just make sure that the base is heavier to prevent the offset umbrella from toppling over.
Yet another choice in patio umbrellas is the wall-mounted type. Obviously, it can be mounted directly to the wall, thus, providing for an outdoor café atmosphere right in the backyard. Other benefits include greater space for the tables underneath and lesser hassles in unfurling these umbrellas.
Patio umbrellas come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Homeowners and even business owners can choose from round, rectangular and polygonal umbrellas with sizes from single to double. The final choice in the patio umbrella will depend on personal preferences in style, the available budget and the allocated space.
Samantha Reynolds is a writer/blogger, focusing on home décor and outdoor décor using patio umbrellas from Patioshoppers.
