How to Make a Patio Umbrella

Tap to Read ➤ Tulika Nair

An economical way of covering your patio is making a patio umbrella. If you want to try your hand at this do-it-yourself task, then read ahead.

If you live in a town which enjoys extreme temperatures and has its fair share of sunlight and rain, then having a patio umbrella to provide you shade from these extremities of weather is a good idea.

There are several ways in which you can use patio umbrellas. You can use it to shade a spot near the swimming pool or as shade for your garden table. Cafe shop owners often use them to create shaded spots for customers to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee under.

Patio umbrellas have the ability to transform the way a space looks, adding an appeal of a summer garden to it. You can get them at a neighborhood home furnishing store or learn to make it at home.

Making a Patio Umbrella

The raw material used in to explain the process in this tutorial is an unused parachute which is admittedly not found in everyone's garage. Parachutes though can be easily scavenged and recycled from secondhand shops and garage sales. So if you do manage to get a parachute from somewhere, use it to make a patio umbrella.

A patio umbrella made from a parachute will give you a lot of shade and protect you from all kinds of extreme weather. Parachute material is very good for making patio umbrellas as it is extremely durable and also rainproof.

Parachute, 1 (with cords attached) Metal grommet, 1 (with a hole of diameter 1 ⅜) Steel pole, 1 (diameter 1 ⅜ , height 10 feet) Bolts and nuts, 2 (3 inches) Umbrella stand, 1 Stakes or hook screws Drill Scissors

The space that you work in should be big enough to accommodate the parachute. The first step is to spread out the parachute and in the middle, cut out a hole which is of the same diameter as the grommet. Now use a hammer to place the grommet in this hole.

The next step is to drill two holes in the metal pole that you have. While the first hole needs to be drilled at a distance of about 1 inch from the top part of the metal, the second hole needs to be drilled 3 inches from the top. Ensure that these holes are big enough so that they allow the bolt all the way through the pole.

Now secure one of the bolts using a nut, in the bottom hole that you have drilled. While doing this ensure that there is half an inch of the bolt visible at both sides of the pole. Now take the parachute and slide it onto the pole. Now secure the bolt in the upper hole with a nut. Again ensure that half an inch of the bolt is visible on both sides.

Now raise the pole and put it into the base. You may need to take the help of another person to do so. Using the screw on the base, tighten the pole so that it stays in place.

Now secure this umbrella into the ground and attach the cords on the umbrella to stakes or hook screws that you need to drive into the ground. Ensure that the cords are tied tightly around the stake so that they don't come off.

This is a great do-it-yourself project that does not need much effort. All you need to do is scrounge around for the raw materials for the same.