Well, summer is upon us and if your backyard could use a freshening up you are not the only one. The winter months can be hard on our patio furniture and if you don’t have a lot of extra money lying around there are a few simple ways to renew your patio. One of the most familiar outdoor accessories is the patio umbrella. Nowadays, a person is limited to a green or beige outdoor umbrella for your backyard. Outdoor umbrellas come in many shapes, sizes and colors which can really make a statement. From modern to traditional you can find a great match to your existing outdoor d

Well, summer has arrived and if your backyard could use a freshening up you are not by yourself. The winter months can be harsh to our patio furniture and if you don’t have money growing on trees in your yard there are several simple ways to update your yard. One of the most familiar outdoor accessories is the patio umbrella. Nowadays, you are not limited to a green or beige outdoor patio umbrella for your backyard. Outdoor umbrellas come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors which can make a bold statement. From modern to traditional you can find a perfect match to your existing outdoor d

Many people question how to select the correct sized patio umbrella for their backyard. They may think they only need a 6 foot patio umbrella, just to discover that it really doesn’t offer the total amount of shade that they truly require. The right way to select the correct size patio umbrella is to measure the space to decide on the size of shade you will need to keep things comfortable. You can generally assume that if the sun is directly above, patio umbrellas will shade about half of their overall size to each side of the center pole. For example, a nine foot outdoor umbrella will shade an area of about four and a half feet from the center.

To start measuring for the total of shade you would want your outdoor umbrellas to cover, start the center of the place you want shaded. Start with a measuring tape at the center of the place you want to shade and expand it out to half the distance of the umbrella size you think you would like to buy. If you think you want a 9 foot outdoor umbrella, you must measure out a space of a little over 4 feet. Now you will walk around the center of the area 360 degrees to determine what particular space will be shaded when the sun is at its highest point during the day. Also, think about the route of the sun. As the sun goes lower in the horizon throughout the day, the size and shape of shade will change. Now, here is something important to note: most manufactures determine their umbrella size by measuring the actual rib arm length and double it. However, the majority of outdoor umbrellas are not true to their size in width, because the rib arms are not usually completely extended straight out to the side so you will typically lose a few inches in shade proportionally. Also, you’ll want to think about that if you are buying your outdoor umbrella for a bar table, you will need to make sure it has a bar height crank so you can maneuver the umbrella while placed in your bar table. This is typically a feature that is offered with most patio umbrellas, but you can always ask about it if it is not featured with the product.

When you are thinking about shading an outdoor dining area you can use the following guidelines for your wood or aluminum outdoor patio umbrellas: a 6 foot canopy will shade a caf