Wood Parasols for the Garden
OK, the sun is shining and there is not a cloud in the sky. Perhaps, though, you want some shade – a parasol – for your garden. This article looks at some of the options of wooden parasol available. A full range of parasols is available from Garden Furniture Scotland. Other articles in this series cover Cantilever Parasols, Aluminium Parasols, and Parasol Bases.
If you want the parasol to shade a table, you need to decide if it will go through the centre of the table, in which case you will need a table with a central hole. This hole should accommodate most parasol stems – the hole in most tables is about 51mm but can vary either way.
Amazingly, parasols stems have an industry standard and most (though, of course not all) are either 38mm or 48mm in diameter. If there is a hole in the centre of your table, then you are best to choose a through the table parasol. The most popular parasol is the central pole parasol which doesn’t stand on its own but is most commonly placed through the centre of the table.
Most people will have had a wooden parasol at some time. They are inexpensive and come in a range of colours , shapes and sizes. The parasol stem is in two parts, screw-threaded in the middle. The top half supports the canopy while the lower half goes through the table. The screw-threaded middle section rarely causes any difficulties.
At the cheaper end of the market, hardwoods from the Far East such as Nyatoh, Keruing and Eucalyptus are used. At the more expensive end of the market, parasol stems will be made from teak, which makes them far more durable.
Most wood stemmed parasols have a pulley system to open and close the parasol – cheaper ones will have a pulley located on one side of the stem. However, better ones will often have a dual pulley, one each side of the stem, which places less stress on the mechanism and balances the load.
Parasols can have a crank handle rather than a pulley system. Though this might make it easier to raise and lower your parasol, it does come at a cost – removing the centre of the wooden stem to insert the crank wire weakens the overall strength of the wood.
A compromise is sometimes seen in which the crank wire is placed in a groove on the side of the stem, but this is unsightly. Sometimes wooden parasols have a tilt mechanism, using a brass or metal tile mechanism. This does cause a weakness in the stem as the wood is attached to this metal tilt fitting twice over a short distance in the main stem.
Smaller and cheaper parasols will have 6 ribs emanating from the central hub. Larger parasols will 8 or 10 ribs. The canopy is placed on top of the ribs and attached at the end of each rib by stitching or a pocket. Some pockets are leather, for extra durability. Other pockets are zipped to allow the canopy to be removed.
Parasol canopies come in a variety of colours and can be made from many different materials. Polyester is the most common and is often covered with a water repellant treatment so it is showerproof.
Parasol canopies are also treated to reduce fading in sunlight (ultraviolet light). Look for UV resistent fabric when you are purchasing a parasol and think about the colour you would prefer. Remember that some colours fade more readily – red or black, for instance, as compared to cream or natural.
Heavy duty polyester, which is measured by grams per inch squared is by far the best material to use for parasols. Cotton is not suitable as a parasol canopy – though you will find some on the market – as it is not strong enough. There are branded products, such as ‘Sunbrella’ which is well known as a parasol canopy material and is well known for its quality.
Many parasols have wind vents in the top which allow the wind to move through the parasol and limit resistance – and therefore stress – to the frame. Without a vent, a parasol is likely to be pulled from its position, or to break as the wind will pull against the frame. Look for wind vents in the parasol of your choice.
Before you spend your hard earned money on a parasol, consider the shape, size and style you want, look at whether it has a pully or crank system, consider what type of material has been used for the canopy and ensure it is both showerproof and UV Stable. To learn more about parasols, please view our newsarticles about Cantilever Parasols, Parasol Bases and Aluminium Parasols. Visit Garden Furniture Scotland to learn more about parasols for the garden or garden furniture in general.
