An umbrella’s shade is a great place to unwind by the pool, especially during a Brisbane summer when daytime temperatures can go past 30°C. The umbrella’s fabric is durable and made to block harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, making staying outdoors in the blistering heat more feasible. Wearing sunscreen is still a good idea, though.

Giant umbrellas are a quick solution compared to waiting for a tree to grow to full height and a low-cost alternative to shade sails. As such, it’s no surprise that these additions to a pool area are getting popular among Brisbane pool owners.

That said, the road to owning swimming pool umbrellas for Brisbane homes or commercial properties begins with a choice. Besides deciding whether or not to own one, you also need to choose the type of giant umbrella to own. We offer several options, but let us help you pick one.

Umbrella Fabric

The fabric is the most important part of any giant umbrella. A strong frame can support the whole thing, but it won’t matter if the fabric isn’t up to the task of keeping your head cool at the hottest time of day. Our giant outdoor umbrellas use one of three different types of fabric.

Acrylic Canvas

Also called acrylic-coated canvas, this option consists of cotton or linen (polyvinyl chloride/PVC, in some cases) with a layer of acrylic resin. It’s the most cost-friendly of our options, as canvas is an affordable material and the acrylic coating adds little to the fabric’s overall price. However, it offers the lowest UV protection of the three.

PVC-Coated Polyester

PVC, or simply vinyl, is a well-known material used in various exterior home building products like fences and sidings. When used as a protective coating for equally UV-resistant polyester fabric, the result is a giant outdoor umbrella that’s budget-friendly for its resilience in almost any weather.

Docril®

Made by Spanish fabric manufacturer Citel, Docril® is our premium giant umbrella fabric option. It’s known as a “solution-dyed” acrylic canvas, as every fibre is dyed instead of only the fabric surface. Citel claims that the fabric can block up to 90% of harmful UV rays and has unbeatable dimensional stability.

Docril® is available in roughly 200 colours and colour patterns. Click here to learn more about each option.

You might think that Docril® is the best choice in the long term (and you’d be right), but you also have to ask yourself if your budget can afford it. Branded quality materials tend to have many capabilities and features, which will command a higher price. You can settle for the lower-cost ones as a stopgap until you can afford the premium option.

Umbrella Shape

Swimming pool umbrellas usually come in two shapes: square (four sides) and octagonal (eight sides). Determining the total coverage is done by getting the measurement of the side. To get the area of a square umbrella, multiply the side measurement by itself.

It’s a bit different for an octagon umbrella, as it’s measured by its diameter or the longest diagonal. Also, the lack of corners reduces its coverage by an estimated 30%.

Coverage areas may vary. Please speak with our team for further details. 

It’s apparent that square umbrellas are more practical due to their larger coverage, but this shouldn’t be the only consideration. Brisbane gets plenty of wind, meaning giant umbrellas must be stable under high winds and easy to fold in case of an incoming cyclone or severe thunderstorms. Without these, they might collapse or get blown away.

This is where octagonal umbrellas excel, with double the ribs of their square counterparts to hold the fabric steady. Our domestic octagonal canopy umbrellas are rated to withstand winds of up to 100 km/h, compared to our square ones, which are only rated up to 80 km/h.

However, keep in mind that the wind rating decreases as the umbrella size increases. Our larger umbrellas – 4.5 metres and over for octagonal and 3.6 metres and over for square – are only designed to withstand up to 50 km/h winds.

Note: Despite their wind ratings, umbrellas should always be kept in the down position during storms and other severe weather events. Wind speeds can get erratic under such conditions, meaning there’s a risk of umbrellas facing speeds that exceed their ratings. Better to be safe than sorry.

Cantilever vs. Market

Traditional umbrellas, commonly known in the industry as market umbrellas, have a pole running down the centre to the base. This design is more popular among homeowners and some businesses due to its ease of folding and stability under varying wind loads.

Meanwhile, cantilever umbrellas have the pole off on the side, holding the canopy through a cantilever or extended arm overhead. Flexibility is one of its major selling points, as it can be designed to adjust its coverage to another position within its rotation area.

Choosing between a cantilever and a market pool umbrella boils down to where you want the shade to be. If it’ll be underneath some pool chairs or a patio table, a market umbrella will suffice. It might not be adjustable like its cantilever cousin, but it’s enough if you only need protection from the hottest part of the day.

On the other hand, a cantilever umbrella is excellent at providing shade to one part of the pool. Its offset frame enables nearly all of the canopy can extend beyond the pool’s edge. That said, the frame would have to be well-protected against splashes to mitigate the risk of premature corrosion.

Conclusion

The best umbrella for the pool area is one that meets your shade preferences. Do you need the coverage to be large enough? Do you want shade above the pool water? Only you can decide on these things, and we’ll be more than happy to oblige.