Discover the Perfect Umbrella

There are many umbrellas to choose from and based on many different factors, Yardiac offset umbrella buying guide should ease you into our many different options and help narrow down the process. First and foremost customers should always consider the source in which you buy your umbrella. Yardiac.com has been selling offset umbrellas for over 10 years and offers the most comprehensive styles, shapes and color in the industry. We have developed relationships with many different umbrella manufactures to make sure our customers are "covered" and thrilled with their purchase.

Offset Umbrella Selection Tips 

Location     It is always good to know where your location of your new umbrella is going, whether it be in on your deck, poolside, off the wall, or any other great places to put an offset umbrella. The location is the first determining factor of the shape, and size of your new umbrella. When measuring your location be sure account for the base which will normally be weighted down by 16" pavers or by a weighted base (water or sand) that is typically around 24"-36" in length.

Size and Shape     The next step is to determine how what shape and size you would like to fill your desired location. For some a round style will be suffice, while others a square may also meet their needs. When considering shape always be sure you are getting the coverage area you desire. Below is a chart that helps you determine the average coverage, depending on the shape of the umbrella. As you will see that sometimes although it may appear that an 11ft round or octagon umbrella is larger than a 10ft Square, you are actually be getting more coverage out of a 10 foot square model.

 

Umbrella Size and Shape Coverage Chart 

Color and Fabric     For many this is the final step is choosing your umbrella. The color of your umbrella is going to be determined usually by the decor in which the umbrella will be accenting, Yardiac.com is pleased to offer up to 30 different color options, depending on the model of your choice.. The nice part about choosing a color, is that the canopy is usually replaceable in the future if your decor changes, meaning all you have to do is simply buy a new cover. The fabric choice is also a long term choice as well. Buying a new umbrella no matter what style or color will most likely look the same out of the box no matter what fabric you so choose. The caveat to this is that after one season of use some fabrics will begin to fade as they are exposed to plenty of sun. All of Yardiacs fabrics are backed by a warranty that is listed with each umbrella. The best fabric on the market is Sunbrella, and bar none has the best warranty on the market today.

Pole     Selling umbrellas for many years has given us many experiences with many different types of umbrellas and a quick way to eliminate an umbrella when selecting, is to look at the pole specs. A cheap thin pole will ruin an umbrella experience in a heartbeat, no matter what other features. The pole of an offset umbrella requires a lot of strength and stamina. All of Yardiac's umbrellas have been tested to standard, but some are thicker than others.

Tilting     This feature is especially important as we all the know that each location is unique in reference to the direction in which sunlight falls. Being able to tilt your umbrella allows you to directionally shade areas based on the sun, and also as the sun moves, tilt the umbrella accordingly. Make sure if the feature is listed on the umbrella, specs to be sure you are receiving a tilting offset umbrella Choose from our Yardiac Tilting Umbrellas

Rotation     Having a rotating umbrella can be easily as important as a tilting umbrella. Being able to rotate your umbrella 360 degrees, will allow your offset umbrella to be more flexible and used more frequently. For example a customer can buy an offset umbrella, to cover a hot tub, but also be able to rotate the umbrella to cover the adjacent patio, deck, or pool. This feature should also be listed on all Yardiac umbrellas with this feature.

Ribs     The number of ribs an umbrella has will ultimately determine the longevity and durability of your umbrella. 6 ribs is the absolute minimum you would like to see on an umbrella. 8 ribs is the ideal number of ribs on a an offset umbrella. Ribs will help stabilize your umbrella from wind gusts, distribute fabric weight more evenly as well as making the umbrella go up and down faster and easier.

Venting     You will notice that most umbrellas will come with some sort of venting feature on the top of the umbrella. It will be mentioned in the specs if it does include some sort of vent top. Vent tops are important because not only do they provide ventilation to umbrella fabric, but also help prevent lift off (lift off is an event that occurs when a umbrella is left open on a windy day and your umbrella ribs either lift straight up or the umbrella is lifted from the base and flies into the yard). Vent tops are good, but double tops are even better protection against lift off.

Base     Offset umbrella bases come in many different shapes and sizes. Stand alone bases are traditionally distinguished with a T-bar look that requires 16"pavers to weigh the base down. Those pavers can be purchases at most hardware or landscape stores. Other bases available based on the model in which you purchase. Weighted bases are also stand alone bases, that require sand or water to help weigh down the base. These bases are nice because no other material is needed to weigh the bases down after Yardiac delivers the Umbrella. Specialty bases are also available depending on the style in which you choose, those other bases can be ground mount, which uses cement to secure to the ground, deck mount, which screws into decking, as well as planter and wall versions.