Wood Market Umbrella

We’ll help you choose the best wood market umbrella for you, with choices from multiple merchants, whether you want a cantilever umbrella, or offset umbrella with designer umbrella features.Plus protect your prized garden designer feature with a patio umbrella cover and the correct choice from several umbrella bases.

These umbrellas and grouped by size then price. Notice the more expensive ones have a pulley opening system.

3 Metre with Pulley Opening System

3 Metre No Pulley

2.7 Metre

2.5 Metre with Pulley Opening System

2.5 Metre No Pulley

2.2/2.1/2.0 Metre

2 Metre Tilting Umbrella

You will see that some of the patio umbrellas on the site are certified as FSC, for example the John Lewis Range.
The FSC, Forest Stewardship Council, is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.
The FSC label provides a credible link between responsible production and consumption of forest products, enabling consumers and businesses to make purchasing decisions that benefit people and the environment as well as providing ongoing business value.
The FSC:
prohibits conversion of natural forests or other habitat around the world,
prohibits the use of highly hazardous pesticides around the world,
prohibits the cultivation of genetically modified trees (GMOs),
respects the right of indigenous peoples around the world,
controls each certified operation at least once a year – and if they are found not to comply, the certificate is withdrawn.

Good wood market umbrellas typically have poles and ribs made from durable tropical hard wood such as teak or eucalyptus. These have a long grain which provides both strength and flexibility – good for windy conditions. (Look at this shot of a small teak tree, they couldn’t have been designed better for an umbrella!)
These hardwoods have a naturally high oil content which makes them weather resistant and they only require a soapy water scrub once a year to clean them of any algae or pollution. Because they are a natural material, wood patio umbrella poles and struts appearance will change over time, typically for these hardwoods, to a lovely silvery grey. If you want to maintain a colour closer to the original you can treat with a teak cleaner, then a teak enhancer, and finally a teak oil. Personally I preferred a naturally weathered look for garden umbrella poles.
photo credit: dsin

It’s very easy to convert your garden patio umbrella into a lighted umbrella, and well worth doing as you will create a 24 hour space! This pic shows some cool umbrella lights, you can’t beat a bit of candle type light and you could buy these lanterns seperately and “Heath Robinson style” string them up for yourself. You can also buy lights specifically for your patio umbrella. They can be a small cluster of 3-7 12v or LED lights that clip round the shaft of you wood market umbrella and you don’t need to plug into the mains. Alternatively you can buy strings of out door lights, like christmas lights and hang them round the inside of your umbrella, but they will need to be plugged into the mains electic supply. Remember what ever you do dont put the lights too close to the umbrella canopy.
photo credit: wka

The definition of a cantilever is essentially a horizontal beam which is only supported at one end. Cantilever patio umbrellas or garden umbrellas apply this principle to provide shade without the restrictions of the original outdoor umbrellas central pole which obsures your view or limits where you can place the umbrella, for instance over a Jacuzzi, whirlpool, hot tub or paddling pool, so they provide protection for you or your or your kids from the sun’s harmful rays. It is difficult to find wooden cantilever umbrellas as most are made of aluminium, but you can find dark coloured ones that resemble teak or hardwood. Alternatively you could apply the offset umbrella principle by selecting a tilting umbrella which has the central pole split into two sections so you can tilt the umbrella canopy, these are more easily found in wood and still create that classic look with more modern and practical functionality.
See a Jati Tilt Wood Market Umbrella

Add the sophisticated feel of Mediterranean beaches, Italian and French Cafe’s to your patio, porch or garden with a wood market umbrella. Picture the scene, sunbathing, breakfast with a great cup of coffee, the sunday papers, writing that novel, answering emails, away from your office but where you can actually see your screen, barbeques, there are hundreds of occasions to use it, and believe me once you have started using it you will love it out there. But make sure when buying your patio umbrella to choose hardwood poles, a good quality fabric umbrella canopy and solid umbrella base so the exciting exotic elegant space you have created and love to spend time in does not turn into a two-bit circus sideshow you avoid like the plague!

Here is a quick video illustrating the differences between and a standard cut and market umbrella, or cafe umbrella. Essentially the Market Umbrella has a straight cut vs a valence. It has a decorative pinicle, often wood and a cheeky little material cap for decoration -- a reminder of those medieval tents we associated with knights and princesses at jousts. The Market Umbrella is for your home and the standard umbrella is for taking to the beach.

Lift off! See you have got to take your umbrella bases, or umbrella stand seriously. This runaway patio umbrella flew over a 2 story house. Also make sure you at least close your market umbrella when its not in use, put it away if possible, although I know that’s a bit of a pain and means you can’t just stroll out and enjoy the shade when the whim takes you.

If this tough guy can’t even deter the birds, what chance does your prized wood market umbrella have!
The best solution is to put it away when you are not using it. Even then it’s best to store it with an umbrella cover to protect it from rodents or nesting birds. Sometimes the umbrella may come with a cover, which is sleeve like, otherwise you can buy one separately.
If you don’t want to put your patio market umbrella away, it’s best to use a cover to not only protect it from bird poo but also fading from the sun, if you do not have the very best sun resistant material, and staining from falling fruit or berries.
Also patio umbrella covers offer protection from rain, which can cause rotting, plus frost damage. With proper care a good quality umbrella should last a long time.

photo credit: EverJean

Cantilever Umbrellas, also known as an offset umbrella are simply a type outdoor umbrella which allows you to have the umbrella canopy hung from the top rather than the supported on a pole up through the middle.  You can see a good example of cantilever umbrellas in this picture.

Although offset umbrellas are more of a modern twist on the traditional wood market umbrella they do mean that you can have a shaded area without the pole obstructing your view across a table for example, which is more conducive to socialising, or have umbrella bases at the side of a pool or jacuzzi and have the cantilever umbrella canopy shading the whole pool.

Wood frames and umbrella stands embue a timeless elagance and an exotic feel, which excellently compliment tropical settings or all wood settings. However, a mix of wood and metal can be very attractive, for instance the combination of wood patio umbrellas with dark wrought iron furniture, or cast furniture.

You might expect that aluminum patio umbrellas and stands would be stonger and more durable than wood market umbrellas. However don’t despair if you have your heart set on the classic appeal of wood, modern technology has come to your rescue. Wind is one of the key factors, as aluminium could be considered more flexible than a solid heavy duty wood stand. But you can find wind resistant patio umbrella canopies and wood market umbrellas with metal fixings or steel poles, shafts or stands that have been drilled and fitted into the core of the wood umbrella pole to combat wind and rough handling by persons opening/closing your umbrellas.
photo credit: miheco