Custom Patio Umbrella Covers

What This Is A custom umbrella cover is a waterproof sleeve made to your patio umbrella’s measurements, taken with the canopy closed. Closed up, a patio umbrella becomes a long, tapering roll of folded fabric, ribs and fittings. Two umbrellas sold as the same 9 ft size can close down to very different shapes. The number of ribs and the thickness of the canopy fabric decide how bulky it gets. The cover takes its outline from your closed patio umbrella, from the peak to the hem, then carries on a little way down the pole. If it has rained, let the canopy dry before the cover goes on, so no damp gets trapped in the folds. Verified Purchase unaccurate size “this is a 13' umbrella that it does not completly cover.” Read the full review Why Doesn’t a One-Size Umbrella Cover Fit? Because a one-size cover is sold by the open width of the umbrellas it fits, and that tells you little about the shape an umbrella closes down to. Shop for a one-size umbrella cover and you’ll see it sold for a range of umbrella sizes. One best-seller fits 7.5 to 11.5 ft umbrellas, another 9 to 12 ft. That single cover is meant for every umbrella in the range. Too loose, and the sleeve hangs off the canopy with a gap at the hem for rain and leaves to find. Too tight, and the zipper won’t close, or the sleeve creeps upward and quits halfway. That is what the photo shows. The cover was sold to fit 12 to 14 ft umbrellas. On its owner’s 13 ft cantilever umbrella it stops short, with the bottom of the canopy hanging out underneath. What Does a Patio Umbrella Cover Protect Against? A patio umbrella left closed and uncovered spends most of the year outside, where damp, sun, bird droppings and dirt work into the folds of the canopy. Damp Trapped in the Folds Rain soaks into a closed canopy and has nowhere to go. Damp fabric rolled up tight is where mold starts, as black spots and a musty smell. Sun on the Outer Folds UV bleaches whatever faces outward while the umbrella is closed. Open it in June and the color comes out in stripes. Water-Repellency Worn Away Sun and rain strip the canopy’s water-repellent finish over a few seasons, until a passing shower darkens the fabric instead of beading on it. Birds on the Peak Birds perch on the peak and along the ribs. Whatever they leave stains the fabric if it sits there. Corrosion on the Frame Water runs down inside the closed canopy to the hub, the runner and the rib joints. Wherever a scratch has opened the coating, the metal corrodes. Grime Ground In Dust, pollen and bits of leaf collect in the folds, then grind into the fabric every time the canopy opens. Which Umbrella Do You Have? Which Umbrella Do You Have? Patio umbrellas come in two designs, market and cantilever, and each is measured differently. The measuring guide on this page shows where to take each measurement for yours. Standard Umbrella The market umbrella, with its pole in the center. The canopy sits on top of the pole and folds down around it, in a weighted base or through a table. Measure across the peak, across the bottom of the closed canopy, and from the peak down to the point on the pole where the cover should finish. Cantilever Umbrella The cantilever, or offset, umbrella. The canopy hangs from an arm off a side mast, which keeps the space beneath it clear. Measure how wide the closed canopy is at its lowest point, how tall it is, and how far the peak sits from the mast. What Happens to an Uncovered Patio Umbrella? Real photos of patio umbrellas left closed and uncovered for a few seasons. Nest in the Folds Sun-Bleached Canopy Rust Streaks Mold in the Folds Mildew Underneath Rusted Hub How Is This Umbrella Cover Different? 01 Made to Your Three Measurements The width at the hem, the width at the peak and the height (or the mast-to-peak distance on a cantilever) set the cover’s whole outline. So it reaches past the rib tips instead of stopping short like a one-size cover. Nothing gets cut until you sign off its scaled design. See how the design service works. 02 Sealed Seams, Peak to Hem Rain runs straight down a closed patio umbrella, along every seam in the cover. HydroLok® seam sealing goes over the stitching on the inner face of every seam, so rain running down the cover can’t get in through the needle holes. NylonSafe® is a premium waterproof fabric for home and light commercial use. PVCArmour® is heavy-duty, for exposed sites and commercial use. Compare the two fabrics. 03 Fastened at the Pole A zipper runs the cover’s full length, peak to hem. It opens wide to go around the closed canopy, then zips shut once it’s on. The standard tie-down is a drawstring in the hem, pulled snug around the pole below the canopy. Where the umbrella is exposed, on a lawn or a rooftop, choose snap buckles that clip around the pole instead, or eyelets to tie it to a railing. 04 Vents Where the Damp Collects A closed canopy holds damp in its folds for days. High vents near the peak let it escape before mold takes hold. Use the EZ handles in those vents to lift the cover on and off. UV stabilizers in the fabric stop the sun breaking it down, and while the umbrella is up and open, the cover folds down into the duffel bag included with it. See all the built-in features. When Do You Need a Custom Umbrella Cover? Not every patio umbrella needs one. The real question is whether yours stays out over winter. Focused on Longevity This cover is right for you if: Your umbrella is set in a ground anchor, bolted to the deck or too heavy to move, and never gets taken in It is a cantilever or a large market umbrella, and you would rather not be buying a new canopy in two years You run a restaurant patio with several umbrellas, and replacing faded, grimy or damaged canopies every couple of seasons adds up Focused on Immediacy You don't need this if: It is a small table umbrella you fold up and bring indoors after each use It came free with a patio set that you plan to replace in a couple of years It already spends October to April in a garage