Light coloured garden parasols

We have a light coloured one, it does shade well. I think you have to go for a good quality thick material.

You can buy them with UV filter in lots of colours.

Oh, good points, thanks

We had a navy fairly expensive one and it discoloured the very first summer. We’ll get a lighter shade when we renew it.

Our dark green one faded badly. Current one is a sort of light coffee colour. We’ve had it for probably five years, it shades very well and hasn’t discoloured at all.

Thanks - yes, was looking at light coffee / cream coloured ones

Without wishing to be accused of "showing off" again on GN, I am a bit of an expert on this as we used to buy 10 or so new parasols each year! I liked to have different plain colours to give an individual feel to each area they were put in. In terms of fading, the blue and red ones were the worst, green not so bad. The beige/cream ones obviously didn't fade at all. I like them best and always think of tropical beaches.
As J52 says, in terms of sun protection it is the quality and thickness of the canvas or cotton that really matters. It's a bit like thread counts on sheets.
Polyester is not a good insulator and the parasols can get very hot when it is warm. Strangely they also get very cold too! When you feel the fabrics check also that too much teflon coating hasn't been applied because it isn't breathable and this can lead to condensation building up inside. This can cause mould. Always put the parasols down after use each night, except if it has rained and they are wet.
I also used to stitch my own awning for the gazebo and used a wide stripe material in dark green and cream which worked really well for shade.

Thanks Joseanne very useful information. We used to buy cheap parasols then we decided to spend a bit more, hoping it would last longer, which it has apart from the faded canvas.

(Sorry I didn't mean to sound grumpy with the poster who accused me of "showing off" as she was only joking. It was when another piled in after and really meant it).

Thanks for the info, Joseanne. You must have a huge garden?!
There’s more to this parasol lark than I thought!

Polly73

Thanks for the info, Joseanne. You must have a huge garden?!
There’s more to this parasol lark than I thought!

The property we owned in France had four individual cottages and a large pool! We replaced things when they started to look tatty. We ended up with all the worn out stuff ourselve.. Lots of scratched frying pans and mismatched glasses, along with faded parasols in our own house!!

We have a yellow one - it’s lovely, and gives perfect shade.

We had job to find one that wasn’t black or grey - I really hate those colours in the garden.

Where can I buy a replacement ‘lid’? The pole and spokes are fine but the rest has disintegrated. I tried eBay but that simply didn’t fit!

We got a replacement fabric from IKEA which comes off and can be washed (when we forget to bring it in and it goes mouldy.

Buying from new I would recommend a pulley type - we find them easier to erect if you have a largish table.

Witzend

We have a yellow one - it’s lovely, and gives perfect shade.

We had job to find one that wasn’t black or grey - I really hate those colours in the garden.

just a quick question Witzend - does the yellow one attract insects? I remember a camping disaster in a yellow tent once...!

We have a large dark green one that does the job well and also a small orange one that also works well though the shade isn't as deep.

I've never bought a replacement "lid" but I did make a sort of tent affair with old sheets on an old wooden frame for the dog to lie under. Six panels sewn together with a circular hole at the top. And pockets for the end of the spokes to sit!
The trouble is your replacement lid would have to be identical in size to the original if you know what make it was.

I'm no physicist but if we look at the spectrum, the colours in the middle might be the ones to consider choosing. It might be to do with reflection or refraction of sunlight, but I've no idea which is which.

Mine are a nice lime green and look good against the plants. They have a handle on the pole to wind them up and down, which I would recommend.
They have concrete bases which I can (just about!) move around as required.

We have a light coloured 1, I would call it beige. It gives perfect shade.... ?

Many thanks for all your help and advice. I have ordered a cream one, with tilt mechanism.

Beige is probably best - as it won't show bleaching from the sun.

Be careful when buying a replacement 'umbrella' as some have six spoke holders and some eight. Do be sure to check that you are buying the correct one.

We have a cantilevered base, currently without an umbrella as we need to source one with the correct fitting.

We bought a new umbrella on a pole and base from Ikea a month ago and are very pleased with it. The only problem is that it is extremely tall and although it is possible to lower the umbrella sideways when the sun lowers, it is difficult for me to reach and I am fairly tall.

Do your research on umbrella carefully as the reviews of some companies are dire.