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Preserving your Garden Furniture

Laura Ashley Garden Furniture

Featured Article

Wooden Garden Parasols

OK, the sun is shining and there is not a cloud in the sky. Perhaps, though, you want some shade - a parasol - for your garden. This article looks at some of the options of wooden parasol available. A full range of parasols is available from Garden Furniture Scotland. Other articles in this series cover Cantilever Parasols, Aluminium Parasols, and Parasol Bases.

The first obvious question is what you want the parasol for? If it is to complement a set of garden furniture, you need to ask whether there a hole in the middle of the table. It is useful to measure the hole in the table to ensure the diameter of pole of the parasol will fit. It should be noted that the hole in tables for parasols are generally 51mm, although there are variations to this.

Amazingly, parasols stems have an industry standard and most (though, of course not all) are either 38mm or 48mm in diameter. If there is a hole in the centre of your table, then you are best to choose a through the table parasol. The most popular parasol is the central pole parasol which doesn't stand on its own but is most commonly placed through the centre of the table.

Most through the table parasols are wooden. Wood stemmed parasols are very common because often they are the cheapest and are available in a wide range of colours, shapes and sizes. The stems often come in two parts, the top part with canopy and lower pole bottom part. Most domestic parasols come this way as they can be packed in smaller boxes, halving the distribution costs and lowering the price you will pay. Usually there is a screw threaded middle section for connecting the two parts, and it is very rare that this part causes problems.

The cheaper wood parasols generally use common Far East hardwoods such as Nyatoh, Keruing or Eucalyptus. More expensive wooden parasols are much more durable and made from teak.

Most wood stemmed parasols have a pulley system to open and close the parasol - cheaper ones will have a pulley located on one side of the stem. However, better ones will often have a dual pulley, one each side of the stem, which places less stress on the mechanism and balances the load.

Some wood stem parasols have a crank handle mechanism. Though many people prefer a wooden stem but like the ease of the crank handle, they might be tempted to by this combination. However, this is not a good idea. To put a crank mechanism in, means the central core of the wood is removed to insert the crank wire. This reduces the strength of the stem.

A compromise is sometimes seen in which the crank wire is placed in a groove on the side of the stem, but this is unsightly. Sometimes wooden parasols have a tilt mechanism, using a brass or metal tile mechanism. This does cause a weakness in the stem as the wood is attached to this metal tilt fitting twice over a short distance in the main stem.

Smaller and cheaper parasols will have 6 ribs emanating from the central hub. Larger parasols will 8 or 10 ribs. The canopy is placed on top of the ribs and attached at the end of each rib by stitching or a pocket. Some pockets are leather, for extra durability. Other pockets are zipped to allow the canopy to be removed.

A canopy for a parasol can be any colour and texture imaginable. The most common material used is Polyester, which is usually treated with a water repellence agent, so water runs off, not through the parasol.

They should also be treated to reduce fading in ultraviolet light (sunlight). Some colours show fading more than others, such as red and black, compared to natural or cream, of course, so take this into account when choosing your colour.

Cheaper quality parasols may use cotton as a canopy material, but this will be a short lived affair. At the high price end of the market, heavier weight Polyester is used, measured as grams per square metre. There are branded fabrics such as "Sunbrella" which are used for its renowned quality.

Most parasols have what is called a wind vent, which allow wind to blow through the top of the parasol and reduce stress to the frame. Lower quality parasols without this are more likely to break in the wind. Ensure the parasol you choose has a wind vent.

As can be seen, there is a real variety in the types and quality of parasol available on the market. Think carefully about the parasol pulley system or crank system. Consider the material used for the canopy and ensure it is showerproof and UV stable. Our experts have also written articles on Aluminium Parasols, Cantilever Parasols and Parasol Bases. Look for more information from Garden Furniture Scotland or from our sister site, Garden Furniture England.