THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 21, 1996 TAG: 9607190072
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 54 lines
IF YOU WANT your patio to be made in the shade, you'll need an umbrella. Sound simple?
Just as patio furniture has expanded to include more than the traditional table and chairs, umbrellas come in every size, fabric, color and shape you can imagine.
Garden umbrellas, which usually open and close via a crank with push-button tilt, are generally 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 feet in diameter. Generally those are the kind that match your table and chairs. Extremely popular today, says Cherry Durand of McBroom Great Atlantic, is the market umbrella, so named for the kind that provide shade to the vendors in European outdoor markets and are operated via pulley.
``They're more for looks, but they give you some shade,'' Durand says. The classy market umbrella, she says, often makes a statement all by itself, and customers often mix and match rather than select the same colors as their set.
Many umbrellas tilt. ``When that sun is coming in at an angle, you'll be glad to have one,'' Durand says.
While most umbrellas are designed for sun protection, some that are mesh are merely decorative. For ultimate shade, look for umbrellas with the tightest weave.
Never depend on an umbrella for rain protection. In addition to filtering sun, they are meant to complete the look of your patio.
McDonald Garden Center carries the Zip Jack umbrella, which doesn't tilt. The frame is a one-piece construction, more stable than many of the two-piece options. ``If you tilt something that heavy, you worry about it,'' says saleswoman Phyllis Whitehead.
The key to making any umbrella work is the base. Market umbrellas generally require a 90- to 100-pound base that is filled with sand or water. A wire-frame umbrella generally requires a 35- to 50-pound base. Kettler International in Virginia Beach also offers a rolling base, an option to having your umbrella anchored in the center of the table.
``You want to make sure you have a heavy enough base where it's weighted down,'' says Debbie Gordon, national sales manager at Kettler. ``If not, it can blow your whole table over.''
Another reminder: ``When you're not home, leave the umbrellas down, so the wind doesn't get to them,'' Gordon says. And leave them closed overnight as well.
An umbrella requires the same care as cushions. If it gets wet, open it and let it air out. It may have a removable canvas or acrylic top that can be machine washed, but do not put it in the dryer or iron it. Allow it to dry on its frame. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
GARY C. KNAPP
Sam Coakley has market umbrellas from McBroom Great Atlantic at her
Virginia Beach home. The popular style is named for those that shade
vendors in European outdoor markets. by CNB