FACTORS YOU MUST CONSIDER BEFORE BUYING A COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR UMBRELLA

If you own a business such as a restaurant or a café that serves customers outdoors, then you might need some kind of outdoor shade to protect your customers from a variety of weather conditions. After all, you don’t want your potential customers to turn away from your place just because it’s too hot or starts pouring. This is the reason why you need to buy a commercial market umbrella.

There are plenty of commercial umbrellas that are available in the market. But you might get confused between buying a rectangular cantilever umbrella or a round cantilever umbrella and a commercial pool umbrella or a café umbrella. But we are here to help you choose the best commercial umbrella. In this guide, we will tell you about a variety of important factors to consider before purchasing the best umbrella for your business.

Types of commercial umbrellas

• Cantilever umbrellas: Cantilever umbrellas are extremely popular when it comes to choosing market umbrellas. They are flexible and adjustable and can be extended outward or retracted as and when needed. These umbrellas come with a number of functions that allow 360° rotation, tilt and height adjustment of the canopy. This becomes crucial if you have non-removable furniture below the umbrella.

• Patio or centre post umbrellas: Patio umbrellas are one of the most common options when choosing your market umbrella. These are the traditional type of umbrellas and have one centred pole holding up the canopy. They are a great choice for stationary setups, and for side walls. Generally, this is used for seating arrangements where you have an umbrella at the centre of a table.

Crucial factors for choosing commercial umbrellas 

• Protection from UV rays: The primary function of an umbrella is to protect your guests from the sun’s harmful rays or UV rays. Umbrellas that are not made for commercial purposes can allow UV rays to pass through the canopy making their purpose moot. So we recommend an umbrella that has a thick and high UV-resistant canopy fabric. 

• Size: Choosing the right size for your commercial umbrella is important to providing the right amount of shade. The best way to gauge the right size is to get an accurate measurement of the area where you want to install your umbrella. Generally, you can choose between square, round or rectangular cantilever umbrellas depending on the space you have at your commercial enterprise. 

• Durability: The durability factor is important when choosing the best market umbrella. While you might feel that you don’t need to spend much on an umbrella and can make do with a cheaper umbrella, this can cause problems in the long run. Umbrellas that come cheap might not be made with the best materials. As a result, they might not hold up against mother nature’s elements like rain or wind. So you need to choose an umbrella that is wind resistant and waterproof. These umbrellas are generally durable and will be worth your money.

• Material: An outdoor market umbrella will be exposed to all types of weather conditions. So you would want to ensure that the café umbrella you buy has a strong rust-resistant pole in order to keep its beauty and also prevent any issues in functionality. The fabric of the umbrella’s canopy can mean the difference between repelling water and leaking water onto dinner guests. Popular choices for fabrics are acrylic, olefin, Spanish recasens, Italian para tempotest, PVC vinyl, and polyester.

Apart from the fabric, you must also consider the frame of an umbrella. For example, your commercial pool umbrella will be exposed to moist conditions because it will obviously be placed beside a pool. So you need to buy umbrellas that have corrosion-resistant and rust-resistant frames. The best choices in the materials for frames are aluminium, stainless steel or fibregrlass. We would advise you not to buy wooden-framed umbrellas because wood tends to snap easily under high winds. 

• Bases: It might become a major cause of embarrassment for you or your business enterprise if your commercial market umbrella gets swept off course if a gust of wind strikes at just the right angle. So you must buy umbrellas with a broad and heavy base so that it keeps your umbrellas upright. At times, it is advisable to purchase additional weights like sandbags, metal plates or water weights so that you can stabilise your umbrella in a better way.

• Additional features: Different commercial market umbrellas will have varied features. But some key aspects you may want to look out for include:

• Ease of construction

• Ease of canopy opening

• Vent

Conclusion