Before:
And....VIOLA! (after, obviously)
Break down of all the layers:
Cutting the PVC and mixing the concrete will require additional items. When you go to buy these items at your local store ask someone to show you the tool options for cutting PVC and you can pick the one that is right for your budget and general use. Also, we can't remember the type of concrete we used but it was a standard pre-mix variety from Home Depot.
Umbrella Stands
Decide on how many umbrella stands you want to make. For each stand you will need:
1) Large Golf Umbrella - make sure the handle is NOT the hook type.
2) PVC pipe 3" diameter (This is going to be the long pipe that gives the umbrella height)
3) PVC Pipe 2.5" diameter (This is going to be about one-third the length of the 3" diameter pipe)
4) 5 gallon bucket
5) Concrete mix
To decorate the stand you'll need:
1) Lengths of fabric to cover the poles
2) Spray paint (for the umbrella and for the lanterns (optional)
3) Lanterns - 3 per umbrella. I used the
Ikea ones .
4) Foam poster board - 1 per umbrella. These are used to hide the stretchers (see pic below).
5) Glitter glue tubes, Arcrylic paints, or whatever you want to use to jazz up the foam board.
6) Tape
7) Fishing line
8) Safety Pins
These umbrella stands have the basic anatomy of any standard patio umbrella and stand.
Here is the anatomy of an umbrella:
Let's say I want to make one umbrella stand, with a finished height of six feet.
1) Open your umbrella and measure the distance from the top of the ferrule to the runner. Also measure the distance from the runner to the end of the handle. Note both measurements.
2) The 2.5" diameter PVC pipe needs to be about 1/3 the total height of the umbrella. If I want my total height to be 6', I would cut the 2.5" diameter pipe to a length of 24".
3) Get your 5 gallon bucket, 2" diameter pipe, and concrete mix. Carefully read the directions on the concrete mix and prepare it.
4) Have someone hold the bucket in place, have another person firmly hold the 2" diameter PVC pipe in the center of the bucket. Have a third person pour in the concrete. Hold the pipe in place until the concrete sets enough to let it go. Let it fully dry. Use a dolly to move the bucket one it's dry - these can get heavy, safety first! The reason you don't affix a 6' pole into the concrete bucket is to make them more portable.
5) Once the concrete is dry follow this formula to find the length of your 3" diameter pole. Then cut it to that length.
72" - x" - y" = length (of 3" diameter pole) in inches
where
x = distance (in inches) from the bottom of the bucket to top of dried concrete
y = distance from the top of the ferrule to the runner
Lets say x = 20" and y = 18 " --> 72" - 20" - 18" = 34". My 3" diameter PVC pipe will need to be 34" long. If you don't need your stands to be an exact height measure everything first and then adjust to make the most of your materials.
While the concrete dries:
1) Spray paint your umbrella. Inside, outside, underneath - everything above the runner. You don't need to spray paint the pole because it's going to get covered up.
2) Spray paint your lanterns (optional). The ikea lanterns are all silver and I wanted a more regal look. Each of my umbrella stands got one silver lantern, one bronze lantern and one gold lantern. You can hang anything from the umbrella as long as it's not too heavy. We chose the lanterns because we had enough of them laying around the house from another event.
 |
| Inside the umbrella. |
3) Make the foam board circle to side the umbrella stretchers. Here is how:
- Hang the lanterns as far out as possible on the umbrellas
- Measure the diameter of the stretchers and draw a circle with that diameter onto your foam board. Try to find something circular around the house that has the diameter you need. My mom happened to have an extra-large stainless steel mixing bowl that worked well for us.
- In the center of the foam board cut a hole just barely large enough for the handle of the umbrella to squeeze through. The smaller you can make it the better.
- Decide on a front side and a back side. Decorate the front as you please. We used purple glitter glue to make simple designs on the foam board. All of our foam boards had identical designs.
4) Cut your fabric long enough to cover the PVC pole and bucket. We used two types of fabric to cover the poles. The base was either a fuchsia or turquoise satin and we used a fuchsia or turquoise net that had a gold accent as the overlay. To make the most of our fabric, we cut our 60" wide fabrics in half. In the above and left pictures only the net is on the pole but in the finished product picture you'll see both the fabrics.
Now you have everything you need and you just have to assemble it!
1. Place your bucket in its place
2. Slide the 3" diameter pole onto the 2.5" diameter pole.
3. Place the foam board (with the design down) on the pole.
4. Slide the umbrella through the foam board into the PVC pipe.
5. Tuck 6" of your fabric into the Pipe
6. Pin the fabric closed so it doesn't gape.
7. Hang the lanterns on the stretchers with fish line. Balance them around the umbrella so they are stable.
And the tent is complete! Sit back on one of the thrones and admire your completed work!
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