How to make sturdy umbrella stands for under $15

In this tutorial I will show you how to make sturdy umbrella stands for under $15.

We recently added a pool and deck to our home and added some tables with chairs along with umbrellas to the mix. My concern was the wind, and also what if I wanted to move an umbrella to provide a little shade when I am laying out on the day. A little shade to cover my face for instance.

So I needed something to hold the umbrella and I didn't want to spend $80 on an umbrella holder. I like to MAKE things and I wanted to see if I could get by cheaper.

What you will need.

1. A Pot ( like a flower pot) You can get these at any Lawn and Garden or hardware store, even Wal-Mart. I have seen some for as little as $5 that are plastic.

2. Some PVC pipe. I had some lying around, but you can get a 10' piece for around $4 at your local hardware store. I used 1-1/2 inch pipe

3. A bag of quickcrete. I bought an 80 pound bag that did both of my pots equally. The bag was only $5 at the local hardware store.

4. A hacksaw or other cutting device to cut the pvc pipe with

5. Wheelbarrow or something to mix the concrete in.

6. A Hoe or other garden tool to mix the concrete.

Now lets begin.

Step 1 Cut your pipes

I had two pots around the house and I cleaned them out and put my pipe in the pot and marked where I wanted to cut with a marker. For me it was about an inch over the top of the pot.

I used a hacksaw, but you can use anything that will cut the PVC pipe to the length you specified for yourself.

I positioned it in the center and then used painters tape to hold it in place so that I could pour the concrete in the pot around the pipe.

Comments

[mlcorson]

Great idea! I do see a problem trapping water after it rains. Possible mosquito breeding issue. Maybe crowning the concrete pour over the top of the pot to keep the water from accumulating within the top space?

[digeratimvp]

I inserted a step that now has the drainage holes. It did rain quite a bit the other day and umbrella or not, it filled them up.

[digeratimvp]

Possible, but remember there is an umbrella atop of all this.

[jhines0042]

I wonder if you were to get a "pot with a hole in the bottom" variety and fill the concrete to the level of the pvc pipe (which would be lower than the top of the pot) if you couldn't avoid the water issue when the umbrella is down. Of course you've have to be careful to not have the concrete ooze out the hole... maybe glue the pvc to the bottom first? Great idea, BTW!

[digeratimvp]

My pots have a hole in the bottom about the size of a nickel. Any water that goes into the pvc pipe will run out of that hole. If I didn't run out of concrete I would have it meet the lip of the pot and all would be well. I will have to see how it goes. I could get more concrete and top it off and add more marbles...I guess.

[jhines0042]

Just one more thought (cause I'd hate for you to ruin your awesome existing marbles)... drill a couple of small holes in the pvc right where it meets the concrete. Water will drain in the side of the PVC and out the bottom. Again, nice work!

[digeratimvp]

I inserted a step that now has the drainage holes. It did rain quite a bit the other day and umbrella or not, it filled them up.

[digeratimvp]

That's genius !!! Don't know why I didn't think of that. Will do and I will update the post

[mlcorson]

Not so fast pilgrim...that will only work if you shaped the concrete to slope toward the center. A great idea if you do that in the first place.

[j0shu4]

The glass stones are a nice touch man. All in all a neat idea. Looks like the pot was just small enough to fit between the legs of your tables. Good thinking!