Best Patio Umbrella Fabric For a Long Lasting Umbrella

A high-quality patio umbrella or cantilever umbrella can be a wonderful accent in a patio or garden space. An umbrella can bring a great deal of color and style to a backyard area. However, many patio umbrellas are made of inferior fabrics and are not treated against harsh UV rays, water, salt, and the elements. They quickly break down or fade to the point of being an eyesore. What is the best patio umbrella fabric to buy? In this article, we will look at several common patio umbrella fabrics and consider which ones are right for your needs and budget. Of course, in some areas, such as the Arizona Desert, virtually any outdoor fabric will deteriorate eventually if left out in the sun. The question is, which patio umbrella fabric will last the longest and look the best?

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If you are looking for general information on outdoor fabrics, you may want to take a look at our guide to common outdoor fabrics here.

What is Umbrella Fabric Called?

The fabric that covers an umbrella frame is usually referred to as the patio umbrella canvas or patio umbrella canopy. These fabric canopies have rib pockets sewn into the underside of the fabric. They attach to the frame by inserting the umbrella frame ribs into the fabric pockets.

Common Types of Patio Umbrella Material

There are several common types of outdoor fabric used for umbrellas, of varying quality and durability. If you are looking to simply replace the faded fabric on an existing umbrella, see our how-to guide on replacing an umbrella canopy here.

Acrylic: The Best Umbrella Canopy Material

Acrylic is high-quality outdoor fabric, and is the type of material used by the Sunbrella brand. Sunbrella is the most well known, and probably the best, outdoor fabric available. Fabric like Sunbrella is solution-dyed acrylic. This means that the color is part of the fabric itself, and is not a dye on the top of the fibers. This type of system results in an extremely durable, fade resistant fabric. Sunbrella can be a little bit scratchy to the touch, but that is more of an issue for couch cushions, pillows, etc., and not so much for umbrellas. You’re not often touching your umbrella fabric! Acrylic, in our opinion, is the best material for umbrella canopies. Other common brands of Acrylic fabric are Outdura and Spuncrylic. Both of these brands use similar methods to Sunbrella to create their fabric, and quality is in the range of Sunbrella, but perhaps not as high. And they don’t have the Sunbrella brand name, reputation, and warranty.

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Olefin

Olefin fabrics are synthetic fabrics made from polyester and are durable and water-resistant. Olefin fabric is commonly used in carpeting, and in vehicle construction (think the carpeting in a car). It is designed to be durable and to handle mud, water, snow, and the like. Olefin tends to be quite mildew-resistant, which is helpful if you’re in an area that gets lots of rain. It is also fairly color-fast, and UV-resistant. Olefin canopy fabric manufacturers tend not to have name brands, but rather advertise the fabric type as their brand. Olefin is a high-quality fabric, but perhaps not as good as solution dyed acrylic.

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Polyester

Polyester is also an excellent patio umbrella fabric choice. This fabric tends to be cheaper than other types of fabrics and is often quite quick to dry. Various manufacturing processes that affect the quality of the polyester. One type of polyester that is commonly featured on higher end patio umbrellas is spun polyester. Spun Polyester is the best type of polyester typically found on outdoor umbrella canvases. The fabric bits are spun together and result in a fabric that looks and feels like cotton, but with the durability of polyester. These tend to be the most expensive polyester fabrics, and are quite colorfast and durable. Usually, polyester found in umbrella canopy fabrics has been treated for UV protection, which will slow fading due to sun exposure. However, buyers should keep an eye out to confirm that their fabric is in fact UV protected, or purchase a UV spray themselves.

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Umbrella Fabric Durability

Many umbrella manufacturers list some details of their fabric durability on their product listings. This information can help give a sense of the quality of the fabric, and how it will hold up in the long run. One of the best ways to preserve and protect an umbrella is to get a high-quality umbrella cover and use it when the umbrella closed. A cover will keep the sun, rain, and snow off of the umbrella, and keep it going strong for years to come. A few fabric qualities that are commonly advertised are:

Material Thickness

Typically material thickness is graded by weight. Thicker, heavier fabric is rated as having a greater number of grams of weight. Common weights for umbrella fabrics are 180g and 250g. Obviously, there are diminishing returns to weight. The heavier the weight of a fabric, the more the umbrella frame needs to work to hold the fabric up. But the heavier the fabric, the better the UV protection, water resistance, etc.

UV Protection

You will commonly see canopy fabric listed as UV-Protected. UV protection helps keep the umbrella fabric from getting damaged by the sun, which is obviously helpful! Sunbrella, for example, is commonly 98% UV-resistant. Lesser fabrics have lower resistances. If your umbrella canopy is not UV-treated, you can still spray a UV treatment on the canvas to improve the durability of the canopy. For example, this Ray Bloc UV Fabric Protector can be sprayed on almost any fabric to improve the UV protection. It is relatively inexpensive and will increase the life of your umbrella canopy. It is definitely worth doing every year or so to keep your fabric going as long as possible.

Color-Fastness Level

Color-fastness is the resistance rating of fabric to fading. Often ranked in certification (e.g. SGS certified fabric) or with a Fade Resistance Level such as ESL Grade 4 (European Standard Level). This number identifies the number of hours a fabric is rated for outdoor color-fastness.

Water Resistance and Waterproof Umbrellas

When it comes to hand-held umbrellas, people want these umbrellas to be waterproof. After all, they are explicitly using them as shelter from the rain when they need to be out in rainy conditions. Often these umbrellas are made in a single sheet of material and are waterproof. Patio umbrellas are different. Most people want their umbrellas to be water-resistant, but not waterproof. If a storm is really coming down, people tend to go inside rather than shelter under the patio umbrella. Also, if there’s heavy rain, it’s probably windy as well. In windy conditions, it’s best to close patio umbrellas and cantilever umbrellas. A flying or falling patio umbrella can cause significant damage, unlike a hand-held umbrella. If you prefer to keep your umbrella open in somewhat windy times, be sure you get an umbrella with fiberglass ribs. Many patio umbrellas are treated with UV sprays to inhibit water from dripping through the umbrella.

Umbrella Waterproofing Spray

If you’ve had your umbrella for more than 1 year, you may want to give it a little love and spray a new bit of waterproofing UV treatment onto the canopy. These sprays will only do so much good, and won’t make a patio umbrella completely impervious. But the treatment will likely help with mild to medium rain. The Scotchgard Water and Sun Shield is a good option, and you’ll want at least 2 cans to fully treat a patio umbrella 10’ in diameter.

How to Clean Patio Umbrella Fabrics

Most patio umbrella fabrics can be cleaned pretty easily. Be sure to check your individual umbrella for cleaning instructions, but for most materials, you want to follow these steps:

1. Fold down the umbrella so that all parts of the canopy can be reached
2. Brush off any easily-removed debris with a soft-bristle brush
3. Spray the canopy with a mix of 1/2 mild soap and 1/2 warm water
4. Use the soft-bristle brush to attack any persnickety dirty spots
5. Open the canopy and brush any spots on the underside
6. Close the canopy once again
7. Hose off the umbrella canopy until all soap is removed
8. Open the canopy and let it dry in the sun

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Best Patio Umbrella Fabric

Ultimately, it’s hard to escape the pull of Sunbrella brand fabric as the best fabric for umbrella canopies. It is the most well-known name in outdoor fabrics, and for good reason. The quality of these acrylic fabrics is outstanding, and several delightful colors are available. It is truly the best material for patio umbrella use. Read this article if you would like to take a look at patio umbrellas with Sunbrella fabric. If you’re considering a cantilever umbrella, take a look at these Sunbrella cantilever umbrellas. There are plenty of other great umbrella fabrics, but Sunbrella has:

• A great warranty
• The best name in the business
• Years of brand reputation behind them
• A great color and pattern selection

Sunbrella isn’t the only fabric to consider, but it’s likely the best patio umbrella fabric for most buyers. Unfortunately, it’s not cheap!

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