Has that question caught you unawares? If you are like some people the answer is probably going to be a yes. The problem is that garden parasols don’t come in a standard diameter – and this is precisely what trips people up.
When you are thinking about buying a parasol you need to be practical before anything else. Some people start by thinking about the material they want their parasol to be made from, or the colour they want the canopy to be. But this is not the best way to do things. In fact, the best way to do it is to start with the practical decisions. Then you can figure out which options you have within that area.
So where should we start?
Well if we are thinking about the diameter of the parasol, we need to think about the area it is going to be used in. Most people will have some kind of patio area that their garden table and chairs are going to be used in. By default then, your garden parasol is going to have to fit into that area.
Some parasols are designed to be opened up either fully or slightly less than that. If your parasol has a metal pin that goes through the centre pole, you should find that there are several positions the parasol can be positioned in. As such you can expect the diameter of the canopy to change slightly depending on where that pin is.
So, you need to measure the width of the area you are going to be using the parasol in. If it measures two and a half metres then that is going to be the absolute maximum your parasol can be. Ideally it should be a bit less, otherwise you will end up having it squeezed in and touching the wall on either side. And that doesn’t look too good.
You could of course decide to have the parasol at a lower position so this doesn’t happen. But again you will end up not being able to use it at its maximum position. Is that going to be the best method to have?
You may also want to use your garden parasol in more than one place in the garden on occasion. If this is the case, make sure you measure up in each area if it could present a problem.
Finally, don’t forget that there are other types of garden parasols available as well. For example, a wall mounted parasol needs to expand out from the position you fix it in. You have no other choice but to do this, so make sure you think about the consequences of getting a specific size parasol to fix in a specific position. You want to get the most out of it so be sure you consider where you are going to put it and what the maximum diameter is that will be useful for you.
Once you have done your homework, you should end up with the biggest parasol you can have for the area available.