From tanning ledges to swim-up bars, adding style and shade to your pool & spa
Swimming pools and patio umbrellas make great backyard companions.
When you see one, you often find the other. After all, when the temperature soars, having a spot for retreating from the beating sun makes outdoor living more comfortable.
In recent years, the pool-umbrella connection has become stronger than ever. Homeowners want one inside the pool itself to provide inviting areas with both shade and water.
Pool builders are making it easier and more seamless to make this happen.
Even better: When part of the construction process of a new pool or major pool remodel, incorporating a pole for a market umbrella is not difficult or expensive.
However, it does require inclusion during the design stage. Add this feature to your hitlist of items for discussion with your designer.
The path to unity between pool and umbrella lies in a sleeve for an umbrella pole.
This tube-like structure—typically made of brass or stainless steel for corrosion resistance —is added when the pool is under construction. Plastic is typically used when the project is a renovation,
A built-in, hidden sleeve allows you to easily add or remove an umbrella whenever you like.
The exact manner of installation depends on where inside the pool or around it the sleeve will go.
Your contractor may add this pocket when gunite is applied to the pool shell, when concrete is poured for a deck, or when coping goes in around the pool perimeter.
This slim socket will extend about eight inches down into the gunite or concrete or through the stone and ground structure. This depth provides a secure, hidden base to anchor the pole in place.
Note: Gunite pools allow for immense versatility in adding features such as an umbrella sleeve. But if you are installing a prefabricated fiberglass pool or a vinyl liner pool, you may be out of luck.
You have several choices inside the pool or along its perimeter where an umbrella sleeve can go.
Given its affordability, some pool buyers request a sleeve in two or even three locations in and around the pool. Having several accommodations for a sleeve provides added flexibility for increasing shade in your aquatic retreat.
One factor driving this umbrella migration from dry land into the water is the increased popularity of tanning ledges in pools. Hands down, this feature is the top pick for housing a pole sleeve.
Also called a sun shelf or Baja bench, a tanning ledge is the familiar shallow platform you see in a majority of today’s new pools.
Like any exposed patio area where you lounge, lying on a tanning ledge can become uncomfortable in the summer heat.
Now, you could purchase an outdoor umbrella with a heavy, waterproof base to sit on the tanning ledge. However, it certainly won’t be pretty, and the base will eat up precious space on the ledge.
Instead, an umbrella that’s incorporated directly into the ledge offers a stylish, supremely functional solution.
When a socket for a pole is in the pool plan, your builder will embed it into the ledge’s surface and down into the gunite structure below.
When the umbrella is not in use, the sleeve remains flush with the ledge, maintaining a clean and minimalist look.
For these times when the umbrella is absent, many sleeves come fitted with a center cap to cover the opening.
Another option for making the pool/umbrella connection is accommodating the sleeve in a strategic location along the pool’s edge in the perimeter coping.
The idea here is to have the umbrella over a spot—besides the tanning ledge—where swimmers stay put for an extended amount of time. Often, the winning location is adjacent to a pool bench/loveseat or the spa.
Swimmers tend to hang out on a pool bench or loveseats, as well as an elongated bench called an extended second step.
However, unlike a shallow tanning ledge, these structures are 18 inches deep; in addition, they lack the same square footage of a tanning ledge.
Therefore, making a home for an umbrella pole is not practical. Instead, the tactic is to house the sleeve nearby, but outside of the water.
The receptacle for a pole can go in the coping or edge of pool decking, When the umbrella is inserted, the canopy will jut out over the feature inside the pool.
When it comes to gunite spas, this amenity is designed for soothing leisure and massage in heated water with pulsating jets.
You may enjoy a long soak in one. But during this relaxation period, you may have zero interest in your exposed face and chest frying in the hot sun.
Enter a patio umbrella.
Here again, if there is room next to the spa and you don’t care about aesthetics, you could place a freestanding umbrella with a heavy, clunky base there.
But with a pre-installed pole sleeve in the spa coping or deck around the spa, desirable shade will be at hand—but in an attractive, space-efficient manner.
In-pool swim-up tables have increased in popularity as homeowners look for ways to increase the social aspect of their pools.
However, without shade, sitting at one could be a formula for a nasty sunburn.
That's why—just as umbrellas are a natural fit with bars and tables on dry land—they also pair perfectly with in-pool features that invite swimmers to socialize and enjoy libations.
For an in-pool dining table, the umbrella sleeve goes in the center.
Some tabletops come factory-made with a hole in the center. Others are formed with poured concrete during pool construction, and a sleeve is created then. For a tabletop made from a natural stone slab, the hole will be drilled.
In most cases, to hold the tabletop in the pool, crews will pour concrete into a form to create a tube-shaped base. The sleeve will be inserted while the concrete is still wet.
Some pool swim-up bars can benefit from an umbrella or two; for others, they are entirely unnecessary.
Swim-up bars have a wet side—stools in the pool floor where swimmers sit at a bar top counter that’s built into the pool bond beam (wall). The dry side is where someone outside the water plays bartender.
In some swim-up bars, the dry side is a custom poolside kitchen. Most of these more elaborate projects include a hardtop, pergola, or thatch roof that cantilevers out enough over the serving area to cast some shade for those seated in the pool. Here, an umbrella is not needed.
Other swim-up bars consist solely of the in-pool stools and the bar countertop built into the side of the pool.
(In a few designs, the stools are situated on a unique transition area—a kind of wet-deck platform—where they are not fully submerged but are easily accessible by anyone inside the pool.)
On these configurations, there is no bar or kitchen—and no shade structure.
With the bartop and seats fully exposed, an umbrella (or two) is an affordable addition that can bring valuable comfort.
Your contractor can insert one or more pole sleeves in either the bar countertop or the deck immediately next to the bar.
The umbrellas should be large enough and positioned so they will shelter all or most of the bar sets from the sun.
For longer bars, including several smaller umbrellas may achieve better coverage for those relaxing at the bar, enjoying a beverage and conversation.
The world of patio umbrellas offers many choices.
For starters, consider the size, and determine the dimensions of the desired area for shade.
For example, is your goal to have cover for a single lounge chair on the tanning ledge—or, for two or three people seated at the swim-up bar or in-pool table?
In some cases, one large umbrella may do the trick. In others, it is better to use two or three smaller canopies to form a cover in a row or cluster.
Based on your aesthetic preferences and the style of your backyard, you’ll also need to choose the umbrella’s shape, be it square, hexagonal, or octagonal—or in some cases, perfectly round.
Because umbrellas are highly visible, you can use them to enhance and harmonize with the overall poolscape.
To create a cohesive look, look to colors in the pool’s waterline tile, interior finish, other patio furniture, or surrounding landscape or flowers. Then, coordinate the color of the canopy.
Or, pick any bright color to introduce a pop of contrast into your backyard. You could also opt for a canopy with stripes or a floral pattern.
If you happen to be putting in a tropical, lagoon-inspired pool, a patio umbrella provides a terrific opportunity: Consider a model with a thatch-covered canopy, sometimes referred to as “tiki-style” or a “palapa”.
How tall your umbrella is a practical matter. You want a pole height that provides adequate clearance.
For example, say the umbrella will go on a tanning ledge. The canopy should be high enough to provide comfortable clearance for people moving in and out of the shelf—without hitting their heads.
Many patio umbrellas come with an adjustable pole. That flexibility can come in handy when you are not sure how high or low you will want the canopy.
Not all patio umbrellas can tilt; an advantage comes with those that do.
When you can angle the canopy for the perfect pitch, it will block the sun. Tilt functionality allows you to adjust the shade position as the sun moves throughout the day.
Durability
If the umbrella will go inside the pool, it’s crucial the pole is designed for continuous submersion in and splashes from chemically treated pool water.
Additionally, opt for canopies made with UV-resistant fabric and rust-proof hardware to withstand outdoor conditions.
Integrating patio umbrellas into a gunite pool offers a seamless blend of functionality and visual appeal.
Whether you're sitting in a spa or on a bench, tanning ledge, in-pool table, or swim-up bar, this canopied pool-shade feature is a versatile addition to shield you from the sun and enhance relaxation.
By carefully selecting umbrella designs and strategically incorporating the pole sleeve into and around various pool features, you can enjoy the perfect balance of sun and shade in your aquatic retreat.