Wall Umbrellas

Shade for small spaces

Wall mounted umbrellas for balconies, courtyards and narrow spaces

A wall mounted umbrella solves one specific problem: you want shade, and you have no floor space to give up for a base. It bolts to a load-bearing wall and the canopy hangs off an arm, so nothing stands on the ground at all. On a balcony three or four metres across, that difference is the whole decision, because a weighted base can occupy the space you were trying to shade in the first place.

Can you put an umbrella on a balcony?

Yes, and there are two ways to do it. A freestanding umbrella needs a weighted base, which is heavy by design and takes up floor area. A wall mounted umbrella fixes to the wall instead, so it uses no floor space and cannot be tipped over. The catch with a wall mount is that it needs a wall that can carry the load, and on an apartment balcony that usually means checking with your body corporate or building manager before you drill anything, because the wall is often common property.

What size umbrella suits a balcony or small courtyard?

On a small balcony the number that matters is not the canopy width but the floor space the umbrella costs you. A 2.7m canopy shades a small table setting or a pair of loungers, which suits most balconies and courtyards; going larger rarely helps, because the constraint is the space underneath rather than the shade above. Measure the wall height available as well as the floor area, since a wall mounted arm needs clearance to swing out and angle.

What can you use instead of an umbrella base?

A wall bracket is the usual alternative to a weighted umbrella base. Instead of resisting the umbrella's leverage with mass, a bracket transfers the load into the building structure, which is why it needs solid masonry, render or timber framing rather than a sheet-clad wall. The other alternatives are an in-ground anchor, where you set a mount into concrete, and a surface plate, which bolts flat onto an existing deck or patio. All three remove the freestanding base; only the wall bracket also removes the floor footprint.

Wall mounted, centre pole or cantilever: which suits a small space?

If the floor area is the thing you are short of, the wall mount wins. If you would rather not drill into the building, or you expect to move the umbrella around, a centre pole model such as the Shadowspec Oasis is the more practical buy. If you have the ground space and want shade that swings out over a table, look at the Shadowspec SU4 instead.

What My Acre ranges

My Acre ranges one wall mounted umbrella, the Shadowspec Retreat, in a 2.7m hexagon canopy at $1,790 with free delivery Australia-wide. It has a marine-grade aluminium frame with stainless steel hardware, so it holds up in coastal and high-humidity conditions, and it carries a 3 year frame and 3 year fabric warranty. One wall mount bracket kit is included. We range one model rather than a wall of near-identical options because a wall mounted umbrella is a fixed installation, and the specification either suits your wall and your space or it does not. If you are not certain it does, call Hayden on 1300 515 620 before you order and we will work through your wall type and measurements with you.