Crafty Tuesday: Umbrella Base

Making crafts for the patio is not impossible!  Our glass table broke recently because we didn’t’ take the umbrella out when it was windy.  That was a huge oversight on my part.  My wonderful husband broke out the Shop Vac and had the mess cleaned up in 45 minutes.  So an umbrella base was on my shopping list, but I wanted to do something more creative that the bases that you buy at the store.  The inspiration for this craft came from either Woman’s Day or Martha Stewart.  Before starting this project I searched all over to find the article, but that magazine is hiding with the missing socks.

Materials Needed to Make an Outdoor Umbrella Base

• Decorative bucket, beverage tub, or planter.  I purchased the beverage bucket at Target’s summer clearance for $4.49
• 1 1/2″ thick PVC – A short piece.  Figure out how long you want it before you buy it.  Then have the wonderful store employees cut it for you!  Trust me on this – I was out there with a saw and it just wasn’t a pretty (or safe) scene.  The cheapest  PVC was priced at $2.80 at Lowes

• Quickrete.  This was $2.68 at Lowes.

 

• Spray Paint – $3.78 at Lowes.  I chose green because I filled the base up with artificial flowers, but I really wish I had picked brown to match the color of our umbrella.

• A drop cloth or something that you can get messy
• Trowel or paint stir sticks
• Gloves
• Water
• Bucket to mix the Quickrete
• Paper towels

Make an Outdoor Umbrella Base
1) Spray Paint the PVC and set aside

2) Mix the Quickrete in the extra bucket.  I have no tips for doing this as it was my first time.  It was hard to mix with the paint stick but once I dumped it into the decorative beverage container I was able to get the last bits mixed in.

3) Pour the Quickrete into the decorative bucket.

4) About 10 minutes later make a hole in the center where you will place the PVC pipe.  Place the PVC pipe in that hole.

5) Allow to dry 12-24 hours (check the directions on the bag)

6) Add your umbrella and any finishing touches!

My Thoughts

I paid $13.75 for all my supplies (not including the fake flowers – which we already had).  The plastic umbrella base cost $9.98 plus an additional $3.00 for a bag of sand to fill it with.  So making this craft cost within a dollar of buying a new base at the store!  Frugal crafty deals are always so much fun.