Commercial umbrellas provide shade at a charter school

Commercial umbrellas that are sturdy, secure, durable and appealing are certainly the type of umbrellas you want when adding shade to an area outside such as a school, hotel, restaurant or park.

The Arts in Action Community Charter Schools in Los Angeles chose our 364-Series umbrellas with those qualities from The Park and Facilities Catalog.

According to Stephanie Conde, director of facilities, these commercial-grade umbrellas were added to a charming outdoor break area to compliment the picnic tables, trees, and grass.

"We wanted to provide a comfortable shaded area for our students but not take away from all the trees and landscaping we have in the area," she said.

The school purchased 18 umbrellas along with super-strong concrete bases, each weighing 50 pounds.

"The umbrellas are great!" Stephanie said. "They're really good quality and hide dirt really well. They are easy to clean and are very sturdy when it's windy."

The school's mission statement on their website states: "To empower, prepare, and inspire urban students to achieve their highest potential and become active citizens who work toward building a more just, humane, and sustainable world by providing a democratic art-enriched and nurturing school environment."

Those are great goals for any school and the outside grounds certainly exemplify the school's commitment to creating a pleasing environment for students.

Commercial umbrellas are only as good as their parts

While an umbrella might seem like a simple product with few parts, there's quite a bit of work and design that goes into creating a product that can stand up to all types of weather in an outdoor environment for 365 days of the year.

Here are some factors to consider:

Fabrics - as you can imagine, the main purpose of an umbrella is to keep elements such as sun and rain away from users. To perform that task while subjected to the sun's harmful deteriorating UV rays plus wind and rain requires some very tough fabric.

Commercial umbrellas with tough marine-grade fabric that is fade resistant and easy to maintain

The fabrics offered by The Park and Facilities Catalog come in several durable varieties, including one that is 9 oz. , marine-grade acrylic fabric. That fabric is a tough material. It is waterproof, resistant to mold and mildew, easy to clean and comes with a lengthy guarantee against fading.

Parts - the other consideration for commercial umbrellas is the use of high-quality parts that can withstand constant use by the public. The poles, ribs, struts, lift mechanisms such as pulleys or cranks and other pieces are manufactured with heavy-duty, quality materials such as stainless steel or fiberglass.

Bases - as you can imagine, to keep a large commercial umbrella secured firmly to the ground requires a heavy-duty base. We offer a variety of bases ranging from resin concrete, steel plates or aluminum shell bases.

Styles - need a huge umbrella? How about one that telescopes open to cover 16 feet in space? And can still take on winds 50-60 mph. We also offer cantilever umbrellas, market umbrellas, patio umbrellas, and beach umbrellas. They are all solidly built to perform effortlessly in different environments.

Colors - one of the services we pride ourselves on when it comes to commercial umbrellas is the incredible array of bright, cheerful fabric colors that we offer.

Choose from vibrant colors such as pacific blue, turquoise, sunflower yellow, pistachio, terracotta and dozens of others. We also offer attractive stripe patterns in a variety of colors as well.

Quick Ship - find out you need umbrellas ASAP? Give us a call. We have a large variety of merchandise in many colors that are already in stock and ready to be shipped quickly.

All of these heavy-duty commercial umbrellas are manufactured for high-end use at hotels, restaurants, parks, pools, schools and other facilities.

Congratulations to Arts in Action Community Charter Schools and the addition of their new commercial umbrellas.

We're sure the students at this fine school will appreciate them (and the shade they provide) as they continue their journey not just as scholars, but as involved citizens as well.