When we moved into our house in San Antonio, the home owners left their umbrella stand at our pool. It went from house to house and it still works great and has withstood the Texas wind and weather. 

I have bought numerous umbrella stands to always be disappointed. I finally got fed up with wasting my money. One of the umbrella stands I had was awesome, but I needed another one. So, I finally got smart and decided to just try to make another one like the other one I had inherited. 

First I bought a large pot. I went everywhere looking for an inexpensive pot. Y’all they are so expensive! I finally ended up at Walmart and Walmart for the win once again. Why didn’t I just go there first? I then went to Lowe’s and bought two bags of the Quickcrete and some PVC pipe.

TIP: I took the bottom of my umbrella pole with me to make sure I got the right size PVC and that the pole fit inside the PVC pipe. It should fit just right without much wiggle room. 

I first put the PVC in the bottom of the pot to measure where I needed to cut it off. I cut mine off with a saw at about 5 inches above the top of the pot. 

Next my daughter held the pole in place and pressed it down towards the bottom so concrete wouldn’t come up inside the PVC pipe.

I then put the dry mix in the pot. I added the appropriate amount of water needed per the directions. I then mixed it around with a long pole. Be sure to keep your PVC pipe straight or your umbrella will be crooked. When it started to set we let go of pole and let it sit overnight. 

The next morning, I drilled a hole in the PVC pipe to secure the umbrella pole to the PVC. With living in Texas the wind can get crazy and it has lifted my umbrella out of the stand on several occurrences so I decided I needed a way to add a little extra bracing if you will. After I drilled the hole, I bought these “things” to secure the umbrella to the stand. I really don’t even know what they are, but they work!!!  

I drilled a couple of holes on each side of the pot for the plants to have a drain. We then added some potting soil over the concrete and we planted our beautiful plants and flowers in the top.

Last but not least...we added our umbrella. Wa-lah! 

I hope you enjoy my umbrella stand that is sturdy and looks pretty too. You will not regret doing this project. It is super easy for anyone to do! 

Keep redeeming!