I have 6 pool umbrella stands round the place. That’s about 150 € to replace. There’s nothing wrong with the concrete bases but the white plastic covering with all of them is beginning to crack and split. I’ve got the 3 best ones by the pool, which is not saying much.
Anyone any suggestions please how I might smarten them up so that they are guest-worthy? Thanks.
any chance of a photo, to get our brain cells whirring… ??
Off the top of my head… a simple cloth cover with drawstring neck around where the brolley slots in…
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Ah… square is not so easy… but still possible.
another “off the top of my head” is to use wide, bright coloured sticky tape to make an obvious repair into a work of art… 
I assume the concrete was caste into the plastic shell, a possible solution could be, to take it off and paint the concrete.
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I wondered about that Steve but then there’s an issue with the adjustable vertical plastic tube that drops into the base and which grips the umbrella pole to hold it steady. The plastic shell (I think) is holding the plastic tube.
I may have to experiment with the most damaged to see what happens if I take the plastic shell off.
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Buy metal, buy once would be my answer, we must have all suffered the plastic failures and I am just against the plastic ones now. Can always repaint the metal ones to suit any change in exterior scheme
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Epoxy bond the plastic to the underlying concrete, fill any deep cracks which are left with epoxy, then sand and paint. Should be good for a few more seasons.
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Thanks Billy. Our next guests are here for a month (hurray!) so I’ve got plenty of time and I’ll have a go on the grottiest ones which are in the shed and see if I can bring them up to scratch first.
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I didnt want to stress you too much after the sink waste episode so suggesting things that were difficult to do I left out. Metal still the best option so keep looking for promo’s
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Do you think people actually notice the floor box unless they accidentally stub their toes? If the shades - chairs etc are nice no one really cares about the floor stands - they’re not pretty when new and hardly a focal point. It’s one of those jobs to me you ignore or just bite the bullet and replace - a lot of the solutions just draw your eye to a problem you wouldn’t think about normally. Old crates might work but still think they’d be more obvious than slightly tatty white stands
Not the point - I notice them and I like my gite to be pristine. Getting to the stage of “it’s alright, they’ll never notice” to my mind is the time to give up being a gite owner. 
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How about making some simple wooden covers which you can then paint or stain whatever colour you wish. Basically just an upside down square box with a hole cut in the middle for the brolly support. Plywood for the top and solid wood for the sides. Perhaps a search through your ‘dependances’ might provide some suitable materials that can be repurposed.
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What a good idea, they could double up as a handy place to put a glass etc if you put a ball at each corner they’d look like those nice big wooden cachepots.
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But given that these were once presumably quite expensive and you want to have everything looking nice, I would suggest oiled hardwood slats built into a box type structure around the post so they offer a place to put drinks and still look good for years to come. Shouldn’t be too expensive even if you have to buy from new, but if you have some old hardwood garden furniture around to repurpose so much the better.
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I love these ideas but don’t know where to start - I’m not a carpenter! Yet again I’m frustrated by my less than practical education.
This sounds silly, but can anyone recommend some videos “how to do basic carpentry” and “how to make a simple table / box”
I’ve only ever done bodged repairs. Never tried to build something from scratch - not even sure I have the tools.
I’ve got some pallets lying around. Could I use those?
You could use pallet timber, but its not brilliant wood. Needs a lot of sanding. Think @james made pallet table a few years ago so there should be something searchable on here. Regarding tools, ideally you would have a saw, drill, sander, screwdrivers. Electric versions save a lot of effort .
I would be tempted to go with the earlier suggestion of removing the plastic from the base and then painting the cement
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How many weeks of usage are you looking at??
Seriously, I’m not a handy-person and would go to the market, buy some bright cloth (cheapest going) and make a square/rectangular “bag” for each stand. Place the cloth (good side towards the ground) where you want the umbrella stand to be… put the stand onto the cloth and carefully fold/draw the corners of the material up and gathering them by hand around the neck of the stand… finally tying the cloth around the “neck” with a piece of ribbon…
It’s the sort of thing I know I’ve seen over the years… in art/craft shows etc
I’m now itching to have a go myself, but our stands are metal and don’t have your problems.
best if luck with whatever you choose to do.
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Lot’s of info on you tube. Ana White has a fabulous website. She lives in Alaska and couldn’t get delivery of the furniture she wanted from.Pottery Barn ect so taught herself how to make things and now has a fabulous site with DIY all sorts of wooden things!
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