DIY Poolside Canopies
From splashing around to simply floating, a pool is a pleasant way to spend warm days for children and adults. A simple canopy can be built to stand next to a pool, and from this basic design, you can create a universe of different fashions of pool canopies.
Things You'll Need
- 4 2-inch bamboo poles
- Light-colored, light-weight drop cloth
- Saw
- Sandpaper
- Strong cord
- Scissors
- Fabric paint pens
- Acrylic paint
- 4 5-gallon buckets
- Quick-set cement
- Sand
- Long pipe
- Saw
Instructions
-
-
1
Measure the poolside area that the canopy will be built on. Write down its dimensions on a piece of paper. Obtain a drop cloth -- a cloth with pre-set grommets in it -- that fits inside the area you will build the canopy on.
-
2
Saw down vertically approximately 1 inch on one end of each bamboo pole. Round off the sharp edges of each 1-inch cut with sandpaper.
-
-
3
Decorate the drop cloth using the fabric paint pens and acrylic paints -- the kind that comes in squeeze tubes. Examples of decoration themes include things like Minoan mosaics, landscapes,
star-scapes or tropical colors with abstract shapes. Or just randomly draw
and see what happens! -
4
Obtain a length of pipe that is wide enough for the bamboo poles to slide in and out of. Cut the pipe into lengths that are taller than the buckets.
-
5
Set a length of pipe in a bucket. Prepare the cement according to the manufacturer's instructions and pour it onto the bucket around the length of pipe, leaving 3 to 4 inches from the top. Repeat this with the other three buckets. Let the cement set up and pour sand on top of the cement.
-
6
Spread out the drop cloth in the specified canopy location. Set each bucket at a corner of the drop cloth. Set a bamboo pole into each bucket pipe.
-
7
Attach each grommet on the drop cloth to a loop of strong cord. Set each loop of cord into a 1-inch cut on a bamboo pole.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use tent stakes and cords for heavier drop cloths or on windy days.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
