Diy Palapa Patio Umbrella Cover

How to Diy a Palapa Patio Umbrella Cover! Summer is here and that means it’s time for barbecues and hanging out by the pool. We have an old Palapa umbrella that was in serious need of help! It’s been a few years since we have had the thatch replaced and the old one was looking bit weathered. We get really bad Santa Ana winds where I live and the last bout completely destroyed what was left of the palapa.

I was ready for a new look anyway and I really didn’t want to replace the thatch again. The bones of the palapa were still in good shape and look pretty. Plus, it’s already built into our barbecue island and to remove it completely would be a huge job. So, I came up with and idea to diy my palapa patio umbrella cover myself! Off to Lowes I went to buy some painters drop cloth. I thought to myself, it’s made out of canvas, is fairly inexpensive and how hard could it be? Well…. it was a bit of a challenge, but I’m happy to say that I did it and it doesn’t look bad!

What you will need for this project

Painters Canvas Drop Cloth Heavy Duty
Staple Gun
Air compressor (optional)

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The size of our Palapa structure is 10ft in diameter and has a circumference of 36ft. I used a 2 of the 9 x 12 drop cloths. They were on sale at Lowes for$33.00 each. Score!!!

How to diy your own palapa patio umbrella cover

I love a good challenge and when I say that I completely winged this project I am not kidding! The first step was figuring out how to get the canvas over the structure, as I was flying solo on this project. It was a matter of heave hoeing it over the top.

The first canvas was easier to place than the second one. I was able to maneuver it around the top because it was open.

Once I had it placed, I used my Staple gun attached to my air compressor to secure it to the frame. Make sure that you pull your canvas as tight as you can before you secure it. If you do not have an air compressor you certainly can use a regular staple gun. However, an air compressor makes it so much easier.

For the inside, I wrapped it around the edges and secured it with staples.

It was a little tricky tacking it around the poles as there was a little gathering as you can see. I am thinking about taking some Dollar Tree rope and applying it around that area to clean it up a bit. That will be another time!

Repeat the same process for the second canvas.

Here is the finished result. I am really happy with how it turned out! It provides a good amount of shade and the best part is that it ONLY COST $70.00! If I were to replace the thatch it would’ve cost $600.00 and I would’ve been left with the same look that I had for years!