How to Make a Cement Patio Table Umbrella Stand

A patio table umbrella is a convenient item to have on a porch that has no shady trees or awning to protect you from the harsh rays of the sun. The umbrellas can fly away, taking the table with it if it is not properly held down with a weighted stand. The decorative iron stands weight the right amount to keep the umbrella stationary, but making your own cement umbrella stand is a more practical and cheaper way.

Plastic 5-gallon bucket
15-inch-tall flowerpot
6-inch-diameter aluminum screen
20-pound bag of cement mix
Stirring stick
1-cubic-foot crushed lava stone
Water
Trowel
2-foot-long PVC pipe
6-inch-long, 3/4-inch-diameter dowels, 6

Instructions

- 1
  Place a 6-inch-diameter aluminum screen on the bottom of the chosen flower pot. The aluminum screen prohibits the lava stone from pouring out of the drainage hole in the bottom of the flower pot.
- 2
  Place 2 inches of 1-cubic feet of crushed lava stone in the bottom of the flower pot. Wiggle a 3-foot-long, 2-inch-diameter PVC pipe vertically into the center of the stones and pour the remaining amount of crushed lava stone in the bucket around the pipe.
- 3
  Pour a bag of 20-pound cement mix into a 5-gallon bucket. Using a stirring stick, mix water with the cement mix until the mix is a smooth, peanut butter texture.
- 4
  Scoop 2 or 3 inches of cement into the flower pot over the lava stone. Shake the pot a little bit to get the cement mix in between the lava stone bits. Use the trowel to even the top of the cement.
- 5
  Set the flower pot in a place where it will not be disturbed for three days, for example, in an unused corner in the garage.
- 6
  Drill a hole the size of the push pin on the side of the umbrella stand pole once the cement has set. When the umbrella is placed in the PVC pipe, the push pin will pop into the hole. This hole and push pin combination is how the umbrella stand will stay inside the new decorative cement patio umbrella stand if the winds kick up.

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