I see some reviewers say that light goes through the fabric. Can someone elaborate? We are looking for a sturdy, large umbrella that blocks the sun.
2044542
I don't think there are any umbrellas that will completely block the sun out. The Coolaroo will provide shade like any other umbrella.
2044543
It is not really thick but light doesn't go through the fabric. We have been using for years and satisfied but I have to admit that it is not sturdy when it is windy.
2044544
It does not completely block the sun as, for example, a solid canvas would. Bur it blocks a significant amount. My deck is very sunny, and the sun beats into my sliding glass doors in the afternoon, so I do use it to block the sun. It casts a strong shadow, but does not block all light. You would not get a tan under this umbrella. BTW. I have had it quite a while, and it has stood up to the weather very well. Looks and works like new, even after being blown off my deck by hurricane winds.
2044545
The material is "very heavy" weave. I live three blocks from the ocean in central Florida and am very pleased with the shade. A wonderful by-product of the material is that is does not mildew and dries quickly. The first umbrella lasted almost three years (salt rotted the aluminum) - and I replaced with the exact same - getting multiple years from the same umbrella is wonderful. - the quality of the material and the shade is perfect.
2044546
I have not experienced that problem, the umbrella provides shade. You can see light highlighted, but it does not allow the sun on you. You will be sitting in the shade under this umbrella, at least I am sitting in the shade. I take medication that does not allow me to be in the sun for any period of long times, so the umbrella has been a blessing, because of its size and blocking of sun rays.
2154797
Hello! Yes, the rain goes right through unless it rains very heavily. It can sag somewhat so we put up a pole in the center to raise it slightly. We like that look also. We used the Shade Sail Hardware Kit (Square) ordered from Amazon for $15.76 plus shipping. Nice heavy duty hardware. Hope this helps. Best wishes, Gary
968867
There is a roller on the top with a chain that rolls the shade up and down on the side. We have 4 of these on our back porch which work very well with shading the morning sun plus you can see through it some..
2178051
There is a shield you can attach to the umbrella and weight it down with sand. That should add support if it's a concern. It's more a shield I would think for those sensitive to sun rays. The times I have used the umbrella, I'll point it slightly in the direction of the on-shore breeze from the ocean, to counter the umbrella flying away like a kite so to speak. That's my experience on the Pacific Ocean side. It's a good umbrella and I expect many years of use. Hope that helps.
478526
We use our backdrops against a wall so nothing bleeds through. I'm sure light would bleed through if there was a window behind it since it is only muslin.
707287
No, the fabric is an open weave that allows air and water to pass through, but stops 97% of the UV........
37813
It is a little see through when the light hits it just right. All in all its really not that bad. We just put it in the shade and it works wonderful for us. It does have a zipper to close it tight. It is pretty light so not really that great for winds.We use ours for changing in swimsuits for our backyard and suits our needs perfect.
874342
I believe it is protection from the harmful rays of the sun (ultraviolet A and B). I found this to be a very nice umbrella, by the way, and great on vacation.
541936
The shade should be fine in mild to moderate wind and rain. The manufacturer recommends that in a heavy storm, roll up the shade. The shades are porous, so a lot of wind will dissipate through it. But to be on the safe side, if you start to see the shade moving strongly even with it opened tautly, then roll it up.
490170
It depends on how much light you require. It doesn't cast any light below itself. or a minimal amount. If the umbrella covers a table, the best result would be to place it on the table top
1792276
Beautiful fabric - beautiful colors. This is a substantial fabric that will let in partial light but cannot be seen through. I believe it would provide privacy but would not block out light completely, however, since it is not a black-out fabric.
1309997
We enjoyed the umbrella. It tilts enough to keep the sun off of you. It does move up and down on the pole so you can make sure it keeps the sun off of you. I take two kinds of meds that I'm not supposed to be in the sun because it will cause more severe sunburn. This umbrella has kept that from happening.
966136
I see another person answered that the breeze goes through it because it is mesh. It is mesh, but very tightly woven mesh. It does break wind gusts. It does not block air flow 100%, but definitely would break gusts. If you want 100% air block, tarp would be probably work better, But I think I know what you are doing, and this would work fine for a garden. Tarp would work, too. Which is cheaper?
1224965
I would say it offers about 30% shade as a guess. I purchased this tarp to hang in the dugouts for our softball games to give the players some relief from the hot sun. It did do its job well of keeping the hot sun off of the girls, but did not block all light from coming through. I guess another way of looking at it would be you cannot look up thru the tarp at the sun directly as it would still be too bright to look at. Hope this answers your question.
503769
No I dont think it does. I think it is just the fabric itself that has some measure of UV protection. I have had some of these us for 5 or 6 summers now and they are holding up well - and the UV here in Albuquerque (mile high altitude) are intense. They block most, but not all, sunlight which would leave plenty to grow anything here, even say flowers.
2122477
I've left it up year round. It doesn't divert rain, the water seeps through easily, but it's more hassle to remove every season. I don't think it affects the patio temperature in any way because the material is not that thick. It works great in blocking out the strong sun on a bright day. I believe I've gotten my money's worth.
498666
I would assume that you would have to use a liner in the shower. I use two of them to block the sun in the afternoon in my gazebo. Is it heavy enough to not see thru, yes. Other than that it is silky cloth. I'm not sure what you are looking for in "heavy". It's definitely not canvas, but it's also not see thru.