11 Shade Solutions and Ideas for Decks, Porches, and Patios

Add an Umbrella

Classic and simple, an umbrella can work equally well for protecting you from the sun and the rain. However, you do need to pay attention to the type and thickness of the material. An ordinary rain umbrella only blocks about three quarters of UV light from passing through. Heavier, darker fabrics tend to work better at blocking the sun, and umbrellas designed specifically for the sun tend to work best. There are also several distinct styles worth considering:

Market Umbrella

Typically constructed atop a central wooden pole, a market umbrella is usually a larger-than-average design. They’re usually built with vented caps in the fabric, allowing for a moderate breeze to escape, but you still need to take them down during a windstorm. As an added benefit, the larger size of these designs tends to make them work equally well for rain and sun.

Cantilever Umbrella

A typical umbrella design involves a central pole extending downwards directly beneath the middle of the canopy, but a cantilever umbrella uses a freestanding pole that’s offset from the center. Since it’s a suspended build, the canopy can be positioned and repositioned to hang in whatever area you need sun blocked. Eliminating the pole from the center provides more space for protection underneath, and the kind of adjustability you often see with these kinds of designs often provides a better range of coverage.

Patio Umbrella

Among all of your options for outdoor umbrellas to add shade, the patio umbrella is likely the most common. Designed to fit an outdoor table with a designated hole through its center, patio umbrellas are sometimes given extra weight on their base to add stability. Patio umbrellas are popular because they offer a no-fuss means of quickly adding and removing shade from a table area. You can find patio umbrellas available in a wide range of different styles; you can even find solar-powered units that provide light after-hours.

Build a Pergola

Many shade solutions for decks are temporary or only semi-permanent, but a pergola provides what is much closer to a truly permanent backyard shade solution. You can build a pergola to adapt to a variety of different sizes and spaces, and easily adapt them to a wide variety of different architectural styles. You can find pre-constructed pergola kits, or take a more truly DIY route by learning how to build a pergola on a deck.

Use Outdoor Shades & Curtains

Outdoor curtains are similar to indoor shades, except attached externally to a home. Similar to indoor shades, outdoor shades can be motorized and are available in a variety of styles. They can provide essentially all of the same benefits, including protection from UV rays. And in an outdoor environment, shades can work exceptionally well alongside all kinds of outside structures, like a pergola.

Plant Trees

Planting trees for shade can require patience and planning: you’ll need to find out how large they can grow, identify soil or drainage problems that might become an issue, and avoid planting around your foundation or utility lines. Determining the best trees for shade will also depend on regional concerns, mostly related to weather. That said, Paper Birch or River Birch are fast-growing tree species that can live in most areas. Other regionally appropriate options for planting trees for shade might include: weeping willow, pecan, southern live oak, and tulip poplar. If you’d like the canopy to go away in the fall, then you may want to select a deciduous tree. You might also want to explore more ideas about how to plan landscaping to increase shade.

Hang Sun Sails & Canopies

Many people hang sun sails as a quick, simple, and modestly effective way of providing shade. Sun sails are essentially large pieces of fabric stretched between at least three points on existing structures. They’re generally easy to install, alter, and modify to fit different spaces. And they’re just as easy to take down. Likewise, if you’re only using the structure on occasion, a deck shade canopy can be thrown up and removed seasonally. That makes both great options for creating shade when it’s needed and then storing it away during the off-season. It’s also easy to find a variety of inexpensive canopies and shade sails, and move between modern or rustic aesthetic depending on the styles you select.

Create a DIY Deck Shade

Making your own simple DIY deck shade canopy requires little more than a wooden frame and some fabric to stretch between it. Identify at least three or four points of contact where you can tie or connect fabric, then identify the size of the fabric you’ll need for the area you want to cover. Depending on how hands-on you want to be, you can also find DIY deck shades pre-constructed in kits.

Construct a Gazebo

Although you can build a gazebo for shade, it does require some planning. Because there are many different styles of gazebos, including options for creating a permanent or semi-permanent canopy, their ability to provide shade will partially depend on your material options and architectural design choices. Some gazebos are fully covered; others are only partially covered. Some are stone, some are metal, some are wood. But a particularly well-executed gazebo tends to incorporate nature, or otherwise help to smoothly transition between your deck and another space. You can size-up whether the project is right for you by taking a minute to learn how to build a gazebo.