MYO Picnic Shade

[mrtoothy]

Repurpose a shower curtain and a couple of lengths of PVC pipe to make an instant shade for a picnic.

The curtain already has tabs on one side, You can easily add tabs to the other side of the curtain with some fabric and a bit of e6000 Craft glue.

Or lay the PVC pipe on the Edge of the curtain (on the side that you want to insert the pole!!) and run a line of E6000 craft glue along the edge, fold the curtain over the PVC pipe to the correct size needed and glue the fabric part into place.

Let it dry for the required length of time recommended on the tube.

Alternatively, you could sew the tabs onto the sides of the curtain using a double or triple stitch on your basic sewing machine. Once it dries it will create a perfect loop to slide the PVC pipe into. 1/2″ PVC is lightweight and bends easily.

Then slip the PVC down the sides of the tabs. As the sun moves through the day, slide the shade up or down to keep the table fully covered.

To ensure the PVC stays in place you can pound tent stakes into the ground then slip the open ends over the stake.

Choosing the Height

How much PVC you need depends on how high you want it, you could use 2- 12′ PVC Pipes or 2 – 10′ but it will only be about 5 feet high in the middle.

Why didn’t you use conduit instead of PVC?

We compared and contrasted the pros of metal versus wood for our DIY project. We decided that while both had their advantages, we liked how sturdy yet flexible metal was- it really delivered on durability! But when looking at other materials like copper or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) they each came with different tradeoffs:

The conduit would be great if we were making a square shade, but we wanted to make a shade that curved over the table. Also, the sun shade slides along the poles so the table will always be in the shade throughout the day and water won’t accumulate on the top if it starts to rain (hence the reason for using a shower curtain!)

How to Attach the Shade to the Ground

Just push down metal or plastic stakes about 4-6 inches into the ground and then slip the PVC end over it (about 3-4 inches) and it will stay in place easily. I used stakes off my old solar lights that stopped working.

The whole point is to use what you have on hand, if possible so that it doesn’t cost a lot to make.

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[merryway]

Clever idea! What did you use at bottom of pvc poles to attach them to the ground?

[BaconEater]

@merryway 883346 wrote:

Clever idea! What did you use at bottom of pvc poles to attach them to the ground?

Just push down a metal stake about 4-6 inches into the ground and then slip the pvc post over it (about 3-4 inches) and it will stay in place easily.

[msdstoops]

We are wondering how long the PVC pipes need to be on both sides of the shelter. This is a cool idea and we would love to try it out for our camping trip over Labor day weekend camping. I will be checking in to catch your response.

Thanks!

[Bertha67]

How many PVC did you use to make this. I want to make one for my vegetable garden.

[FreebieQueen]

@Bertha67 886049 wrote:

How many PVC did you use to make this. I want to make one for my vegetable garden.

Depends on how high you want it, you could use 2- 12′ PVC Pipes, or or 2 – 10′ but it will only be 5 feet high in the middle.

[Barbie5165]

Hi did you use two shower curtains sewed together?

[Liss]

You just slide them close, you an see in the photo where they actually overlap each other.

[Author]

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