8 Ways to Keep Your Patio Cool

Summer is prime time for enjoying your beautiful patio space — until a heat wave hits your area. It's not much fun to stay inside when you can see beautiful weather through the windows, but depending on the temperature, sometimes it may feel like the only option. 

Thankfully, there are many things you can do to enjoy your patio when the temperature rises. Simple additions like fans, misters and furniture made from natural materials can make a difference. There are also more drastic steps you can take, like enclosing your patio space or adding a cover for more shade.

Combining several techniques is often the best way to beat the heat and enjoy more of your summer outside. If you're unsure how to keep your patio cool, here are eight patio cooling ideas to consider to help you enjoy your patio regardless of the heat this summer. 

1. Patio Covers

Creating shade over your patio is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to reduce the temperature so you can enjoy the outdoors even in the heat of summer. Patio covers are a good option for shade because they're versatile, stylish and durable. 

At Colorado Sunroom and Window, we offer two types of patio covers. These covers come in various sizes and styles to match your home. 

Renaissance Patio Covers

Renaissance patio covers are made of high-quality aluminum, making them durable, long-lasting and able to protect you from the weather. They come in several styles, including: 

• Moderno: This option features modern lines, sculpted posts and a gutter system. It's clean, minimalist and affordable so that homeowners can enjoy their beautiful patio space even in the rain. 

• Fresco: If you love the look of a pergola, this option is perfect. The roof over the pergola frame blocks rain while letting light through so you can enjoy a bright space underneath. 

• Classico: This patio cover option offers solid roof panels with trusses underneath. The trusses look similar to exposed-beam wood-framed roofs. 

These are only three of the available style options. When selecting a cooling outdoor patio cover, there are many choices for color, material and style. You can opt for a patio cover that blends with your home's aesthetic or find one that stands out and contrasts with existing colors.

Solara Patio Covers

At Colorado Sunroom and Window, we also offer adjustable patio covers with extruded louvers. Solara adjustable patio covers look like a pergola but with a twist. The rugged aluminum louvers rotate, either opening your patio up to the sun or closing it off from inclement weather. 

You can choose between a manual model or a motorized version, depending on your preference. An adjustable patio cover makes it easy to enjoy the weather every day, and the classic pergola style complements your home and landscaping. 

2. Cooling Furniture 

The decor you place on your patio can make a difference in its temperature during the summer. Some materials and colors absorb heat and can make your space unbearable, while other materials reflect heat and can help keep this space naturally cooler. 

As a general rule, you should avoid these materials and decor items for summer patio decor: 

• Metal furniture

• Concrete flooring

• Dark colors

• Synthetic fibers

All of these materials absorb heat and hold onto it. If metal furniture sits outside long enough, it could even burn you when touched. Concrete flooring may be too hot to walk on, regardless of its color. And because synthetic fibers don't breathe well, they're often uncomfortable to sit on during the summer. 

Instead of choosing heat-absorbing materials, opt for reflective colors and cooling furniture options. Here are several items that can be cooling for your outdoor patio: 

• Wicker furniture

• Reflective roofing

• Wood flooring

• Light colors

• Natural fibers

Natural materials look beautiful and have natural cooling properties that can help you enjoy your patio during the summer. Light colors reflect heat out of a space, helping to keep it cool. Natural flooring materials will help protect your feet by keeping the floor a little cooler. 

3. Landscaping

Another way to cool down your patio is with intentional landscaping choices. Plants, sculptures and water features can all help keep your outdoor space cool and enjoyable, even during the warmest parts of summer. 

Pay attention to where the sun rises and sets, as well as what parts of your patio are impacted by it throughout the day. What time of day is the warmest? Where is the sun at that point? Once you've analyzed your patio, you can strategically place tall plants, trellises and screens to block the sun. 

Installing a water feature is another great way to cool down your patio area. You may have noticed that areas near a creek or river tend to feel cooler on hot days. That's because water naturally cools down its surroundings through evaporation. 

When water hits hot air, some of the heat can dissipate by turning the liquid into water vapor. That's why moving water or water features that splash are more cooling — there's more contact between the water and surrounding air. 

By strategically designing your landscape, you can cool down your patio area and enhance your yard. Place plants, sculptures and water features where they'll be most effective for creating shade and naturally cooling hot areas. 

4. Patio Shades

You may have a roofing system over your patio and could still be experiencing discomfort from heat. In that case, installing patio shades is a great option for keeping your outdoor living area cool during the warm summer months. 

Patio shades come in a few different forms — you can install awnings to extend the shade from your roof or opt for retractable shade walls. Retractable shades temporarily turn your patio into a sunroom, creating walls that help keep cool temperatures inside and heat out. 

Retractable Shades

At Colorado Sunroom and Window, our retractable shades can save you 25% to 40% in cooling costs for your patio. They'll also reduce glare, making it more pleasant to sit outside during the afternoon, when the heat and glare can be the most difficult to tolerate. 

Our shades come with a manual gear system or motor, depending on your preference. You can order shades specifically to fit your home and cover the open spaces in your existing patio. If you'd prefer high visibility, you can even purchase retractable shades with clear materials that let light in. 

If you're concerned about wind and want your shades to stay connected to the ground when in use, consider choosing our Elite Sun Shades. These have a magnetic lock system that keeps the shades connected to the ground so your patio stays enclosed during inclement weather. 

Another shade option to consider is the Four Seasons LifeRoom. A LifeRoom includes a patio roof, retractable shades and a cool mist system that regulates internal temperature. LifeRooms also come with blue LED lighting and the ability to project movies onto the shades, so you can enjoy a cozy night with friends and family in this space. 

5. Fans to Keep Wind Moving

This may seem counterintuitive, but fans don't actually cool air temperatures down. They make a space feel cooler because they create air movement that helps your body evaporate sweat from your skin more efficiently. The only thing worse than sitting on a hot patio is sitting on a hot patio without any wind. 

A cost-effective way to deal with heat on your patio is by investing in a few fans. You can install ceiling fans, get a portable floor fan or even plug a tiny fan into your phone. If you're trying to battle a hot summer, several fans are a better solution than just one. 

Ceiling fans work much better in the summer if they're adjusted to spin counterclockwise. When they turn in this direction, the fan blades create a downdraft that pushes air over your skin. As hot air rises, your fan will send it back down to a lower elevation. 

In the winter, you can reverse this direction so that warm air is redistributed throughout the space. If you enjoy staying outside late into the fall, investing in a ceiling fan may improve your experience both in warm and cold months. 

Although fans can improve the heat on your patio, they're not a one-and-done solution. Fans are much more effective when you pair them with other methods of cooling, like patio covers and shades, landscaping, and light-colored decor. 

6. Misters for Coolness

Another way to evaporate heat from your patio is through misters. These systems send fine droplets of water into the air so that heat can evaporate and the entire area is cooled. You can strategically place them around your patio to improve the temperature. 

Using misters means you might get damp while spending time on your patio. However, it's this dampness that cools you down — when the water evaporates off your body into the air, it cools you down the same way sweat does. 

However, if you're trying to avoid feeling wet while outside, misters might not be the best option. You could potentially put them just outside your patio space or turn them off for a while before you go outside. This can significantly cool down your patio without causing you to actually feel wet from the mist. 

If it's so warm outside that you're sweating, a cool mister that makes you feel wet can reduce your body's distress and actually be quite soothing. And if you have kids, they'll absolutely love playing in a mister. Dogs will also appreciate the chance to cool down. 

You can combine misters with fans for an even better effect — the fans will spread the water droplets, cooling your patio even faster. You could also consider putting a fan by a water feature for a similar effect. 

7. Evaporators to Reduce Temperature

Portable evaporator coolers, also called swamp coolers, combine water and fans to cool down a space. They're not always a good fit for humid climates because adding more water to the air doesn't create evaporation if you already have high humidity and heat. 

In dry climates, putting water into the air leads to evaporation and cooling. Swamp coolers send water to a front pad and then send air through that pad with a fan to create evaporation. This is a cost-effective way to cool down your patio space. 

Unlike misters, swamp coolers don't make you feel wet. They won't dampen your outdoor furniture, blankets and decor items. However, in an enclosed space, they may eventually increase the humidity level of the air. 

One of the best things about swamp coolers is how portable they are. You can easily move swamp coolers around on your patio to target hot spots, cool the space where you're sitting or cool down the temperature from farther away. 

Swamp coolers do require some maintenance — you should check them for sediment buildup and occasionally clean the cooler pads. Before you put them away for the season, do a thorough cleaning. Finally, make sure you always unplug these units before cleaning them!

8. Patio Enclosures and Sunrooms

For some families, a part-time solution only partly meets their needs. If you'd like to enjoy your patio year-round without having to adjust shades and other features, consider transforming your patio into a sunroom. 

Enclosing your patio is a one-time process that you'll enjoy the results of for years. If you already have a roof in place, you may be able to install sunroom wall panels that permanently turn your patio into an enclosed room — free from rain, wind and snow. 

If you haven't done any work on your patio yet, consider building a sunroom from the ground up. Sunrooms allow you to visually enjoy nature and soak up sunshine without being exposed to rain, mosquitoes and cold temperatures. 

Just like the rest of your home, sunrooms require heating and cooling during different times of the year. However, modern sunroom glass is designed to be energy efficient, allowing you to enjoy the sunshine without a high level of heat loss through glass panes. 

Sunrooms create a bridge between your indoor and outdoor living space. Unlike an open patio, however, you can enjoy them during the winter, heavy rain and days when it's too hot to go outside. They're the perfect way to bring nature inside while also providing an oasis from extreme weather. 

Enjoy the Outdoors With Colorado Sunroom and Window

If you're looking for the perfect patio solution for your home, reach out to Colorado Sunroom and Window. We have more than 40 years of experience working in the Denver, Colorado, area and love helping homeowners create their dream space. 

We offer several professional solutions for home and patio spaces, including: 

• Sunrooms.

• Patio covers.

• Sun shades.

• LifeRooms.

• Windows and doors.

When you need shade to protect your patio space, reach out to us. We'll help you find the perfect solution to enhance your home so you can enjoy nature year-round. We're an environmentally conscious company, and we always prioritize providing energy-efficient solutions. 

Contact us today or call us at (303) 715-0777to learn more!