My woodstack covering skills are in serious need of improvement

[olliek]

Ok - so we had a couple of showers and some thunderstorms, nothing devastating but i wanted to cover up my stacks. Well, it didn't really go as planned. I used various things from tarp, to plastic. I had put plywood over my stacks (I have them 2 deep) threw cover over, fieldstones on top.

either the bloody things blew off or fell in between the cracks - which I tried to avoid, by said plywood.

On top of that, one of my two deep stacks, the back part fell over against the fence - So technically it is still standing but at a very odd angle. Which makes covering twice as hard especially as I really cant get to the back part, at all.

So my questions - what material do you guys use, how do you secure it.

and - what should i do with my fallen over stack - if I want to restack I would have to remove the front row (7' high 8' long) and then restack both? Or leave it, cover it as good as I can and restack once the front row has gone.

All of which just made realize, it's not just my covering skills that need improving but also my stacking skills.

 

[CageMaster]

trust me you don't want to take covering advice from me....i've got all sorts of ugly looking things in place...however they are functional, sheets of plywood with pallets on top to hold them down...also a tarp screwed to the fence with some 2x4 to keep it from tearing....right now i'm using my wheelbarrow and snowblower to hold it down. lol

 

[scotvl]

I don't know how tall or what type of fence you have but I have a 6' pt fence that I stack two rows against on pallets. My stack is 3' deep by 6' high by 36' long along the length of the fence. I keep the first row 4" from the fence and the second row 4" away from the first, I screw tarps through the grommets with washers into the top 2x4 of the fence. In the fall I fold the tarp and throw uglies on top on bad weather days in the winter I unfold it and let it cover some of the side

 

[ScotO]

I use rubber roofing (all reclaimed), and secure it to the stack with a drywall screw and flat washer ever couple of feet around the edges. So far its been awesome. Used to have blue tarps.......they're a PITA and ugly as sin!

 

[olliek]

yea

I use rubber roofing (all reclaimed), and secure it to the stack with a drywall screw and flat washer ever couple of feet around the edges. So far its been awesome. Used to have blue tarps.......they're a PITA and ugly as sin!

View attachment 74884

- i read that post of yours, where you described how you scored it. Envy. Then again, mine are not as easy accessible as yours. Anyone ever used roofing felt. I have half a roll lying around here.

 

[ScotO]

yea

- i read that post of yours, where you described how you scored it. Envy. Then again, mine are not as easy accessible as yours. Anyone ever used roofing felt. I have half a roll lying around here.

I'd be leary of the felt holding up. One member on here used old billboard placard (basically heavy-duty tarp, black on one side), another member used a trailer tarp (like the ones used on big dump bed trailers), you could even look around for a junk swimming pool liner.......lots of different options. I will be building a roofed shed someday, at least big enough for 10 cord. Look around for used metal roofing. Of all the materials, that's probably the best one. Any scrap metal yards near you?

 

[olliek]

I'd be leary of the felt holding up. One member on here used old billboard placard (basically heavy-duty tarp, black on one side), another member used a trailer tarp (like the ones used on big dump bed trailers), you could even look around for a junk swimming pool liner.......lots of different options. I will be building a roofed shed someday, at least big enough for 10 cord. Look around for used metal roofing. Of all the materials, that's probably the best one. Any scrap metal yards near you?

I would have to check. The plan is to build a bigger shed next year. I have a glorified covered stand that holds about a cord, but my idea was to build a shed, or an even more glorified stand to hold at least 4. Then I would be all set, i believe - until then, everything that holds off water is fine with me.

 

[mfglickman]

I have some boxes of roofing (asphalt) shingles...would those work? Or do they need rubber roofing underneath to repel water?

Right now we have tarps, held down by rocks, bricks and uglies. It's OK but not attractive, and the stacks are in the meadow that runs alongside the road so I'd like them to look nicer.

 

[ScotO]

I have some boxes of roofing (asphalt) shingles...would those work? Or do they need rubber roofing underneath to repel water?

Right now we have tarps, held down by rocks, bricks and uglies. It's OK but not attractive, and the stacks are in the meadow that runs alongside the road so I'd like them to look nicer.

The trouble with shingles, is shingles need something underneath them that is flat to secure the shingles to. They also need a slope to shed water properly. Without a flat substrate, and a slope, the shingles will leak water. You'd be better off in the long run to build a roof over your stack.

 

[Slow1]

My belief with tarps is that as long as the wind doesn't get under/around it the tarp can do reasonably well. My approach which seems to be working well is to lay the tarp across the top and then secure it as tight as possible using staples all around the edge (stapling to the splits that are on the 2nd row down). No edges left to 'flap' in the wind and I secure using what may seem to be an excessive number of staples, but as each one isn't all that strong, the total does the trick.

I have my 'main' pile for this winter covered in this manner and it has survived the full summer including some rather impressive winds during a couple storms that I was just sure would rip it off but I've not had to re-secure any part of it.

 

[bogydave]

I've tried various stuff for top covers. The wind here just laughed at my attempts.
I'd get most of the tarps back, shredded of course, don't know where some of the ply wood or other stuff ended up.
Built a roof a few years back. I think over time I'll save money on tarps & litter less

If you typically get serious winds , a good anchored down wood shed/wood port may be the only thing that will hold up.

 

[PapaDave]

The roofing paper will likely tear at the mere hint of a decent wind.
Just say no.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

yea

- i read that post of yours, where you described how you scored it. Envy. Then again, mine are not as easy accessible as yours. Anyone ever used roofing felt. I have half a roll lying around here.

I know someone who tried felt but it didn't work well at all.

One thing you could do when you have more than one row of wood is to stack so that the center is a bit higher than the outside edges so that the water can run off. You just have to be able to secure the covering good else it won't work as you'll end up with pockets that water will set in.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We've used tarps, plastic, rolled roofing, rubber roofing (like Scotty's) canvas, etc but have never found anything better than galvanized roofing. If the wood is in a windy area you do have to be sure to screw it down and even then, pile some big heavy uglies on top to help hold it down.

We'll be covering the wood we cut last winter sometime in the next 2 months. Until then it sits uncovered but once covered, it still sits for a few years before burning it. We put up a new barn a couple years ago and now we move 3 cord into the barn in the fall (probably some time next month) for the winter's use.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

My belief with tarps is that as long as the wind doesn't get under/around it the tarp can do reasonably well. My approach which seems to be working well is to lay the tarp across the top and then secure it as tight as possible using staples all around the edge (stapling to the splits that are on the 2nd row down). No edges left to 'flap' in the wind and I secure using what may seem to be an excessive number of staples, but as each one isn't all that strong, the total does the trick.

I have my 'main' pile for this winter covered in this manner and it has survived the full summer including some rather impressive winds during a couple storms that I was just sure would rip it off but I've not had to re-secure any part of it.

On the other hand, if you can get some air between the tarp and the wood (and be able to hold it down), you will have much less problem with the tarp. You just have to be sure to cover in such a way that you don't get sags in the tarp to form pockets for water to sit in and then form ice which will ruin the tarp super fast.

 

[Nixon]

yea
Anyone ever used roofing felt. I have half a roll lying around here.

I wouldn't even attempt roofing felt , it's basically thick paper with a bit of tar worked into it.
What you may have luck finding it the plastic sheeting that they use in lumber yards to protect lumber when they deliver it .
It's consistency is a lot like Tyvec . It's very durable and should get you through at least one season for little ,to no expense .

 

[Wood Duck]

I use rubber roofing (all reclaimed), and secure it to the stack with a drywall screw and flat washer ever couple of feet around the edges. So far its been awesome. Used to have blue tarps.......they're a PITA and ugly as sin!

View attachment 74884

Scotty, In the future maybe you can stack the middle stacks higher, with gradually shorter stacks near the edge. That might allow the roofing to slope away from the center of the stacks and allow rain to run off. Of course that roofing shouldn't develop holes in it anytime soon, but the puddles could eventually harbor mosquitoes if they get large enough to hold water for 10 days or so.

 

[ScotO]

Scotty, In the future maybe you can stack the middle stacks higher, with gradually shorter stacks near the edge. That might allow the roofing to slope away from the center of the stacks and allow rain to run off. Of course that roofing shouldn't develop holes in it anytime soon, but the puddles could eventually harbor mosquitoes if they get large enough to hold water for 10 days or so.

yeah, I knew that puddles were going to be a problem from the get-go. I was going to lay OSB under the roofing to keep it flatter, but this roofing only goes on the stacks in the fall/winter. I'll be putting a spoonful of bleach in them puddles from time to time. Another trick I tried out (and it works great) is to run the leaf blower on top of the cover.....blows the water puddles right off. Once a week, I will try and do that, for the water reason and also for the leaves that will be building up on it in the coming weeks. Eventually, I'll have a woodshed to do the covering chores. Someday!

 

[DexterDay]

I used Plastic amd tarps last year. Actually had better luck with the Plastic. The thicker the better. 4 mil is good, but 5 mil is better (dont bother with 3 mil). Get a slap stapler and go to town. Mine have been on for almost 2 months already. I have a large piece over my large stack in the back (clear plastic). But I use black up behind the garage.

I want to find some rubber like Scotty. But one day I will fill my Woodshed again Hard to rotate the stock, once its stacked

 

[EJL923]

I use tarps. The last couple years ive been stacking higher in the middle and taper down like wood duck said. I also leave 8-10" gaps between the rows for extra circulation. Every few feet i bridge the rows with a split. On top of the tarps i put some of next years splits on top, both sides every few feet. works well, but a shed would be nice