No Tarps.... Just plastic....

[DexterDay]

I used Tarps last year... This year, I am using some thick black plastic. Its 3' wide and I am cutting at 20' long to go down the sides....

My Tarps ripped last Winter within a couple months. I used a little lighter plastic under all stacks (under tarps) last season and it lasted much longer than the tarps. Even after they were ripped and removed... Although I did use A LOT OF STAPLES!! This plastic is only 1 mil thicker. But I used more staples and went all the way down the side.

I will be rotating the stock and filling the Shed. But till then, this will work. We have had almost no rain and we have to be due to get it soon???

Im still looking at other options. Such as metal roofing over the stacks or plastic ridged roofing...


But I its done..... My next woodshed will not be a converted Dog Kennel (See my old thread! It really was) and will be much bigger! Last pic is tarps from last year (all 8 racks ended up covered, but cant find a pic)....

 

[Shadow&Flame]

Looks good. Hope it holds up for you. I have never used tarps...wind blows all the time where I am and they just wont stay. If I tie them down it just rips them to shreds.

 

[onetracker]

damn. those stacks are works of art.

hey dex check out:

http://repurposedmaterialsinc.com/store/products/billboard-tarps/

i've been thinking about buying one of these billboard tarps and cutting it to fit my stacks. they are advertised as being much more durable that standard tarps and probably about the same price per sq/ft. they're designed to withstand temperature extremes, wind and sun. if i could get my finacial head above water i'm gonna get a big one and use it to cover my pile of rounds (2014/15) for the winter.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Now I call that woodpile OCD! That's some beatiful work, I'm feeling really inadeqate all of a sudden.

 

[bogydave]

Sweet. Looks great, neat & well organized.
Wish I had the patience to do work like that.
Nice shed !

Like you, fairly dry wood & rain coming, I should've covered mine, even if temporary.
Hope it works out for you & you get it thru the rainy season nice & dry .

Looking forward to seeing the new shed pictures

 

[weatherguy]

Dexter, can I buy the black plastic in 5 or 6 foot wide rolls? and if yes where did you get it? Im going to try something new this year too and you just gave me a good idea.

 

[DexterDay]

Shadow&Flame- My tarps were "shredded" within a month or so last year. So I removed them and left the thinner 3 mil black plastic on them.. It held up till the end of the season. So here is to hoping this thicker stuff does a better job. And last year, I left the ends open. Lots of rain and snow comes in those ends.. Lots. So that should help.

Onetracker- Wow, I never knew about that stuff. They have it in lengths that would work perfect. 4' wide would hand down 6" more on each side. Thanks for the link. Definitely gonna look into that. Thats some heavy duty chit.

MrWhoopee- Thanks.. There are many more beautiful stacks, by other members here. My OCD feeds off of here Almost all of my "ideas" have come from another member. So I thank everyone out there for there OCD woodpile disorder

BogeyDave- Your stacks (outside and shed/ you have a real shed) are most definitely works of art! Both inside and outside...

Weatherguy- I got the plastic at a local hardware store. It comes in numerous widths x lengths. Along with different thicknesses (3 mil, 4 mil, 5 mil, etc) Big Box Stores should carry a width that fits your needs. A slap stapler helps put it down in very short order. Hope that helps.. I think Im gonna look into the Billboard material that onetracker posted above..

 

[fahmahbob]

I gave up on wide tarps a few years ago, when I found some 2' x 18' tarps online. They're perfect for wood piles. They don't catch the wind nearly as easily as the wide tarps, and they're much easier to move out of my way as I burn my way through my wood. I've yet to lose one on a windy day, and no tears (yet). It's pretty much what you've done by cutting the plastic to a manageable width I think.

 

[ROVERT]

Off cuts of rubber roofing are very durable and wind resistant. There's a local builder's supply company here that holds consignment auctions every other month where contractors (or anyone for that matter) can sell materials they didn't use. Good size pieces of rubber roofing can usually be found for very good prices. If there are not similar sales in your area, you could check with local roofers to see if they would be willing to sell some of there off cuts.

 

[TimJ]

Obviously, you know what you want in regards to your wood but it seems alot more wood could go in the wood shed itself

 

[Ashful]

Those 3' wide rolls of black plastic are exactly what I use, although I just put a few rounds on top of each pile to hold the plastic in place. It works well enough, is quick, and cheap.

 

[mepellet]

There is a local plant nearby that a relative works at that manufactures rolls of ths stuff car manufactures use to line the trunks of cars with. If the roll is out of spec, meaning maybe it was a couple feet too short or something like that, it gets tossed. Its about 4' wide, waterproof and obviously pretty thick. I plan on getting a roll sometime soon and using that. But for now, it's just a junky old tarp....

 

[golfandwoodnut]

Dexter those stacks are beautiful but I have to say I think it is overkill. If you have a shed I do not even think you have to cover the outside stacks as wood is not a sponge and will dry quickly when put in the shed. I use rubber roofing over mine. I found a flat roofer who often has to replace roofs and he had tons he wanted to get rid of. I took all I could handle. I only cover the stacks I plan on using the following winter, plus maybe the next year, as I am not worried about the other stacks getting wet. But I do enjoy the OCD, anal, what ever you would like to call it look.

 

[thewoodlands]

Looks great Dex, I'll stick with the tarps until they are ruined.

zap

 

[ScotO]

I just found out the local demolition company (who also has a warehouse of reclaimed, UNBELIEVABLE antique architectural building supplies) has a chitload of rubber roofing scraps and ends.......some of them very large, and all very CHEAP! I'm going to go down some afternoon this week to gather up what I need for my stacks. Then I will re-use it when I build my firewood "kiln"....yes I opted to design something more like a kiln, that will get built when I tear my small barn down to make way for my new polebuilding in a year or two (I'm hiring the Amish to build that damm thing, I'm about wore out for a while). Anyway, I like that rubber roofing for a cover. I plan on buying some OSB when it goes on sale at Lowe's or Home Depot, I'll put that on top of the stacks first, so the cordwood doesn't poke holes through the roofing when there is snow and ice loaded up on it.

 

[DexterDay]

I just found out the local demolition company (who also has a warehouse of reclaimed, UNBELIEVABLE antique architectural building supplies) has a chitload of rubber roofing scraps and ends.......some of them very large, and all very CHEAP! I'm going to go down some afternoon this week to gather up what I need for my stacks. Then I will re-use it when I build my firewood "kiln"....yes I opted to design something more like a kiln, that will get built when I tear my small barn down to make way for my new polebuilding in a year or two (I'm hiring the Amish to build that damm thing, I'm about wore out for a while). Anyway, I like that rubber roofing for a cover. I plan on buying some OSB when it goes on sale at Lowe's or Home Depot, I'll put that on top of the stacks first, so the cordwood doesn't poke holes through the roofing when there is snow and ice loaded up on it.

Definitely looking into some rubber and/or billboard material.

The shed is about 10 x 10 and can hold a little over 3 cord...... Its just hard to keep rotating it

Thats why a much bigger shed is in order. I have a 30 x 40 building in the back. I stored a few cord in it last year. That is jow whats in the racks.... Its just 100 yards from the house Little to far away for firewood storage.

A shed with 8-10 cord capacity is in the future

 

[infinitymike]

Dexter,

I think your racks are so impressive... I copied them!

If the plastic doesn't hold up, try this...I screwed 1/2" plywood directly on top of the racks letting it hang over about 18" on all sides
and then laid a tarp over it stapling to the underside of the overhanging plywood. It has held up for a year now.

Its no a great picture but I'm sure you get the idea.

Since that picture I've added 4 more racks and will be just adding more plywood and a larger tarp.

 

[DexterDay]

Dexter,

I think your racks are so impressive... I copied them!

If the plastic doesn't hold up, try this...I screwed 1/2" plywood directly on top of the racks letting it hang over about 18" on all sides
and then laid a tarp over it stapling to the underside of the overhanging plywood. It has held up for a year now.

Its no a great picture but I'm sure you get the idea.

Since that picture I've added 4 more racks and will be just adding more plywood and a larger tarp.

Nice.... But I copied them from other members. Which is one of the highest forms of flattery.

Looks great............

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I just found out the local demolition company (who also has a warehouse of reclaimed, UNBELIEVABLE antique architectural building supplies) has a chitload of rubber roofing scraps and ends.......some of them very large, and all very CHEAP! I'm going to go down some afternoon this week to gather up what I need for my stacks. Then I will re-use it when I build my firewood "kiln"....yes I opted to design something more like a kiln, that will get built when I tear my small barn down to make way for my new polebuilding in a year or two (I'm hiring the Amish to build that damm thing, I'm about wore out for a while). Anyway, I like that rubber roofing for a cover. I plan on buying some OSB when it goes on sale at Lowe's or Home Depot, I'll put that on top of the stacks first, so the cordwood doesn't poke holes through the roofing when there is snow and ice loaded up on it.

Scotty, don't bother with the OSB, that rubber roofing is pretty much indestructible and will form to the shape of your stacks hanging over the edges. You can cut it to size easily with a pair of scissors or any other cutting tool. The rubber roofers just use scissors. You still have to be careful with them blowing off so you have to put some uglies or something on top. I think with OSB they would blow off even easier.

 

[infinitymike]

Scotty, don't bother with the OSB, that rubber roofing is pretty much indestructible and will form to the shape of your stacks hanging over the edges. You can cut it to size easily with a pair of scissors or any other cutting tool. The rubber roofers just use scissors. You still have to be careful with them blowing off so you have to put some uglies or something on top. I think with OSB they would blow off even easier.

Yeah your right that stuff is pretty tough. But if you have racks like me and dexter then I would suggest the osb plywood with the rubber nailed down with roofing nails. Or I guess you could just lay it over the open stacks, pull it over the edge and put a few nails into the ends of the cordwood. That would keep it from blowing off.