Tarp Adhesive?

[firebroad]

I have been using heavy vinyl tarp material to cover my stacks. I cut them a little wider than the length of the splits, then attach one side to the posts and roll along to the other side, then weight it down with bricks/logs/whatever. Works pretty well, but I would like to not have to use two or more pieces for my 32ft. (or more) stacks. I have tried duct tape (useless) double-sided outdoor tape(also useless), Gorrilla Tape (slightly better). I found some tarp tape at the TSC, and thought it would be the one, but even that becomes unglued under hot sun.
Anybody have any ideas?

 

[Jack Straw]

How about this http://www.easyklip.com/? I got some plastic clips that snap onto tarps that you can hook a bungee cord to at a hardware store quite a few years ago....never did use them.
In these parts a tarp= a 20 year roof and sometimes siding.

Good luck!

 

[fossil]

The only foolproof solution that comes to mind is to have them sewn together by somebody with a heavy duty sewing machine...any sailmakers around? Rick

 

[firebroad]

The only foolproof solution that comes to mind is to have them sewn together by somebody with a heavy duty sewing machine...any sailmakers around? Rick

I though about sewing them (I have a good machine), but I was concerned that the needle punches would just make an easy-tear row of perforations! The tarps are plastic, not canvas.
I guess I could get kit and make snaps--but I was hoping to seal them together like one solid piece. Guess I will have to just fork over the $$ for larger tarps

 

[fossil]

...The tarps are plastic, not canvas...

Oops, that went right over my head...never mind the sewing idea.

 

[Gark]

Sorry, firebroad- I must be missing something here. The stack length can be longer than the strips of 'tarp' material no problem? We overlap the strips by a couple of feet & weight them down on top like you said. If the last strip is too long for that stack, just double it over. Seems to work pretty well. Why the need to attach the strips together?

 

[bogydave]

Sandwich between to 1/2" or 3/4" strips of wood ,
Staple each end to a strip of wood, sandwich together, roll/fold 180° & nail together with roofing nails.
Got a picture of the covered stacks?

 

[fossil]

Sandwich between to 1/2" or 3/4" strips of wood ,
Staple each end to a strip of wood, sandwich together, roll/fold 180° & nail together with roofing nails...

Yeah, that'd work. I think I'd just use 1/4" lath & 1/2 staples...skip the roofing nails. Rick

 

[chuckie5fingers]

I have been using heavy vinyl tarp material to cover my stacks. I cut them a little wider than the length of the splits, then attach one side to the posts and roll along to the other side, then weight it down with bricks/logs/whatever. Works pretty well, but I would like to not have to use two or more pieces for my 32ft. (or more) stacks. I have tried duct tape (useless) double-sided outdoor tape(also useless), Gorrilla Tape (slightly better). I found some tarp tape at the TSC, and thought it would be the one, but even that becomes unglued under hot sun.
Anybody have any ideas?

there is a tool out there(nothern tool has it ) that punches eyelets into tarps. You could do that and then just zip tie them together. That would be my mcgyver solution....
good luck
chuck

 

[weatherguy]

Im cutting a 12' x 20' in half to make a 6' x 40' to cover my stacks, I was just going to do what Dave suggested with a piece if furring strip.

 

[firebroad]

Sorry, firebroad- I must be missing something here. The stack length can be longer than the strips of 'tarp' material no problem? We overlap the strips by a couple of feet & weight them down on top like you said. If the last strip is too long for that stack, just double it over. Seems to work pretty well. Why the need to attach the strips together?

the reason I want them to be one unbroken piece is because when the wind whips up, the unbroken sheets seem to hang on better, and when the rain puddles it tends to trickle down into the open sections. I think I will take bogyDave's advice, staple it to the strips and then tape over that.

 

[cptoneleg]

I have been using heavy vinyl tarp material to cover my stacks. I cut them a little wider than the length of the splits, then attach one side to the posts and roll along to the other side, then weight it down with bricks/logs/whatever. Works pretty well, but I would like to not have to use two or more pieces for my 32ft. (or more) stacks. I have tried duct tape (useless) double-sided outdoor tape(also useless), Gorrilla Tape (slightly better). I found some tarp tape at the TSC, and thought it would be the one, but even that becomes unglued under hot sun.
Anybody have any ideas?

Yep, stop wasting your time covering, let the wind and sun have at it.

 

[firebroad]

Yep, stop wasting your time covering, let the wind and sun have at it.

We get rain every day. It is not a waste of time to cover the top, but thank you for your advice.

 

[cptoneleg]

We get rain every day. It is not a waste of time to cover the top, but thank you for your advice.

Carroll county Md. gets no more rain than Warren County Va. So Good Luck to You, We got 3" of rain yesterday and the wood is bone dry right now, wind, sun, evaporation, usually about 2 hours after rain.

 

[bogydave]

2 days of rain so far, wish I had coved mine.
The wood "Gurus" here say it'll be dry in 2 years not covered. I'm testing their hypothesis & enduring pain of watching the rain soaked wood get rained on more
No sun here for a couple weeks, wind & rain though, not sure leaving it uncovered is working.

Few more weeks like this &" I'm calling in my test" & gonna make some kind of top cover

 

[blacktail]

I almost always cover the tops. I have clear plastic drop cloth left over from painting my house and cut it so that it'll drape over the row by 4-6" on the long sides. Then I take a staple gun and staple it to the ends of a few splits.

 

[Blue Vomit]

the reason I want them to be one unbroken piece is because when the wind whips up, the unbroken sheets seem to hang on better, and when the rain puddles it tends to trickle down into the open sections. I think I will take bogyDave's advice, staple it to the strips and then tape over that.

Firebroad,
How about making your 32' long row into 2 16' rows cribbing both ends. The cribbing makes the rows more stable and the open crisscross ends allows much more airflow to dry those ends that get wet when the rain trickles down in between. You could even leave some room in between the rows if you are that concerned about the water.
I usually crib my ends about every 15' or so. My stacks are filled with twisted bent uglies and I can use all the stability I can get.
Good luck.
To each their own but I think it looks better as well.

 

[firebroad]

Firebroad,
How about making your 32' long row into 2 16' rows cribbing both ends. The cribbing makes the rows more stable and the open crisscross ends allows much more airflow to dry those ends that get wet when the rain trickles down in between. You could even leave some room in between the rows if you are that concerned about the water.
I usually crib my ends about every 15' or so. My stacks are filled with twisted bent uglies and I can use all the stability I can get.
Good luck.
To each their own but I think it looks better as well.

Sounds like a good idea, I will do that next time.
In an effort to save on materials, I used cribbing every eight feet, with one row butted against the other, making a continuous row. Also, there is limited room for the stacks, and most of it is under trees--not the best place, but the way my little half acre of heaven is laid out, the sunny bits are either in the front of the house (not visually pleasing, also in view of state road 91), or on the side, where it is on a hillside and still very open to public view. not that I mistrust my neighbors, but I would rather not openly tempt anyone looking to help themselves to my hard work. As I am not home over eleven hours during the workweek, I would rather shield my four cords in the back.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

The heat shrink plastic they use on boats is about the same price as as tarps and lasts a lot longer. A friend of my brothers made a frame with conduit then shrunk the plastic over it and its held up for a few years. I got some and plan on making light weight roof sections with either pvc pipe or 1x1 wood furring strips. For a roof I can take on and off myself for my lumber drying piles. But I am thinking of making some for my wood piles too.