Waterproofing sheets

[Montanalocal]

I posted this in another thread, but now that I have tried it I want to start its own thread. It describes mixing pure silicon caulking with Naphtha to make a liquid waterproofing that can be applied to sheets, and presumably other fabrics to make them waterproof. I tried it and it seems to work. I put it over a part of my stacks, and after a good rain it is dry underneath, and it holds water as you can se from the second pic.

 

[Eman85]

WHY? between the price of caulk and naptha I can buy a tarp.

 

[Ashful]

I'm wondering what kind of kinky chit is going to drive anyone to see some need for waterproofing their sheets.

 

[Caw]

WHY? between the price of caulk and naptha I can buy a tarp.

Cool idea but yeah this was my thought as well.

 

[Montanalocal]

My experience with plastic based tarps is that they degrade rapidly in the sun, I can barely get two years out of them. I posted this just to get this technique on record here so people could try it on more durable materials, like canvas tarps.

 

[peakbagger]

I use the silver tarps from Harbor Freight to cover the front of my wood shed. They last several years, what does them in is I let it flap in the wind (its real windy in my area on occasion which breaks them down. I just lay down some scrap wood on either side of the trap and screw them to the wood shed posts and they do not flap.

BTW your solution is used occasionally by backpackers to try to get a few more years of life out of tents. Most nylon tents use a polyurethane coating, when it starts to break down is has a distinct odor. The nylon is still good so folks scrub off the polyurethane and than apply the diluted silicon. I think I read that the silicone 2 works better than standard silicone.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I'm wondering what kind of kinky chit is going to drive anyone to see some need for waterproofing their sheets.

What happens in the woodshed stays in the woodshed!

 

[sirlight]

I used a similar method to seal the seams on a homemade tent. This was for sealing seams on silicone coated nylon fabric. You just mix clear silicone caulk with mineral spirits. Just paint it on the seams and it seals the holes.