Anyone use BillBoardTarps? First time for me

[HeatsTwice]

After 30 years of using 3 mil tarps which only last 2-3 years, I've decided to try the very thick tarps sold by https://www.billboardvinyls.com/
Has anyone else tried them out?

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[Duds13]

I ordered a 14' X 48' earlier this year and have been impressed so far. We'll see how it holds up after a couple of years. My plan is to cut it into 2' wide pieces for single stack rows.

 

[HeatsTwice]

I ordered a 14' X 48' earlier this year and have been impressed so far. We'll see how it holds up after a couple of years. My plan is to cut it into 2' wide pieces for single stack rows.

That's exactly what I did. I also am similarly impressed with the thickness. Very tough. Not likely to get holes punched in it by the sharp edges of the wood on top of the pile.

 

[begreen]

For tough tarps, I have used pond liner. There are also tarps used by the trucking industry that are heavy duty.

Dump Truck Tarp Systems, Flatbed Tarps, Tarp Replacement Parts from Carolina Tarps

carolinatarps.com

 

[MRD1985]

I’ll have to keep these in mind for the future

 

[Dajolu]

I like the idea that it is reproposed, is there going to be an advertisement on one side?

 

[Duds13]

I like the idea that it is reproposed, is there going to be an advertisement on one side?

Sure is! Mine has a big Movado watch on it with the name of a jewelry store, lol

 

[Dajolu]

How much thicker are they? May be a good cover for my boat. The standard brown tarp I got from the hardware store was in shreds by the end of the season. I had it draped over a frame on top of my boat. The wind wore it down. And the little snow we got.

 

[Duds13]

How much thicker are they? May be a good cover for my boat. The standard brown tarp I got from the hardware store was in shreds by the end of the season. I had it draped over a frame on top of my boat. The wind wore it down. And the little snow we got.

They are much more heavy duty than tarps you can buy in a hardware store. It would make an excellent boat cover

 

[begreen]

Standard tarps are not built to stand up to weather and sun. They are lightweight and often lack UV protection. Truck tarps are meant to stand up steady 60mph winds and all day sun for several years.

 

[4x4prepper]

> May be a good cover for my boat.

Not good for boats or RVs, they do not breath. It will just build up mildew. Moisture always gets in unless you shrink wrap the boat.

A good tarp for the above should keep water out and let air (moisture vapor) out.

With solid vinyl tarps, moisture can collect on the underside of the tarp and be literally dripping wet, especially when used for drying green wood.

The farther down on the wood pile the tarp goes the more moisture it retains. Though I do cover my sheds with whatever including bill board tarps in a squeeze, there is an air gap between the wood and shed room and even with the tarp coming down 6 or so inches beyond the edges, air can still circulate through the pile and over the wood.

The wood is off the ground on pallets or IBCs, with a tarp on the ground under them. This breaks ground contact for ants and termites (GA thing) and lets ground water run off without moisture building up under the wood and losing the first layer or so.

imho, Best place for a build board tarp would be under the wood, especially if on pallets, to prevent the bottom of the pile rotting with direct ground contact.

I have given up on finding a good tarp and just build firewood sheds or cover the IBCs with a plastic roof made from the container or throw a tarp over it.

 

[Montanalocal]

Those truck tarps are long-lasting because they are canvas, not any kind of plastic. I get canvas tarps at my local Ace store. They are mixed in with the plastic ones, and are about twice the price, but mine have lasted.

 

[HeatsTwice]

They are much more heavy duty than tarps you can buy in a hardware store. It would make an excellent boat cover

I wrote to the company asking for a sample of the material and they sent it. I then compared it to the thickest tarp I had bought at Ace Hardware. It was EASILY twice as thick although I don't have a micrometer handy to report exact numbers. Anyway after I got mine, I pulled the trigger and bought a 48'x24' tarp the next day.

You might write to https://www.billboardvinyls.com/ to get your own sample. I think you will be a believer after you get one.

 

[HeatsTwice]

> May be a good cover for my boat.

Not good for boats or RVs, they do not breath. It will just build up mildew. Moisture always gets in unless you shrink wrap the boat.

A good tarp for the above should keep water out and let air (moisture vapor) out.

With solid vinyl tarps, moisture can collect on the underside of the tarp and be literally dripping wet, especially when used for drying green wood.

The farther down on the wood pile the tarp goes the more moisture it retains. Though I do cover my sheds with whatever including bill board tarps in a squeeze, there is an air gap between the wood and shed room and even with the tarp coming down 6 or so inches beyond the edges, air can still circulate through the pile and over the wood.

The wood is off the ground on pallets or IBCs, with a tarp on the ground under them. This breaks ground contact for ants and termites (GA thing) and lets ground water run off without moisture building up under the wood and losing the first layer or so.

imho, Best place for a build board tarp would be under the wood, especially if on pallets, to prevent the bottom of the pile rotting with direct ground contact.

I have given up on finding a good tarp and just build firewood sheds or cover the IBCs with a plastic roof made from the container or throw a tarp over it.

"With solid vinyl tarps, moisture can collect on the underside of the tarp and be literally dripping wet, especially when used for drying green wood."

Nope, the amount of moisture collecting under tarp would not be enough to affect the BTU content at all. I've used polypropylene plastic sheeting (which does not breath) for over 60 years and never had the problem you've described. The amount of water required to "push" water back into dry wood, would not only require a lot of exposure but also a lot of time. Also firewood pokes thousands of holes into polypropylene plastic sheeting.

"This breaks ground contact for ants and termites (GA thing) and lets ground water run off without moisture building up under the wood and losing the first layer or so."

Na, you are right about the bugs, but if you flip the bottom layers of wood (which are in contact with the ground) onto another small "wet" pile, it can be burned later that year or the next after it dries out. The benefit of doing this is avoidance of the hassle involved in pallet procurement, moving to your property, laymen and disposal of the old rotten ones after a few years. Plus if your first layer is elevated by bark (shed during the splitting process), and sawdust, then contact with underflowing water is minimized because water flows underneath and through that very porous layer. And over time such bark and saw dust biodegrades into great garden mulch (thanks to the aforementioned bugs).

I like to work smart, inexpensively , and timely. A little thought goes a long way to accomplish this - at least for my feeble mind (and back).

 

[blades]

current billboard tarps are about .9mm thick, 10 years ago or so they were .15mm thick, industry changed. due to digital billboards this material is getting harder to find and prices have risen ( whats new).
spacers so they are not directly on the splits and a bit of overhang is the best way , Just tossing them on top works ok but in either case got to strap or weigh them down. i have had the billboard tarps for 10 years, but they are starting to get broken down by UV.