The most ideal material for top covering stacks of firewood?

[Lumber-Jack]

OK, we all know a proper woodshed is the most ideal place to store your firewood and keep it dry, but what do you think is the most ideal material for top covering your stacks.

Please include a response as to why you consider this material best, including reasons like availability, cost, durability, aesthetics, ease of use, safety, functionality, etc.... Oh, and as usual posting pictures is encouraged.

I've tried to include all the possible common materials I could think of that I've seen people use, but I may have missed something, so there is a "Other" option.

 

[RobertNH]

Right now I'm expediting drying with this cover.
(broken image removed)

Once dry, goes in my 'Cover-it' Garage (like this one.. ends open of course)
(broken image removed)

 

[chazcarr]

I voted other because for me, nothing beats a good wood shed. Hope that is staying within the spirit of the question.

 

[Jutt77]

I don't cover stacks out here. We don't get enough rain, pretty dry climate, lots of sunshine even during winter and the snow is generally low in moisture. That said, if I were back east I would source some used roofing membrane.

 

[Gboutdoors]

I used regular blue tarps the first two years but they did not last and fell apart after one season. Then last year I took remnant pieces of rubber roofing from the end of the rolls we sell and like it very much but it was still not what I was looking for.

Then this past winter I tried the wrap from lifts of lumber and found them to be very strong and easy to cut to size and at $0 cost you can't beat them. I now have five 20' pallets stacked and coverd with plastic trim board covers. They are made out of the same mateirial as the regular lumber traps but are made to cover 20' long by 4' wide by 1' deep pallets. Makes a nice neat job and cost again is $0.

I have also stacked the last pallet 1-2 splits higher in the middle row and it's working great at shedding off rain water. No puddles to blow off with the leaf blower that way.

 

[Highbeam]

Due to wind issues and the need to gradually roll up the top cover as I remove wood, the metal roof sections are only used on full rows. Once into the row, I use black 6 mil visqueen. It looks pretty good, rolls up nice, and easily lasts two years if you do a good job of preventing pokey wood from hitting it. Oh and I cut a 10 foot wide strip and double it over to cover a double wide row.

Would like to use a thick rubber roof type membrance but they just aren't as easy to find as black plastic from HD.

 

[bigbarf48]

I only have one covered stack, a "mini shed" that holds a cord. It's covered with corrugated metal roofing. You can't beat it for durability and protection. The biggest downside to metal roofing is cost. If you can get it used for free it's the perfect cover

 

[Charlie2]

I used regular blue tarps the first two years but they did not last and fell apart after one season. Then last year I took remnant pieces of rubber roofing from the end of the rolls we sell and like it very much but it was still not what I was looking for.

Then this past winter I tried the wrap from lifts of lumber and found them to be very strong and easy to cut to size and at $0 cost you can't beat them. I now have five 20' pallets stacked and coverd with plastic trim board covers. They are made out of the same mateirial as the regular lumber traps but are made to cover 20' long by 4' wide by 1' deep pallets. Makes a nice neat job and cost again is $0.

I have also stacked the last pallet 1-2 splits higher in the middle row and it's working great at shedding off rain water. No puddles to blow off with the leaf blower that way.

Top covering looks good, but that's one righteous chicken coop!

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Yes Gboutdoors has a very nice looking chicken coop.
However, I think this is the very first Firewood display cabinet I've ever seen.

 

[Gboutdoors]

I was thinking the same thing about the wood display and was wondering how it vents to let the moisture out. Only thing missing is a sign with a price per cord. He could be on to something here. Truly seasoned DRY wood as shown.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

Cant beet rubber roofing. wont tear, doesn't blow off, easily removable, heats up in the sun, stays water proof, easily stored, makes no noise, can't blow off and break something. I can't see a single downfall.

 

[RockyFordOak78]

I use the white wrap that new boats come in. A family member works at a boat dealer, so it's free... First year burning, so I don't know how long they hold up... Been doing good through 4 months so far!

 

[TradEddie]

I've tried Undurago(?) brand corrugated roofing on top of my single row racks and have been very pleased with it. Tarps tear and get chewed by mice and squirrels, and always generate a low spot where rain and dirt accumulate. I also tried some left-over roofing shingles mounted on plywood, it looks good but was far too heavy.

TE

 

[BrotherBart]

If you use tarps or sheet plastic to cover stacks, put sheets of cardboard under them to keep movement from the wind from shredding them when the wind move them.

Rubber roofing is king.

 

[Rossco]

I have a large shed but I also have other storage areas.

I use chip-board but will water proof it.

 

[Jutt77]

OK, we all know a proper woodshed is the most ideal place to store your firewood and keep it dry, but what do you think is the most ideal material for top covering your stacks.

Please include a response as to why you consider this material best, including reasons like availability, cost, durability, aesthetics, ease of use, safety, functionality, etc.... Oh, and as usual posting pictures is encouraged.

I've tried to include all the possible common materials I could think of that I've seen people use, but I may have missed something, so there is a "Other" option.

Has anyone used Tyvek? Very tough stuff, not sure how it would do with prolonged UV exposure.

 

[Applesister]

METAL roofing sheets
Someone on here wrote, "if its free its for me" and I adopted the motto. My father did some commercial demolition work and he piled the scrap at the farm. I'm voting for what I have on hand that's free. Cant beat that stuff that's just laying around, its so logical.

 

[Brewmonster]

Recycled billboard material. Not free but very durable and easy to handle.

 

[Poindexter]

I woulda voted free if it was an option. I started with tarps, they lasted most of one season for me.

This year I am using 6mil visqueen same as a previous poster. I found enough of it to cover a tennis court at a garage sale for five bucks. It is sensitive to pokey pieces of wood, but nearly free is good.

If I came into some metal roofing I would use it until I got my woodshed built and then roof the shed with it.

 

[PDXpyro]

I noticed that plywood wasn't getting much love in this contest, so had to add my vote in favor of it. Lately I've been buying sheets of thin exterior plywood and ripping them in half lengthwise, giving two 2'x8' pieces per sheet. I then prime and paint these 2x8 sections and use them to cover my single-row stacks, tilting the stacks and their plywood covers a bit in order to channel runoff in the desired direction.

Sure it's not free, and takes a bit of fuss to paint them, but these should last for decades and are aesthetically attractive as well... I can paint them to blend with the surroundings and have had some fun dabbling in camouflage attempts. (Hint: a lot of places sell "mis-mixed" paint for a fraction of its retail price, if you keep your eyes peeled for appropriate colors.)

Doing the math, with 16" wood splits it'd take about 1-1/2 sheets of plywood to cover a cord of wood stacked four feet high, allowing a few inches' drip space at the ends of the stacked splits. I'll be caught up by next year in terms of painted sheets needed to cover the five or so cords that we have stacked at any one time, and these should easily last for the rest of my lifetime. A few artfully arranged rocks on top to guard from wind gusts, and we're good to go!

 

[jillybeansisme]

Ignoramus asks . . . what is rubber roofing (I get that it is rubber) ? I've never heard of it or seen it, but I have used rubber pond lining years ago (for a pond). Is it the same thing? Do you lay it right on top of the wood or over a board over the wood? Should it dangle down the sides or simply come to the edge of the stack?

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Ignoramus asks . . . what is rubber roofing (I get that it is rubber) ? I've never heard of it or seen it, but I have used rubber pond lining years ago (for a pond). Is it the same thing? Do you lay it right on top of the wood or over a board over the wood? Should it dangle down the sides or simply come to the edge of the stack?

Yes the rubber roofing membrane is essentially the same thing as pond liner (EPDM). Although they do sell a specific "pond" liner product, many people building ponds just use the epdm roofing membrane because it is cheaper and essentially the same thing.
It certainly would make a good material for covering wood, the only draw back would be is that it is fairly expensive if you had to buy it, and it's not as easy to find the used stuff as say lumber wrap.
I imagine the people using it most often just drape it over the top of their stacks like tarps or lumber wrap.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I'm surprised there aren't more pictures in this thread, I though members like showing off their stacks?

 

[osagebow]

I scored a bunch of corrugated of CL. Love it. Have 1 piece of rubber roof, thinking about a koi pond though.

Like PDX'S idea. Have 5 gal of old Brown paint somewhere.

 

[nrford]

Used conveyor belting is what I use.