The woodpile tarps from Northern Tool are heavy duty and sized properly (6 x 24, 8 x 32) for long stacks. They are waterproof and UV resistant (I can attest to the first, the second remains to be seen). I have 2, which went thru last winter and this one and are still in excellent shape. I just ordered another 8 x 32. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200596390_200596390
I have one from HD , I use to completely cover , mini shed/rack on my deck , heavy duty 10 mill thick , 2 years old , I would say will last quite a long time http://t.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1...d-Brown-Heavy-Duty-Tarp-HLD1012H-B/203711313/
I have used metal (from above ground pool side walls) which has been the best. Tarps which is the worst. In the middle, I have used lumber wrap which has worked pretty well - got it for free from a lumber yard (it was garbage to them). I had to pick over the pile of lumber wrap as some of it was torn up pretty good but I found a few that were in good shape. I put the black side out for appearance sake. I won't be buying any more tarps.
Look for old billboard tarps on Craigslist. I had good luck with them on large square bales of hay stacked outside on pallets. Pretty dang near as strong as truckers tarps.
^^ YEP^^ I score mine from the local Co-Op, they use the bunker plastic on the "ground bins". Not at all uncommon to score a piece 40' x 60' or bigger!! The stuff cuts easily like butter but won't tear, folds easy, dries quick,,last spring, the guys working there had started selling some on the side for beer money. I posted a pic in the Wood Shed thread of where I wrapped 3 sides of my shed in the stuff 3 or 4 years ago and it's still good a new.
I wonder how well Tyvek house wrap would work? I see it around here for $45 for a 5' x 100' roll, but you might be able to score partial leftover rolls for free.
Standard tarp rarely come in sizes that fit firewood stacks, so you need to either fold them, cut them, or cover more rows then is ideal for drying purposes. My suggestion would be to use the type of wood covering material that has been specifically designed for protecting wood from moisture. Lumber wrap.
Every once in awhile Costco will have some really nice heavy duty Brown/Blue tarps. They are slippery as heck for walking on but for covering wood they would be perfect. Half the price of the Northern tool best tarps. FYI
bassJAM & Paul bunion are talking about the same stuff I use. Clear greenhouse tarps. I have one 7'x8' piece used for a wind block. It's been getting the chit knocked out of it for 2 winters now and is still fine. Nice thing about the clear stuff, beside being tough, it's really slippery. UV resistant too. I think it's a vinyl base. Snow slides on it like crazy so clearing snow off stacks should be pretty easy if you're pulling wood during the winter. www.ysbw.com
True, which is why I like the wood pile tarps from Northern Tool. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200596390_200596390
Those may be nice tarps, but why buy for a fee, when you can get them for free? If you go to most lumber yards you'll find they just throw away the used lumber wrap when they sell all the dimensional lumber it came wrapped in and are happy to give it away. That lumber wrap material holds up better then most conventional tarps I've ever paid for, and call me crazy if you want, but for some reason I like the feeling of getting stuff for free.
I use bale tarp that I get from work for free. I used to use lumber wrap tarps because we get tons of them. They shred pretty easy and really don't last that long in the sun but the price is right. I can get lots of bale tarps from work with only a few holes in it. I keep my wood in skids, I just pull a few nails, tack up the tarp, refill the skids, drop the tarp back down and tack a few shingle nails in it. .
Actually I've had lumber wrap tarps that lasted 5+ years, which is about 4 years longer then most of those blue or orange hardware tarps I've used. They do make different grades of lumber wrap (woven, poly, etc), so perhaps you got a hold of some inferior stuff, or maybe the application you used them in allowed them to flap in the wind. Any tarp that is allowed to flap in the wind will fail prematurely. Anyway, the stuff you are using looks good, sounds like you got it for the right price too, and recycling used material is always good. Here's some info on lumber wrap material. http://www.lumberpackaging.com/
Most of our tarps for softwood are recyclable and break down fairly quickly. We do get the heavy ones on micro and paralams but they are narrow so I don't bother with them .
That's what I use mostly, I like that they are narrow. Actually by narrow I mean 5 ft wide, some I get are 50 ft long or more. Narrow tarps are generally more convenient for covering firewood stacks then square tarps. I don't use them to cover my firewood anymore ( I have a woodshed), but I still use the on my jobs as a stucco contractor. At 5 ft wide and 25 to 50 ft long they make great drop sheets, and because they are free I don't mind throwing them away when they get too messed up. This is the place I get most of mine.
The black tarps look like the bunker tarps I get from the Co-Op, does the stuff in that bin have the "micro weave pattern" in it? ,THE BEST material you'll ever find, imho.
