So I hoard and burn firewood to save money. I have been using heavier duty painters plastic to cover. I staple it to the sides with a 6 to 10 inch overhang. It seems to last only about 2 years without disintegrating. What is the cheapest easiest thing to get hold off to cover firewood that will last?
I agree. Tarps and rolled plastic would be cheaper up front. Over the course a decade or more some metal roof panels would be cheaper, and wouldn’t need to be replaced for probably 30 or 40 years. Maybe even longer.
I just can't see myself doing the up front cost of metal. 20 bucks a sheet, 2 per cord stack, right now I need 20 sheets. I can't seem to find it free or used near me.
I got some metal from a buddy that took down a above ground pool. Cut it into 8 foot sections. It isn’t the prettiest but it gets the job done and the price was right.
Put an ad on CL or FB Marketplace. It could be old metal with a few nail or screw holes. One piece is probably only worth a dollar in scrap value. Offer to pay a few bucks a sheet. They may end up giving them to you.
I use these 16mil 6x20 tarps. They are not cheap, but they are heavy duty, waterproof and holding up well.
i lucked out finding 25 sheets of metal roofing for $5 a sheet 5-6 years ago. I would have preferred free but $5 wasn’t bad. there was a mix of 10’ and 12’ long. there were a total of about 35 sheets available and was told that someone else was coming to grab whatever I didn’t take, so I left some for the next person. Fast forward and this past spring someone was selling similar roofing for $1 per sqft. So $20 for the 10 footers and $24 for the 12 footers. Rusty corrugated flooring. 40 sheets in all with a 25% discount if someone bought it all. I made an offer for $0.50 per sqft. No reply. Shortly thereafter, the post disappeared.. someone must have bought it all for the asking price.. I was kicking myself for not paying the asking price right away. Point is, I love my metal roofing that is covering my stacks.. absolutely zero hassles and I would consider paying $30 per 12’ sheet now for the longevity and easy. Cheap isn’t easy and easy isn’t cheap.. perhaps you can barter some firewood for used roofing or sell some wood to pay for it.. yes, one of the reasons we burn wood is to save money. But time is money and messing with inferior ways of covering your stacks takes time away from doing other things like processing more firewood. Start with a couple 12’ sheets. Stack a cord and a half under them and then sell some of your seasoned wood to pay for them. Once they are paid for, buy a couple more 12’ sheets... the other suggestion of posting something on Facebook or Craigslist is a good one, but asking for free metal roofing is kind of like someone offering free firewood and all you have to do is take down the tree, avoid the house, power lines, pool and kids playground. Oh and you have to clean up the brush too... if you can get over the psychological hump and pay for something that works well, I think you will be happier in the long run.
When old barns were being dismantled around here , mostly to scavenge the old huge beams, there was a lot of used galvanized roof panels to be had. Now that that glut of supply has dried up anyone that has some used panels seems to think they are worth almost the price of new and I guess they get it or there's panels sitting around rotting away. Long term - a shed. Short term - tarps/plastic while keeping a lookout for used roofing materials. A couple guys here have used round wood to make some well put together shelters. I have some used greenhouse corrugated panels but it is a bit too windy here for them to be used like I have tried to use them- in a temporary fashion. I might have gotten some more service life out of them by using them more permanently but end of life was why the greenhouse grower was replacing them.
Metal or rubber roofing IF you can find it free. Plenty of builders I know that have large ply pieces to dump. Ask.
Best place to look is old farms; especially really old buildings that need tearing down or have fallen down. The roofing we have came from an old hog barn; an old cow barn and an old building in one of our township cemeteries. Yes, I tore some of these down and some were just given to me. Not all the roofing we have is pretty, but then, it is also not stacked where others even see it, unless they come here for a GTG. I even put one sheet on the wood rack we have on a side porch.
Stop by your local truss company or lumber store. Anyone that buys lumber in bulk will probably have tarps that the lumber comes wrapped in. They often have small rips or tears but are easily patched, hold up a year or more, and are usually happily given away for free.
Dennis has it. Sad to say, but all those big barns here Downeast with metal roofs are long gone and dumped. We look. The only reliable solid covers for us ( never tarps, never ) are large scraps of ply, rubber roofing, OSB, or fiberglass.
The cover sheets that come on new stacks of metal roofing work well. Heavy plastic and probably free if you you stop into a pole barn jobsite
Is there a gravel pit in your area? I have one near me and I asked the owner if he had an old conveyor belt laying in the weeds. He did. It was 36 inches wide. It works great and will never rot away. I cut some of the good part off and made a work bench cover. With a little armor all it shined up nice!
Some of the stuff I use/have used for top cover -Pool liners or the skirting from an above ground pool -corrugated barn metal -cover sheets from grain bins (millwright shop down the road) -plastic liner from IBC totes -Plastic liners from 55gal metal drums -billboard tarps -rubberized roofing from a flat roof -corrugated plastic election signs/seed signs -tyvek housewrap (check with local builders- some won’t keep the ends of rolls
