Are you currently trying to find something to cover the wood that you have just chopped, making sure that the rain and snow cannot saturate it before spring? Maybe you are working on a job such as painting the interior of your house, and you would prefer using something a little more durable than plastic. A top choice with many people for these types of projects, and many more, is to use what is called a tarpaulin.
Depending upon the country that you are in, they are sometimes referred to simply as tarps, or even a hooch, but they are designed in very similar ways. This article will address the different types that are out there, and exactly what are heavy duty tarpaulins are used for today.
- What Is A Tarpaulin?
These are essentially large sheets of flexible and water resistant material that are made of different types of material including cloth, canvas, or even polyester that is coated with something called urethane. Many of them actually have grommets that are reinforced so that they can be used out in the wilderness as a makeshift type of tenant. They can easily be tied down, allowing them to stay in place, even in the strongest winds.
The ones that are the least expensive tend to be made of polyethylene, ones that you can usually pick up at your local hardware store. Now that you know a little bit more about what a tarpaulin is, let’s look at what they are used for.
- What Are Tarpaulins Used For?
On a very basic level, they are used to cover a multitude of different things, acting as a barrier between the object or people that you are protecting from sunlight, wind and rain. If you are doing any type of masonry work, and you are waiting for the concrete to dry and solidify, these are placed over the top of your project, allowing it to not be affected by the elements.
If you have ever seen a baseball game, or even a tennis match, where it is important that the grass does not get wet, you will see enormous ones pulled over the ground. Additionally, they can be used for scaffoldings, or even painted on to provide some type of advertisement, a material that has many different uses.
- Different Types Of Tarpaulins
There are several different types of tarpaulins that you can purchase, some of which we have already discussed. They are made of vinyl, canvas, and polyethylene. They are typically classified by their size, measured by links and width, and come in a multitude of different colors including silver, black, green and blue. If there are prominence on the tarpaulins, they are typically made of stainless steel, whereas the cheaper models are made of aluminum. Depending upon their use, the grommets can be spread 18 inches apart, and up to 5 feet, with some of them only having grommets on the four corners.
The type of material that is most common is polytarp, and this is also called polyethylene. It is essentially a woven laminate sheet material, made of strips of polyethylene plastic. These are very popular not only because they are inexpensive, but they are absolutely waterproof. They can last for years, yet the better choice for longevity will come with heavy duty tarpaulins made of vinyl.
- What Are Heavy Duty Tarpaulins Used For?
These are actually used for industrial projects, and are not only waterproof but abrasion resistant. Depending upon their construction, they can resist damage from mildew, grease and even acid, and are used on many different reasons including industrial, construction and agricultural projects. The color of the tarp is representative of the thickness of the material.
Blue tarpaulins are considered to be light duty tarps, coming in that only .14 mm in thickness. For heavy-duty jobs, and super heavy-duty, these are silver and brown, respectively. These range in thickness from .29 mm to .41 mm in thickness, making them perfect for any industrial job that you have in mind.
- How To Get The Best Prices
In order to get the best prices on heavy duty tarpaulins, you will likely want to do your research on the web. This will allow you to find local home improvement stores, or other specialty outlets, that provide this type of product. Most of them will have the blue tarpaulins, and for a very affordable price. You may have to search a little longer to find the ones that are silver or brown for your heavy-duty project. It is best to purchase them from a company that allows customers to place their comments about the different products that they sell every day. Simply choose the one that not only has an excellent price in comparison to all of the others, but also has the most positive feedback in regard to their durability and price.
Now that you know a little bit more about tarpaulins, what the colors mean, and what they are used for, you will be able to choose the best one for your project that is coming up, even if you need a heavy duty tarpaulin that is either silver or brown for a major project related to your business. Using this information on what are heavy duty tarpaulins used for, you will be able to choose the right one for your project and obtain it for the lowest price possible.