Finding light canvas

[W. eWatson]

Canvas I've found in our small town to 12K people has been fairly thick and heavy. I've used some 8x10' sheets for equipment I leave outdoors; however, there are time when I want to cover piles of good quality dirt to prevent weeds from growing on it. I don't need heavy canvas for that. I do have one 4x6' sheet with grommets in the corners that is light. I'm not sure it's water proof, but that many not matter for my application. Perhaps Amazon, Wall-Mart, Costco, Home Depot or other big stores sell it. Ideas?

[Frank]

Might look at Typar non-woven polypropylene fabric. It is used in landscaping.

[Tegger]

"W. eWatson" wrote in news:k93gq5$c9q$1@dont- email.me:

Nobody in your town sells vapor-barrier plastic? That stuff is available in really wide widths, and sometimes by the foot rather than the roll.

[W. eWatson]

[W. eWatson]

See remarks above posts about "plastic".

[gregz]

I guess even harbor freight quit selling it. The last one I bought was a bit too heavy and stiff.

Greg

[Tegger]

"W. eWatson" wrote in news:k93ovm$nql$ [e-mail]:

How many decades are you planning on leaving this stuff? If you want something that's going to last decades -- or even a couple of years -- in direct contact with wet soils, then cotton canvas is NOT your answer. In those cases, you want something non-organic, like a petroleum product. Like "plastic".

Vapor barrier "plastic" (heavy LDPE) is pretty durable, even in sunlight. You'll get several years out of it, at least.

Polypropylene tarps are almost as good, but they're "plastic" as well.

Farm-supply places (should be easy to find in your area, no?) sell weed- control fabrics that are biodegradable. Problem is, they're also "plastic". And they're biodegradable, which makes them just like cotton canvas.

Or is your objection to "plastic"...political...?

[HeyBub]

Harbor Freight has (plastic) tarps in a huge variety of sizes. They come in blue, camo, and silver. Really cheap. Shipping is less than $7.00.

[harry]

Old carpet?

[Frank]

You are generally correct but Typar was designed for this purpose. In googling, I did find a very similar product but reading reviews said it did disintegrate in sun light. I definitely would not use any old black plastic sheet.

[W. eWatson]

My objection to plastic used for tarps is they disintegrate easily and spread their fiber in any wind, thereby making a mess.

As I said above, I have a 4x6' canvas (I think it's canvas. I have no idea if it's cotton. It looks tougher.) that works fine. It's been covering a pile of dirt for 3 years and shows no sign of wear.

We are facing three storms over the next five days. One is in progress as I write. When it's over, I'll take that sheet to a h/w store and ask them what it's made of.

BTW, I live in something of a rural area, and a fair number of animals wander around--particularly deer. If a deer walks on a plastic tarp, they often get punctured and start to shred in the wind.

[Tegger]

"W. eWatson" wrote in news:k95rbn$i3g$ [e-mail]:

Take a cigarette lighter to it (on a corner or hem). If it's a natural fiber, it will scorch. If plastic, it will melt.

If it melts, smell the fumes. Do they smell like candle wax? Sulphur? Other?

They may not be able to tell. A farm-supply place may be a better bet.

Point taken. Then you need a woven fiber of some kind. I have personally found that what is most important is how well the sheet is secured. If there's any sort of looseness, the wind will eventually make shreds of the fabric. If the sheet is snug and tight and does not flap in the wind, it will last a lot longer. Spikes and rocks help a lot.

I still don't think a natural fiber is what you need. Synthetics were developed partially as an answer to natural fibers' shortcomings.

[gregz]

They still have boating cover and other places where I live, but it's going to cost.

the heavy duty ones at harbor freight are pretty thick polyethylene.

Greg