Four Kinds Of Tarpaulin Material, And The Benefits Of Each

Tarpaulin material, or simply "tarp" for short, is a stretch of product with multiple purposes, the most common of which is to keep rainwater off of or out of something. The word tarpaulin itself is a really old word from Old World sailing days but has only recently in the last several decades been shortened to tarp. Additionally, the transformation of a tarp's substance material has dramatically changed over time as well. There are at least four main types of tarp material, each with their own benefits. 

Canvas

This is what tarps used to be made of. You can still by nautical tarps of canvas, and they are most effective for sheltering important goods and products onboard a ship. Water may rarely touch the canvas, but seawater, with its high salt content, will first wet the tarp and then turn into a salt layer/covering. The water that gets into the tarp evaporates, but the canvas fibers retain the salt crystals from the ocean water, eventually creating a waterproof layer. Bits of the canvas tarp heavy-laden with salt can be placed in meat and fish barrels to create a preservation brine, if you are going to be at sea a long time.

Tar-Covered Canvas

Sailors used canvas as a tarp in one other way. The canvas is heavy-duty enough to be used alone, but when it is covered in tar or pitch, it is completely impenetrable. This kind of canvas tarp is excellent for keeping powdery substances from getting wet, which usually makes the powdery substances useless. If you store powdered food goods like flour, milk, powdered eggs, etc., in giant wood barrels, or if you store a reserve of gun powder in wood barrels, then this is exactly the type of tarp you need to keep it all as dry as possible. 

Poly-Poly

Poly-poly tarps are so nicknamed for their woven polyester fibers coated with polyurethane. They are very durable, slightly stretchy, and totally waterproof. They are also the most common type of tarp you can buy, and you can purchase them just about anywhere that outdoor and sporting goods are sold. Hardware stores will sell them, too.

Polyethylene 

Not to be confused with the poly-poly, the polyethylene tarp is made from chains of plastic material sourced from ethylene glycol. It will have a sort of gas-like odor to it when unfurled, but it will air out eventually. It is entirely plastic, with no real cloth fibers involved, and it is the cheapest type of tarp you can buy. However, it also functions quite well as a protective cover for everything you want to keep dry. In a pinch, it makes an excellent tent to cover you in a rainstorm. 

If you need tarp, reach out to a company like Rhino Tex that will be able to provide more information.

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