tying a tarp over a portable shed

[Warren Lake]

Have 2, 12 x 20 portable sheds. One three years on it and fine but getting weak. The other one has ripped in the first year. I put a 20 x 30 tarp over it, a thing some say to do anyway to extend their life saying the UV rays are what kills them.

I didnt do a great job anchoring it so its been pulled off a few times and some wet inside. What is the best way to anchor the tarp down. I know there are the things you turn into the ground but on one side lots of tree roots there. I had thought of Re bar then just weld some hooks to it, drive it in at an angle.

Second is rope the best or is their value in the cable used for bungy cords. I have that in bulk and have used in on the tarp on the truck then pulled it all tight below the truck or as low as possible. Question is if there is any advantage having the amount of give in that instead of rope, or even a combo of the two.

Now I have rope on one end and bungy on the other. Where I screwed up is jukst putting it around concrete blocks on the ground and not driving in some sort of anchor system. I think there are also turn in things from box stores that people use for dogs but havent seen how large they are again thinking tree roots on the one side.

thanks

[Tom M King]

Search "heavy duty white tarp 16mil" on ebay. I've had great luck with those lasting more years than I can remember. I cut treated wood stakes, and drive them in the ground at a suitable angle. Marlow 5/32" prestretch is a good, not too expensive yacht braid that will last years outside. I keep a whole spool of that for such various uses. I don't use bungees for much of anything.

http://www.dinghyshop.com/product/MPS.html

https://www.fisheriessupply.com/marlow-blue-8-plait-pre-stretched-dacron-braided-line

It's not exactly cheap, but cheapest in the long run. The stuff you buy in box stores is not as strong, and might last one year.

[Bill Dufour]

What is a portable shed?
Bill D

[Warren Lake]

the things that are on sale in almost every flyer from almost every consumer store every week. Shelter Logic the usual brand. Will find a photo later. tom had thought about wood stakes as well but figure something metal. Either pre made or rebar and Mcgiver weld on hooks so far. For some thing bungee are good having some stretch this maybe not one of them. Different story on the truck as its all pulled together under the truck. Truck not ideal to be out anyway and plan it goes into the portable shed when other stuff moved out. The silver tarp has ripped already but before that people tell me best to put a cheap tarp over the original to protect it from UV rays and it will last longer. Easier than putting on sun tan lotion.

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[Rick Potter]

There are sites on line that sell replacement covers for those canopies. I found that they don't last as long as the originals though. Try googling 'replacement covers for Costco canopies', or something like that.

As far as the little bungies that hold it on the pipes, I replaced them with zip ties. Worked great. Be sure to use black ones, as the white ones go brittle in the sun.

[Warren Lake]

no interest in that. Waste of money, printer cartridges same story. Ill replace wth a woven construction tarp before putting an original on. This one failed way too fast. they sit in boxes folded. The start to fail on the folds as they are already weakened.

[Mel Fulks]

If you glue a canvas tarp down and then paint it . It will last a long time . You are lucky if you get a year’s use from plastic tarps. You can
even use paint as the “glue” when using canvas. But I prefer Tite bond 2 glue. Old tried and true method that dates back to at least 1890 for porch floors.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

PVC! Vinyl tarps last and last. Unfortunately they are expensive. I am worried about the gentleman from Kentucky that needed to get his shed / shop covered before winter. I hope he is and his building are OK.

the previous tarp thread

Need some advice on fixin my old shop roof (https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?299985-Need-some-advice-on-fixin-my-old-shop-roof)

[Lee Schierer]

With the high winds and heavy snow loads common to your area, I would suspect you are not going to get long life from tarps nor portable sheds.

[Warren Lake]

im on the third winter on the first one with no tarp on top though for that one some other cedars block the sun a fair bit. The one I posted is full sun cedars behind it so no help. Those were all grown from seedlings to block out the scam called progress.

For the snow I just go inside and push up with a wide broom and knock the snow off. Ive invented a new exercise. Broom ups.

Did get to the store, decided rebar was good but they had just closed the area so tomorrow will do that and figure out what to weld on. Store guy said screw in things are useless wont screw in now from the ground being frozen. Said he has had terrible luck with them and hits roots and rocks. Then said his St Bernard just pulls them out. I said have you talked to him about it, he said yeah he doesn't listen.

Rebar is 1/2" and 5/8" asked him how deep and he said three feet, two for sure. It will go at an angle. Just have to figure out what to weld on, could even use some links of chain cut off. Its covered now and fine but if a wind comes up like before it will be at some neighbors place.

Mel I did see a you tube the other day but didnt watch it but the title was how to water proof any material. If i see it again will take a look. This all would have been fine if i had made a half assed attempt in the first place to tie it down better. When I get these in and figure what rope and how to tie then ill likely do the first shed thats still hanging in.

[Rick Potter]

I got tired of replacing canopies, and found a guy who does metal patio roofs. He used formed (sorta corrugated) steel panels that are used on metal buildings to replace the entire canopy. Using single sheets about 22' long and 3' wide, he had it screwed on in about two hours. Cost me $500.

I attached one side to a carport and ditched the posts on that side. The other side was lagged into the concrete slab. No wind problems, and it was up about 6 years until I gave it away to use the slab for a building.

[Mike Cutler]

If we’re talking about portable shelters, like those from Shelter Logic, Rick has the correct solution. It can also be done with translucent corrugated greenhouse roofing panels.
The cover/tarp on my Shelter Logic bldg. lasted less than 5 years. A replacement cover is almost as expensive as the cost of a complete bldg. Shelter Logic can keep their low quality covers!
If you don’t want to go the route of corrugated panels, then contact Sailrite, or Seattle Fabrics, and get marine quality material. You won’t save any money, but you now have a product designed to withstand the weather and sun for many years.

[Kev Williams]

Shelter Logic sells 5 year replacement 'canvas', costs more than the original shed does but worth the extra money.

If you want a tarp that'll almost last forever, PVC as Maurice mentions. Cheap versions: look for billboard pull-offs, they're roughly 14' x 45', around $100. And PVC cement will glue them together should you need to make a big tarp or piece one together to fit--

Tying down a tarp-- If your 'setup' allows, 1/2 gallon or gallon plastic containers filled 3/4 with water make great weights as hold-downs; fill them up, tie a 2' or so length of rope around the necks, tie the other end to a tarp clamp (the screw-down type are great)... fold the tarp's edge over and screw the clamp over the doubled up edge, almost impossible to tear apart the edge like grommets do... Just let the water bottles dangle, use as many as you think is necessary to keep the tarp in place. If the tarp's too big or long, just make a fold where you can and put a clamp over the fold, high enough so the bottle is off the ground. The weight of all the bottles will keep the tarp taut, freezing won't matter as long as the bottles aren't totally full and the lids are a bit loose so the air inside can move when the water expands. I've never had a tarp setup like this pulled down by the wind either. Just avoid gallon milk jugs, they biodegrade too quick :)

[John K Jordan]

…. Just have to figure out what to weld on, could even use some links of chain cut off. Its covered now and fine but if a wind comes up like before it will be at some neighbors place...

I just saw this, did you get it done yet? I made tie-downs for a friend long ago. I welded heavy washers the sides of rebar about 2’ long with the washer a few inches down from the top end. Drove them into the ground at an angle with a sledge hammer. Worked fine. He had long bungees with hooks on the ends.

For raising peacocks I use tarps stretched over galvanized roofs frame to cover 10x20’ cages. Each cage is two 10x10’ chainlink dog kennels joined together. The tarps are fastened to the chainlink sides with small bungees made for this. The cages and frames last forever but the tarps don’t. The only way I’ve found to extend the life of the tarps is to double up on them - those on top degrade from the sun and weather but protect the tarps below.

[Tom M King]

Those white 16 mil tarps are really good. I have one over a shavings trailer that I know is four years old, and it still looks like it did when I put it on, other than being a little dirty. I think the color must help a lot with UV damage. Stays a lot cooler underneath too.

[Warren Lake]

late yesterday got four of these welded up then painted. Re bar came with epoxy coating and found old trailer hooks loose. Looked at all kind of other hooks. Only issue here this will want to spin if hooked up to one side but okay as well.

Mig not used in a while pretty much out of gas, wire rusted, feed sputtered a few times, ground poor a few times, welding helmet misbahaved and after a few welds didnt darken so blast of light and could not see then it clamped down when i wasnt welding. Have a second better helmet so will bring that out. bought 8 foot rebars and cut 24" lengths, original plan would have been longer but think this is okay put in say at a 45 degree angle, placement and how its roped not sure yet. thanks for the rope posted. Have a simple hook thing that was with the bungy and not sure if its a useable thing or not but will find them and post.

Called a friend who had to store the car he built and its the same shed. He bought it used years back with almost 3 years on it and puts a light tarp on for two years then replaces it so the original silver tarp is at least 5 years old or more now. Kev thanks on the heavy duty, for now this is quick and simple fix. Will look it up and save, a thing no one has mentioned past. The tarp went back on days ago and no severe wind since so fine but talking a storm again by thursday or so.

I welded both sides then painted. Other ends were pointed 24" long.

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[David Publicover]

I’ve had pretty good luck with Princess Auto “Haystack” tarps when covering my boat. They often last a few years in a tough environment. I’d definitely avoid bungee cords as they allow things to move. No stretch line like Tom suggests is the answer. Rebar with a bent hook at the end would be a simple solution.
The 16mm pvc tarps seem ideal but are pretty heavy for my use. Around here, tying old netting tight over the tarp to prevent it from billowing is common.
Good luck!

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

guy up the road is known for some strange building techniques. He built a house from hay bales covered with cement. He made one or two storage buildings from blue foam boards. One has windows. The foam is taped together and then coated with something that looks like thick tan paint. One of them has a pair of windows.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Straw bale construction is no joke. One of the big advocates for the concept tried to prove it in our town. The town said "no way". He moved to the next county west and did a good job proving it there. He has since moved on to continue his collaboration with the Dennis Weaver crowd. His straw buildings gracefully adorn the hillside near our family's farm. There are several straw houses that are over 100 years old.

The Original Nebraska Straw Bale Buildings – The Sustainable Home (https://thesustainablehome.net/the-original-nebraska-straw-bale-buildings/)

[Warren Lake]

very nice farmer here has a lots of work delivering straw to construction sites to warm foundations.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I use 20 oz white PVC tarps to cover our boats. They are 8 years old and showing no sign of ware whatsoever. They are getting grey and a little dirty looking. The material is so heavy it does not blow around until winds get very strong. Simple tie downs keep them in place. They remain
100 % waterproof.
One of my upcoming chores is to create a cover for the Woodmizer. I am determined for it to have a steel roof.

[Warren Lake]

welded up four more stakes. Welding went better but still on this empty gas bottle or showing empty. Used the first welding hood and it worked better did clamp or auto darken when welding but then hung onto black for too long. Can that be a function of needing a new battery in the auto darken portion.

Found the second welding hood same brand but better, solar charged model. Sitting inside for years and not welded for a while. Is that the same story if the charge in the batteries is low does it do less auto darken? Also has an adjustment on the side which I assume is to make it darker or lighter to adjust for the type of welding flash.

both have a thing inside that you can move left or right, think that is for the speed it auto darkens. both do not want to move easily, I figured they would just slide side to side. Ill first try and find the manuals for these hoods as they are not in the computer.

[Tom M King]

Probably needs batteries, but if it has a Sensitivity dial, it may be turned up too high. Sounds like that slide switch may be sensitivity, which does control how it snaps back clear.

Side adjuster is usually how dark.

I would put new batteries in them anyway, if there is any question. Even solar models have batteries.

[Ole Anderson]

My son just replaced his original (ripped 4 YO) Shelter logic cover with one of their heavy duty versions. Much heavier. You want a vinyl cover, not a blue poly tarp.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Elliott just took just out a 3 year old super heavy duty polly tarp. The 8 year old PVC is still going strong and very tough.

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