Canvas Vs. Other Tarp Materials

Canvas is heavy and expensive, but makes a study, durable tarp.

Tarpaulins, sometimes shortened to tarps, can be made from a variety of materials. Depending on the application, you most likely would use a polyethylene, mesh or canvas tarp, notes Tarps Plus, a tarp retailer. Those three substances are most widely employed as tarps. Polyethylene -- known as poly -- tarps come in several colors. Canvas tarps typically are white, brown or green, according to Tarps Plus.

Canvas

Canvas tarps are used by painters as drop cloths.

Canvas tarps are woven from natural or synthetic fibers. Natural fiber canvas tarps have been used for hundreds of years. Most often, canvas tarps are used as drop cloths by painters and to cover loads on large trucks. Canvas tarps are not waterproof, heavy and, typically, more expensive then poly and plastic tarps. They are, however, very sturdy.

Polyethylene

Poly tarps, because they are waterproof, are used to keep out rain.

Poly tarps are made from a synthetic polymer reinforced with a nylon thread and have a reinforced tape edge. Poly tarps are highly flexible, tough and chemical resistant. Poly tarps are completely waterproof and inexpensive compared to canvas.

Mesh

Mesh tarps help diffuse wind.

Mesh tarps, made from nylon threads weaved with a screen-like material, are used in applications where water or air needs to pass through the tarp. Often, mesh tarps are used to diffuse wind without completely sealing out the air. You will find mesh tarps along tennis courts, used for landscaping or at construction sites.

References

• Tarps Plus: Learn more about the different tarps available here