Canvas tarps are an alternative to polyethylene tarps and are used for different purposes. A canvas tarp is made with 100-percent cotton duck and coated with paraffin for water and mildew. The main benefits of a canvas tarp are that they have a longer lifespan and are more environmentally friendly than a tarp made from plastic materials. In addition, Kanvak is used to treat the cloth material to make it more water repellant. However, a canvas tarp is used differently than a poly tarp and, in some situations requiring covering, is more effective.
With a paraffin coat and Kanvak-treated fabric, a canvas tarp has many of the same properties as a poly or any other plastic tarp, except the nature of cotton makes it more breathable. This aspect makes it ideal for an outdoor cover for wood piles, hay, or farm equipment. Like a poly tarp, a canvas tarp can keep out the moisture and mildew and the weave and natural properties of cotton allow for more air circulation than a poly or plastic tarp. However, although a canvas tarp can protect your investments from mildew and moisture, the outside of the tarp may build up mildew and other molds with prolonged use and will need to be replaced. Canvas tarps shouldn’t be used as an outdoor canopy or truck tarp, either, as the material can shrink when exposed to the elements.
What canvas tarps are best suited for is painting. A canvas tarp makes the ideal drop cloth for indoor house painting, as it is thick enough to remain stationary – which is crucial when painting around stairs and furniture – and acts like a floor mat. The material is thick enough so that paint drops won’t seep through and damage your carpet or wood floors, and the thickness of the material will allow it to stay in place so that when you paint, you won’t need to worry about slipping on the surface of the tarp.
