As mentioned in nearly every post on this blog, tarps have several uses and a recent article in Seacoast Online lists many uses for a blue tarp. Although, generally, a polyethylene tarp has been the material of choice due to its protective properties, other tarps are available, and in the case of this article about tarp uses, the tarp in use is a polypropylene tarp that the author claims he found at a hardware store. Polypropylene makes up the material for many mesh tarps but this material, when solid, is as effective as a medium-duty poly tarp. As a result, many of the uses for a tarp this author mentions involves temporary use, not permanent use as an outdoor canopy.
The first use the author found for these tarps was as a cover for an outdoor patio renovation project. In many instances, these types of tarps are useful, as they keep out both the water and UV rays from the sun when applied properly. Similarly, tarps like this are used in construction to keep heat in a certain area and are used in painting to protect objects not being painted.
The second use mentioned is camping. The tarp in this instance wasn’t used as a tent but, instead, as a canopy covering and also as a ground covering. Often, medium-duty tarps are used for camping to protect a campsite from being rained on – and this includes both the tent and the ground area around the tent – and from becoming mud or making any equipment wet by being used on the ground.
A third use mentioned is the most common use for any type of tarp: a canopy. In this article, the uses for a tarp involved covering wood piles, motorcycles, and cars, but a tarp, when properly secured, can cover nearly anything temporarily. With poly tarps, this can be long term use. Aside from these three mentioned, tarps can cover boats and RVs when not in use and, when used with a steel canopy, can act as a shed.
