Tried building a sunshade sail with cheap harbor freight tarps vs actual shade cloth in phoenix last july lol

Figured a tarp is a tarp right? Big mistake. The cheap one rotted and fell apart in like 2 months. The shade cloth has held up over a year now through monsoons and everything. Didnt realize how much uv destroys regular tarps till i saw the difference. Anyone else learned this the hard way?

2 comments

2 Comments

seanlewis26d ago

Did you actually use the right grommets and tension on that cheap tarp though? Most people hang them too loose and let them flap around which breaks down the material way faster than UV alone. I've had a regular blue tarp last 3 years in Tucson just by keeping it tight and checking it after storms.

reeselewis25d ago

You said "checking it after storms" which I think is way more important than people realize. But here's what I'm wondering - are you actually replacing the grommets when they start to go, or just re-tensioning the same ones? I ask because I've had the brass grommets pop right out of the plastic on a "heavy duty" tarp after one good windstorm (which totally shredded the tarp in about 20 minutes). And do you use those rubber washer things under the bungee ball to spread out the pressure, or just go straight through the grommet?