Tarpaulin
Encyclopedia
A tarpaulin, colloquially tarp, is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas
or polyester coated with urethane
, or made of plastic
s such as polyethylene
. In some places such as Australia
, and in military slang, a tarp may be known as a hootch. Tarpaulins often have reinforced grommet
s at the corners and along the sides to form attachment points for rope
, allowing them to be tied down or suspended.
Inexpensive modern tarpaulins are made from woven polypropylene
; this material is so associated with tarpaulins that it has become colloquially known in some quarters as polytarp.
The word tarpaulin originated as a compound of the words tar and palling, referring to a tar
red canvas pall
used to cover objects on ships. By association, according to one theory, sailors
became known as tarpaulins and eventually tars
.
When used for a tarpaulin, the word hoochie (also hootchie, hootch, or hooch) comes from the Japanese
uchi (家, "house"). Huts
in various parts of rural
Asia
are known by this or similar names, and during the Korean
and Vietnam
Wars English
-speaking soldiers came to use the word to refer to their own makeshift shelters, which often consisted of little more than a tarpaulin.
In British English, the word is normally pronounced "TAR-paul-in". An American pronunciation would be "TAR-pole-in". A colloquial variation adds a vowel sound, resulting in the pronunciation, "tar-POLE-ee-in".
In the mid-19th century, "paulin" was used for such a cloth; here General Rosecrans tells a subordinate how to improvise a boat:
Tarpaulins have multiple uses, including as shelter from the elements, i.e., wind
, rain
, or sunlight
, a ground sheet or a fly
in camping
, a drop sheet for painting
, for protecting the infield of a baseball field
, and for protecting objects, such as unenclosed road or rail goods carrying vehicle
s or wood piles. Such was the demand for tarpaulins by the New South Wales Government Railways
, up until 1990, they operated their own tarpaulin factory. It is also used on outdoor market stalls to provide some protection from the elements of nature.
Tarpaulins are also used for advertisement printing, most especially for billboards.
Another historical use of a tarpaulin is to cover seats in a stadium that would most likely not be sold except against a marquee opponent. An example of this use is the tarp used to cover end-zone seats at Floyd Casey Stadium
, home football field of the Baylor Bears football
program. The stadium has a physical capacity of 50,000 seats but normally limits sales to 46,000, except against notable opponents such as Texas A&M, Texas, and Oklahoma at which time the tarp is removed and the additional seats sold to accommodate the increased attendance. The entire third deck of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is also covered in tarp for Oakland Athletics
games, but is uncovered for Oakland Raiders
games.
of woven and sheet material. The center is loosely woven from strips of polypropylene
plastic, with sheets of the same material bonded to the surface. This creates a fabric-like material that resists stretching well in all directions and is waterproof. When treated against ultraviolet
light, these tarpaulins can last for years exposed to the elements, but non-UV treated material will quickly become brittle and lose strength and water resistance if exposed to sunlight.
Polypropylene tarpaulins have also proven to be a popular source when an inexpensive, water resistant fabric is needed. Many amateur builders of plywood
sailboat
s turn to polypropylene tarpaulins for making their sails, as it is inexpensive and easily worked. With the proper type of adhesive tape
, it is possible to make a serviceable sail
for a small boat with no sewing
.
, or for protection on scaffoldings, the aim of the perforations (from 20% to 70%) is to reduce wind vulnerability.
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
or polyester coated with urethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
, or made of plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
s such as polyethylene
Polyethylene
Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...
. In some places such as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and in military slang, a tarp may be known as a hootch. Tarpaulins often have reinforced grommet
Grommet
thumb|right|250px|Some rubber grommets.A grommet is a ring inserted into a hole through thin material, such as fabric. Grommets are generally flared or collared on each side to keep them in place, and are often made of metal, plastic, or rubber. They may be used to prevent tearing or abrasion of...
s at the corners and along the sides to form attachment points for rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
, allowing them to be tied down or suspended.
Inexpensive modern tarpaulins are made from woven polypropylene
Polypropylene
Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...
; this material is so associated with tarpaulins that it has become colloquially known in some quarters as polytarp.
History
Tar
Tar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...
red canvas pall
Pall
Pall may refer to:* Pall , a cloth used to cover a coffin* Pall , a Y-shaped heraldic charge* Pall , a piece of stiffened linen used to cover the chalice at the Eucharist* Pall Corporation, a global business...
used to cover objects on ships. By association, according to one theory, sailors
Sailors
Sailors is the plural form of Sailor, or mariner.Sailors may also refer to:*Sailors , a 1964 Swedish film*Ken Sailors , American basketball playerSports teams*Erie Sailors, baseball teams in Pennsylvania, USA...
became known as tarpaulins and eventually tars
Jack Tar
Jack Tar was a common English term used to refer to seamen of the Merchant or Royal Navy, particularly during the period of the British Empire. Both members of the public, and seafarers themselves, made use of the name in identifying those who went to sea...
.
When used for a tarpaulin, the word hoochie (also hootchie, hootch, or hooch) comes from the Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
uchi (家, "house"). Huts
Hut (dwelling)
A hut is a small and crude shelter, usually used for dwelling. Its design favors local techniques and materials to allow for swift and inexpensive construction.-Modern use:...
in various parts of rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
are known by this or similar names, and during the Korean
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
Wars English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking soldiers came to use the word to refer to their own makeshift shelters, which often consisted of little more than a tarpaulin.
In British English, the word is normally pronounced "TAR-paul-in". An American pronunciation would be "TAR-pole-in". A colloquial variation adds a vowel sound, resulting in the pronunciation, "tar-POLE-ee-in".
In the mid-19th century, "paulin" was used for such a cloth; here General Rosecrans tells a subordinate how to improvise a boat:
"A boat has been ordered up, but to make sure a large paulin will be sent down to you, with which, spread under a lot of wagon-beds, you will be able to make a large scow."
(War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, series 1, volume 5, page 260, November 1861)
"Two wagon beds ... were placed upon frames ... Thus constructed, they were placed upon a duckCotton duckCotton duck , also simply duck, sometimes duck cloth or duck canvas, commonly called "canvas" outside the textile industry, is a heavy, plain woven cotton fabric...
paulin, which was drawn up tightly around the beds and secured."
(same, page 275)
Uses
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
, rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
, or sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
, a ground sheet or a fly
Fly (tent)
A fly refers to the outer layer of a tent or to a piece of material which is strung up using rope as a minimalist, stand-alone shelter. In basic terms, a fly is a tent without walls. Purpose-made stand-alone flies are also sometimes referred to as bivouacs, bivvies, tarpaulins, or hootchies...
in camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, a drop sheet for painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, for protecting the infield of a baseball field
Baseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
, and for protecting objects, such as unenclosed road or rail goods carrying vehicle
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
s or wood piles. Such was the demand for tarpaulins by the New South Wales Government Railways
New South Wales Government Railways
The New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...
, up until 1990, they operated their own tarpaulin factory. It is also used on outdoor market stalls to provide some protection from the elements of nature.
Tarpaulins are also used for advertisement printing, most especially for billboards.
Another historical use of a tarpaulin is to cover seats in a stadium that would most likely not be sold except against a marquee opponent. An example of this use is the tarp used to cover end-zone seats at Floyd Casey Stadium
Floyd Casey Stadium
Floyd Casey Stadium is a stadium in Waco, Texas. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Baylor Bears. Floyd Casey Stadium is about four miles from the Baylor campus. Floyd Casey Stadium was built in 1950 and cost $1.8 million dollars to construct...
, home football field of the Baylor Bears football
Baylor Bears football
The Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.-History:...
program. The stadium has a physical capacity of 50,000 seats but normally limits sales to 46,000, except against notable opponents such as Texas A&M, Texas, and Oklahoma at which time the tarp is removed and the additional seats sold to accommodate the increased attendance. The entire third deck of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is also covered in tarp for Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
games, but is uncovered for Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
games.
Polypropylene
A polypropylene tarp ("polytarp") is not a traditional fabric, but rather, a laminateLaminate
A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an...
of woven and sheet material. The center is loosely woven from strips of polypropylene
Polypropylene
Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...
plastic, with sheets of the same material bonded to the surface. This creates a fabric-like material that resists stretching well in all directions and is waterproof. When treated against ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
light, these tarpaulins can last for years exposed to the elements, but non-UV treated material will quickly become brittle and lose strength and water resistance if exposed to sunlight.
Polypropylene tarpaulins have also proven to be a popular source when an inexpensive, water resistant fabric is needed. Many amateur builders of plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
sailboat
Sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
s turn to polypropylene tarpaulins for making their sails, as it is inexpensive and easily worked. With the proper type of adhesive tape
Adhesive tape
Adhesive tape is one of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive. Several types of adhesives can be used.-Types:Pressure sensitive tape...
, it is possible to make a serviceable sail
Polytarp sails
Polytarp sails refer to sails constructed from rectangular polyethylene tarpaulins. Home boat builders often favor these synthetic sheet sails because the materials are inexpensive and easy to assemble into functional, durable sails....
for a small boat with no sewing
Sewing
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era...
.
Perforated tarpaulin
Typically used for large medium advertisingAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, or for protection on scaffoldings, the aim of the perforations (from 20% to 70%) is to reduce wind vulnerability.
See also
- Basha (tarpaulin)Basha (tarpaulin)A Basha is a waterproof canvas or plastic sheet with eyelets or loops on the perimeter, which is used in camping, outdoor, or military situations to act as a shelter, in the form of an impromptu tent and/or groundsheet, usually supported with rope or even bungee cords attached to trees.-Military...
- Fly (tent)Fly (tent)A fly refers to the outer layer of a tent or to a piece of material which is strung up using rope as a minimalist, stand-alone shelter. In basic terms, a fly is a tent without walls. Purpose-made stand-alone flies are also sometimes referred to as bivouacs, bivvies, tarpaulins, or hootchies...
- Gym Floor CoverGym Floor CoverGym floor covers can either be a carpet-based protection system or is a large plastic tarp, similar to a painters tarp, usually divided into equal sections wide each to cover up the entire gym floor...
- Loue (tent)Loue (tent)A loue is an ultra-light Finnish open tent used to give shelter from wind and rain during rest stops or over-night camping during hikes...
- TentTentA tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
- Tarp tentTarp tentA tarp tent is a tarpaulin, a plastic or nylon sheet, used in place of a tent. It is usually rigged with poles, tent pegs, and guy lines. Ultralight backpackers use tarp tents because they are lightweight compared to other backpacking shelters....
- VisqueenVisqueenVisqueen is a power pop/punk rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 2001. It is named after a brand of polyethylene film that United States Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge once recommended as a defense against bioterrorism....