# The most ideal material for top covering stacks of firewood?



## Lumber-Jack (Sep 25, 2014)

OK, we all know a proper woodshed is the most ideal place to store your firewood and keep it dry, but what do you think is the most ideal material for top covering your stacks.

Please include a response as to why you consider this material best, including reasons like availability, cost, durability, aesthetics, ease of use, safety, functionality, etc....  Oh, and as usual posting pictures is encouraged.

I've tried to include all the possible common materials I could think of that I've seen people use, but I may have missed something, so there is a "Other" option.


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## RobertNH (Sep 25, 2014)

Right now I'm expediting drying with this cover.






Once dry, goes in my 'Cover-it' Garage  (like this one.. ends open of course)


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## chazcarr (Sep 25, 2014)

I voted other because for me, nothing beats a good wood shed.  Hope that is staying within the spirit of the question.


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## Jutt77 (Sep 25, 2014)

I don't cover stacks out here.  We don't get enough rain, pretty dry climate, lots of sunshine even during winter and the snow is generally low in moisture. That said, if I were back east I would source some used roofing membrane.


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## Gboutdoors (Sep 25, 2014)

I used regular blue tarps the first two years but they did not last and fell apart after one season. Then last year I took remnant pieces of rubber roofing from the end of the rolls we sell and like it very much but it was still not what I was looking for.

Then this past winter I tried the wrap from lifts of lumber and found them to be very strong and easy to cut to size and at $0 cost you can't beat them. I now have five 20' pallets stacked and coverd with plastic trim board covers. They are made out of the same mateirial as the regular lumber traps but are made to cover 20' long by 4' wide by 1' deep pallets. Makes a nice neat job and cost again is $0.

I have also stacked the last pallet 1-2 splits higher in the middle row and it's working great at shedding off rain water. No puddles to blow off with the leaf blower that way.


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## Highbeam (Sep 25, 2014)

Due to wind issues and the need to gradually roll up the top cover as I remove wood, the metal roof sections are only used on full rows. Once into the row, I use black 6 mil visqueen. It looks pretty good, rolls up nice, and easily lasts two years if you do a good job of preventing pokey wood from hitting it. Oh and I cut a 10 foot wide strip and double it over to cover a double wide row.

Would like to use a thick rubber roof type membrance but they just aren't as easy to find as black plastic from HD.


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## bigbarf48 (Sep 25, 2014)

I only have one covered stack, a "mini shed" that holds a cord. It's covered with corrugated metal roofing. You can't beat it for durability and protection. The biggest downside to metal roofing is cost. If you can get it used for free it's the perfect cover


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## Charlie2 (Sep 25, 2014)

Gboutdoors said:


> I used regular blue tarps the first two years but they did not last and fell apart after one season. Then last year I took remnant pieces of rubber roofing from the end of the rolls we sell and like it very much but it was still not what I was looking for.
> 
> Then this past winter I tried the wrap from lifts of lumber and found them to be very strong and easy to cut to size and at $0 cost you can't beat them. I now have five 20' pallets stacked and coverd with plastic trim board covers. They are made out of the same mateirial as the regular lumber traps but are made to cover 20' long by 4' wide by 1' deep pallets. Makes a nice neat job and cost again is $0.
> 
> I have also stacked the last pallet 1-2 splits higher in the middle row and it's working great at shedding off rain water. No puddles to blow off with the leaf blower that way.



   Top covering looks good, but that's one righteous chicken coop!


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## Lumber-Jack (Sep 25, 2014)

Yes Gboutdoors has a very nice looking chicken coop.
However, I think this is the very first Firewood display cabinet I've ever seen.


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## Gboutdoors (Sep 25, 2014)

I was thinking the same thing about the wood display and was wondering how it vents to let the moisture out. Only thing missing is a sign with a price per cord. He could be on to something here. Truly seasoned DRY wood as shown.


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## STIHLY DAN (Sep 25, 2014)

Cant beet rubber roofing. wont tear, doesn't blow off, easily removable, heats up in the sun, stays water proof, easily stored, makes no noise, can't blow off and break something. I can't see a single downfall.


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## RockyFordOak78 (Sep 25, 2014)

I use the white wrap that new boats come in. A family member works at a boat dealer, so it's free... First year burning, so I don't know how long they hold up...  Been doing good through 4 months so far!


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## TradEddie (Sep 25, 2014)

I've tried Undurago(?) brand corrugated roofing on top of my single row racks and have been very pleased with it. Tarps tear and get chewed by mice and squirrels, and always generate a low spot where rain and dirt accumulate. I also tried some left-over roofing shingles mounted on plywood, it looks good but was far too heavy.

TE


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## BrotherBart (Sep 25, 2014)

If you use tarps or sheet plastic to cover stacks, put sheets of cardboard under them to keep movement from the wind from shredding them when the wind move them.

Rubber roofing is king.


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## Rossco (Sep 25, 2014)

I have a large shed but I also have other storage areas. 

I use chip-board but will water proof it.


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## Jutt77 (Sep 25, 2014)

Lumber-Jack said:


> OK, we all know a proper woodshed is the most ideal place to store your firewood and keep it dry, but what do you think is the most ideal material for top covering your stacks.
> 
> Please include a response as to why you consider this material best, including reasons like availability, cost, durability, aesthetics, ease of use, safety, functionality, etc....  Oh, and as usual posting pictures is encouraged.
> 
> I've tried to include all the possible common materials I could think of that I've seen people use, but I may have missed something, so there is a "Other" option.



Has anyone used Tyvek?  Very tough stuff, not sure how it would do with prolonged UV exposure.


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## Applesister (Sep 25, 2014)

METAL roofing sheets
Someone on here wrote, "if its free its for me" and I adopted the motto. My father did some commercial demolition work and he piled the scrap at the farm. I'm voting for what I have on hand that's free. Cant beat that stuff that's just laying around, its so logical.


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## Brewmonster (Sep 25, 2014)

Recycled billboard material. Not free but very durable and easy to handle.


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## Poindexter (Sep 26, 2014)

I woulda voted free if it was an option.  I started with tarps, they lasted most of one season for me.

This year I am using 6mil visqueen same as a previous poster.  I found enough of it to cover a tennis court at a garage sale for five bucks.  It is sensitive to pokey pieces of wood, but nearly free is good.

If I came into some metal roofing I would use it until I got my woodshed built and then roof the shed with it.


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## PDXpyro (Sep 26, 2014)

I noticed that plywood wasn't getting much love in this contest, so had to add my vote in favor of it.  Lately I've been buying sheets of thin exterior plywood and ripping them in half lengthwise, giving two 2'x8' pieces per sheet.  I then prime and paint these 2x8 sections and use them to cover my single-row stacks, tilting the stacks and their plywood covers a bit in order to channel runoff in the desired direction.

Sure it's not free, and takes a bit of fuss to paint them, but these should last for decades and are aesthetically attractive as well... I can paint them to blend with the surroundings and have had some fun dabbling in camouflage attempts.  (Hint: a lot of places sell "mis-mixed" paint for a fraction of its retail price, if you keep your eyes peeled for appropriate colors.)

Doing the math, with 16" wood splits it'd take about 1-1/2 sheets of plywood to cover a cord of wood stacked four feet high, allowing a few inches' drip space at the ends of the stacked splits.  I'll be caught up by next year in terms of painted sheets needed to cover the five or so cords that we have stacked at any one time, and these should easily last for the rest of my lifetime.  A few artfully arranged rocks on top to guard from wind gusts, and we're good to go!


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## jillybeansisme (Sep 26, 2014)

Ignoramus asks . . . what is rubber roofing (I get that it is rubber) ?  I've never heard of it or seen it, but I have used rubber pond lining years ago (for a pond).  Is it the same thing?  Do you lay it right on top of the wood or over a board over the wood?  Should it dangle down the sides or simply come to the edge of the stack?


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## Lumber-Jack (Sep 26, 2014)

jillybeansisme said:


> Ignoramus asks . . . what is rubber roofing (I get that it is rubber) ?  I've never heard of it or seen it, but I have used *rubber pond lining years ago (for a pond)*.  Is it the same thing?  Do you lay it right on top of the wood or over a board over the wood?  Should it dangle down the sides or simply come to the edge of the stack?


Yes the rubber roofing membrane is essentially the same thing as pond liner (EPDM). Although they do sell a specific "pond" liner product, many people building ponds just use the epdm roofing membrane because it is cheaper and essentially the same thing.
It certainly would make a good material for covering wood, the only draw back would be is that it is fairly expensive if you had to buy it, and it's not as easy to find the used stuff as say lumber wrap.
I imagine the people using it most often just drape it over the top of their stacks like tarps or lumber wrap.


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## Lumber-Jack (Sep 26, 2014)

I'm surprised there aren't more pictures in this thread, I though members like showing off their stacks?


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## osagebow (Sep 26, 2014)

I scored a bunch of corrugated of CL. Love it.  Have 1 piece of rubber roof, thinking about a  koi pond though.  

Like PDX'S idea. Have 5 gal of old Brown paint somewhere.


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## nrford (Sep 27, 2014)

Used conveyor belting is what I use.


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## Applesister (Sep 27, 2014)

Lumber-Jack said:


> I'm surprised there aren't more pictures in this thread, I though members like showing off their stacks?


Men like showing off their wood, women are more discreet... ha ha ha...not!


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## Applesister (Sep 27, 2014)

Havent gotten phone figured out yet.


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## Lumber-Jack (Oct 2, 2014)

Well according to this poll, metal roofing is the most ideal firewood covering material. Frankly I find that odd.
I can understand people using whatever they have on hand, but I would think when you have actually go out and acquire something to cover your stacks I would think metal roofing would be way down on the list, and as far as safety is concerned I would think metal roofing would also be at the bottom of the list. Metal roofing often rips off roofs in wind storms all the time, how much more would it be prone to fly off stacks of wood where it is likely just weighted down with a few splits of wood.
As I say, I can see people using it if they happen to have it on hand, but I just can't see it being the most "ideal" material for covering wood stacks.


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## Highbeam (Oct 2, 2014)

Lumber-Jack said:


> Well according to this poll, metal roofing is the most ideal firewood covering material. Frankly I find that odd.
> I can understand people using whatever they have on hand, but I would think when you have actually go out and acquire something to cover your stacks I would think metal roofing would be way down on the list, and as far as safety is concerned I would think metal roofing would also be at the bottom of the list. Metal roofing often rips off roofs in wind storms all the time, how much more would it be prone to fly off stacks of wood where it is likely just weighted down with a few splits of wood.
> As I say, I can see people using it if they happen to have it on hand, but I just can't see it being the most "ideal" material for covering wood stacks.


 
Plus when you walk by a little bit too close you could slit your throat or cut your ear off. I hate seeing kids run around near my wood pile and when on a lawnmower that sharp edge is right there at eye level.


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## Applesister (Oct 2, 2014)

Maybe metal is just more easily abundant as a scrap material. Not necessarily ideal. On pitched roofs in snowload areas. Northeast. 
Rubber is a flat roof application which is commercial/urban. Warehouses etc.
And rubber roofing is like old tires once you dont want it anymore.


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## leaf4952 (Oct 18, 2014)

Coreplast signage from my local gas station 3'8"x6' (free). And the leftover ice-guard rubbery roofing material I made my roofer leave when he finished my roof. Technically that's not free cause I already paid for it. But I made sure he left all unused materials. Nothing goes to waste at my house.


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## BrotherBart (Oct 18, 2014)

Highbeam said:


> Plus when you walk by a little bit too close you could slit your throat or cut your ear off. I hate seeing kids run around near my wood pile and when on a lawnmower that sharp edge is right there at eye level.


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## Hogwildz (Oct 19, 2014)

Mine is in the barn. The stuff outside does not get covered, just stacked on pallets.
I load up the back patio around the end of November with the season's supply needed, and the deck above has a heavy vinyl tarp over it.
Anything moist drys out in no time. Usually just the top few pcs of the uncovered tacks.
Works fine for me.


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## Cluttermagnet (Oct 21, 2014)

I voted for: Metal Roofing, Roofing Membrane.

I am using: Blue Tarps, cheapies- and recently Lumber Wrap, a step up IMO.


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## Got Wood (Oct 21, 2014)

I voted for metal roofing cause it was the closest thing to what has worked best for me. A few years back a friend asked me to help him take down an above the ground pool at his mothers house. I took the 4' tall metal siding from the pool and have used it to cover some of my stacks. I need to weight it down to keep from blowing off in a heavy wind but the width is perfect for covering my pallet stacks. Wish I had more of it.


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