In need of a new roof? If you’re in Maine and you have a funky studio gallery that isn’t worth replacing the roof, you might want to consider used billboard tarps like the one shown here on the Art By Katy studio. My boyfriend converted this antique garage space into a studio for me (see the transformation here). At the time the roof was old and had trees, grass, and moss growing out of it. We told the contractor not to touch the roof and that means please don’t pull out the plants! Well of course he pulled ’em out. So a previously dry interior became plagued by leaks. We solved that by putting a regular tarp over the roof. This worked for a couple of years but we had to replace the tarp every year at a cost of $50. No biggie. However, this summer when we came up to Maine the new tarp hadn’t done the job. I think it’s because of the absence of a thick layer of snow this mild winter we had. So I had to find a new solution. My brother suggested the billboard tarps. They are industrial strength with the capacity to last 5 times longer (maybe up to 7 or 8 years). But the best thing about them is they have cccccccraaaaazy advertising on one side since they were used as actual billboards and then reclaimed to be recycled for other purposes. Some people use them to cover bales of hay. Others for covering boats. We are using them to turn our spaces into art pieces. BTW, you don’t get to choose your advertising tarp so what you get is random and a complete surprise. I’d say this tarp had my name on it but it says “Boston Store” and has a huge face of a woman in a hand knit sweater that you can only see from an aerial view. I thought that was so cool since I used to have a career designing sweaters.
Coincidentally we also had a vintage Airstream trailer that began to leak after we gutted the interior to create an open space with plywood inside. We looked at all kinds of solutions and decided to try a tarp on it, too. It’s a quick, easy, cheap solution and in this economy that is cool with us. The Airstream billboard tarp says “Cuddleduds” on it. We like the bold graphics, the ease of cutting them to size, and also that these are repurposed and recycled products that are helping with environmental concerns.
The company that sold them (at a cost of not much more than a regular tarp) says you’re supposed to use them with the solid side up. Don’t tell on me. 🙂
Feng Shui By Fishgirl 