TIL my uncle's advice about using a cheap tarp for a roof was dead wrong

Aaron Grant · 2026-07-11T17:45:04.892729+00:00

He said a blue tarp from the dollar store would last all winter on my shed. Within 3 weeks it tore apart in a windstorm near Portland. Anyone else had a tarp fail fast or did I just get a bad one?

viola_lopez302mo ago

That dollar store tarp "overachieving" for three weeks is generous. If you'd spent even $15 on a proper tarp with reinforced grommets you'd still have it on your shed.

5

jessica7072mo ago

Three weeks through a Portland winter sounds like that tarp overachieved before it died.

2

ivanbell1mo ago

That "overachieving" line is funny. My buddy put a similar cheap tarp on his camper and it was shredded before the week was out.

1