Billboard Tarps

[BLEUXDOG]

I'm trying to find out the least expensive way to obtain a couple of billboard tarps. I want to use them to cover rolls of hay in my pasture. I was thinking about getting an extra one to use as an emergency roof covering. I understand this vinyl is really thick and comes in 12 X 48 foot sizes. Any suggestions?

[crashdive123]

I know absolutely nothing about the quality of billboard vinyl or if it would work for your intended purposes, but most billboards have a number on the frame someplace to contact the company if you want to advertise. It may be worth a shot calling and explaining what you want and asking if they have any billboard vinyl in the area that is about to be taken down. They may just give it to you so they don't have to haul it off. The worse thing they could say is no.

[hunter63]

I have heard this as well, and did see pieces for sale in a Crazy Franks dollar store..(local surplus outlet.
Didn't seem that good of deal, but didn't look real hard, either.

I'm in agreement with Crash, I would find a sign company in the phone book and give them a call.

I do find that using the interweb for stuff like this can be useless, unless you really want to dig.
Mostly what you get are the big companies that want to make some money, and you have a heck of a time figuring out the question to get passed the BS.
Type in "pile of crap" and you get...."Buy your pile of crap on Amazon.com".......Or...."How many truck loads do you want?" on BIZ.com....etc.

[LowKey]

Billboard vinyl is tough stuff. Even the cheaper versions of it which can be in the 8-9oz range. You can sometimes score it in 12oz. I've used it in 15oz but not for billboards.

You can get it 16' x 50' or so if the billboard was a seamless wrap. You might want to avoid a welded seamed piece. They don't normally last as long and the welds tend to get stiff and less likely to fold as they age. They usually are out there for only a month. The stuff is rated for at least 3 years in the sunlight.

Avoid the Bio-Flex stuff. More and more billboards are made out of bio-degradable materials.
May want to keep them print side up too. They're printed with flash solvent or UV cured inks.

Where to find them isn't easy. Depending on where you are located, if there is a local office for the billboard real-estate people nearby it might just be a phone call to see if they have a recycling program in place. The name of the company is usually on a small tag at the base of the billboard.

Another option might be to contact a local large-format printer. Not just any small sign company. You want one with a 16 foot wide print machine. Only the larger output houses will have those. Most of the smaller signshops will be 10' and under. Mostly under. While they may not have old billboards laying around (though they might), they may be able to hook you up with the name of a recycler.