Blue Roof Tarps

The classic blue tarp becomes a ubiquitous sight after a hurricane

This roof tarp should have been secured by wrapping the edges around pressure-treated wood and nailing the wood to the roof.

Heavy duty poly blue roof tarps provide a solution for homeowners and roofers after a hurricane or other event causes significant damage to a roof. A poly roof tarp — usually the classic "blue tarps" seen everywhere after a hurricane — can be used to quickly dry in a roof, preventing further water damage at a time when roofing materials and roofers may be in short supply. Roof tarps can in fact be any color, but blue tarps are most common.

A small investment in a good quality poly roof tarp can prevent thousands of dollars in water damage. When a hurricane is approaching, or after one strikes, roof tarps will be in short supply. Homeowners who live in hurricane-prone areas may wish to purchase a roof tarp before hurricane season starts to keep on hand in case one is needed.

Securing Roof Tarps and Preventing Tears

Roof tarps can easily be torn on the remaining roof structure and corners — even the most heavy-duty tarps can be damaged by thunderstorms that can tear grommets right out, leaving the poly tarp to flap uselessly in the wind as rain pours into the house.

An easy solution is to wrap the edges of the tarp around a 1x2 or 1x3 strip of pressure treated wood, then nail or screw the wood to the roof. If the wood-and-tarp roll is secured to the roof itself, it should be placed roll side down so that it doesn't collect water and other debris. A better method is to wrap the tarp around the roof edge and secure it to the underside of the eaves on both sides of the roof. Then water, leaves, etc., are free to run off the edge of the roof and will not collect in the tarp.

Then use nails or screws to place additional strips wood along the edges of the tarp on top of the roof, up over the roof top and down the other side. This will not only keep rain from running underneath the tarp, it will keep wind from pulling up the edges of the tarp and tearing it off.

Using strips of wood distributes the load on the roof tarp and makes it easier to tighten the tarp roof and prevent it from fluttering in the wind.

Overlapping Roof Tarps

If you can't get a single roof tarp large enough to cover the entire damaged area, you can overlap multiple tarps. They should be overlapped from the rooftop downward, like shingles or roof tiles, so that rain can run off properly. The easiest way to attach the tarps together is to interlace a rope through the grommets along the overlapping tarp edges, then seal the edge with tarp repair tape. Aluminum raced roof tarp sealing tape is the most effective, but any waterproof tarp repair tape will work in a pinch.