Why are roof tarps blue?

[Ed Mahmoud]

I had never thought about this before, but after our recent weather 6 weeks ago, a fair number of homes in the neighborhood have blue tarps on the roof, to keep rain from entering any holes. I'd guess the tarps will do their job for weeks or even months, until roofers can make permanent repairs, or a strong thunderstorm might bring wind gusts that destroy them.


They can make plastic in almost any color, I'd guess. Dark, slate gray, brownish/earth tone, or faded gray, would be a decent match for most Houston area home roofs. Not a perfect match of course, but from a block or two away, it wouldn't be as noticeable.


For future storms, I'd make roof tarps in more natural colors.


I had a lot of roof shingles/tiles in my yard, but none were from my roof, so it isn't a personal issue.

[cag1953]

After living through Ivan,I can testify that there are probably quite a few blue roofs there.The aerial views of this area with all the blue tarps was astounding. I must admit I think they could make them a more neutral color since some will have them for some time.

[Dionne]

The blue tarps are cheaper. They are called Discount blue tarps.......Economy blue tarps. Most locations that sell these tarps don't list the manufacturer. Some simply say they are imported. Additional colors are available at almost every site, but they are more expensive.

Did you know that you can buy a whole container (Sea/Land) and have it delivered to your site.....when you buy thousands at a time they are dirt cheap. Huge profits can be made.

Right after Ike hit Texas I received an email from a company in Houston looking for installers of blue roofs.....they were paying 18 cents/sq ft. Typically a 30 square roof would pay $540 labor.....two men could cover the roof in less than three hours.

[jinftl]

A New Orleans craft company has taken Katrina tarps and made eco-friendly products...bags, checkbook covers.... out of them...interesting for sure!

http://shop.neworleanscraftmafia.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7

[Ixolib]

'Cause "BLUE" rhymes with "ROOF". Rolls off the tongue quite easily!!

[Ed Mahmoud]

'Cause "BLUE" rhymes with "ROOF". Rolls off the tongue quite easily!!

There are still a lot of homes in the neighborhood with them, and they'd look better if they were colored like the roofs they are covering.


Co-worker out in Katy discovered he had roof damage just a couple of weeks ago, when he started getting bubbling of his ceiling sheet-rockish material.

[Dionne]

It takes a close inspection.....you can have roof damage without ever losing a shingle. Once the sealant strip has been challenged any wind driven rain can infiltrate. By the time your sheetrock "bubbles".....you have significant damage. There's a good chance mold is growing in your attic as your insulation is soaked.

[Brucedg]

This makes all the sense in the world lol! I never thought of it this way but you're right. Why would you have a blue tarp when you could easily use black or brown. Matches a lot better and still gets the job done.

Bruce

[beoumont]

I am just going to guess. The light-ish blue they use might be because that is a color that is a good color shade to provide the best combination of keeping the house cooler in the daytime and warmer at night. Reflection and retention of heat. I don't think the color is chosen for aesthetic reasons, but for protection.

[euro6208]

A study shown that Blue is the most popular and dominant color in the world. Most people's favorite color is blue.

Everywhere you go you see people wearing blue and a majority.

[JW-_-]

The blue tarps are cheaper. They are called Discount blue tarps.......Economy blue tarps. Most locations that sell these tarps don't list the manufacturer. Some simply say they are imported. Additional colors are available at almost every site, but they are more expensive.

Did you know that you can buy a whole container (Sea/Land) and have it delivered to your site.....when you buy thousands at a time they are dirt cheap. Huge profits can be made.

Right after Ike hit Texas I received an email from a company in Houston looking for installers of blue roofs.....they were paying 18 cents/sq ft. Typically a 30 square roof would pay $540 labor.....two men could cover the roof in less than three hours.

For years manufacturers have used a color code to indicate the grade of tarpaulins, but not all manufacturers follow this traditional method of grading. Following this color-coded system, blue indicates a lightweight tarp, and typically has a weave count of 8×8 and a thickness of 0.005–0.006 in (0.13–0.15 mm). Silver is a heavy-duty tarp and typically has a weave count of 14×14 and a thickness of 0.011–0.012 in (0.28–0.30 mm).[7]




Some of the more common colors in that scheme are:

Cheapest and easiest to use. no, manhandle.