[Ansteorra] canvas shelter alternatives - was - Re: New 10x20 garage pavillions for $85 at Walmart

[Stefan li Rous]

On Apr 28, 2011, at 5:28 PM, Bree Flowers wrote:

> otherwise my stuff was dry, the canvas held firm and I was nice and
> safe. Now I will admit that with no floor, water can rush through it
> like a river, but I know I'll have a roof over my head.
>
> ~Eve

I started out originally using plastic sheeting or plastic tarps  
underneath my period pavilion. Several years ago, after listening to  
folks on this list and others, I switched over to the plastic, woven  
mats. From a reasonable distance they look like oriental rugs with  
designs on them and woven from recycled plastic bottles. They were  
first being sold as "dog mats" for kennels and such, although I got  
mine on sale at the big Asian grocery store in northeast Austin.

Being woven, any moisture on them, from being tracked in the door or  
coming in under the sides, tends to seep through the mats into the  
ground, unlike plastic sheeting where it tends to gather in pools,  
that you step into. Even muddy (on the bottom, from the ground), they  
easily spray clean.

The largest I could find were 10 ft. x 12 ft? So I use four of them,  
overlapping in the center in my 18 x 18 ft floor area in my pavilion.  
Also each one, being made from three strips sewn together, easily  
folds into thirds, so they pack down fairly flat and small. Much  
easier to fold up than messing with the large sheets of plastic I was  
using. I only found three different colors the day I was buying, but  
since each side is a negative image of the other, I can easily turn  
the fourth carpet over to get a fourth design if I wish.

Unlike canvas, they don't soak up the water and don't rot. I think  
they were around $15-$25 each.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****