Type of Canvas for Walls

[maureenkc]

Hello- We are building a yurt in humid/hot/cold/snowy Wisconsin and are researching rot-resistant canvas fabrics. We are leaning towards Sunforger treated army duck canvas. Anybody else sewn their own with this stuff? Do you recommend 2-ply or single-ply? 10 oz or 13 oz? Seems there are too many options for fabric so expensive... Thanks!

[Marshall Eppley]

I cheat on the walls. do you know those white tarp garages you see around. I found a place on the net that sells them 7x20 or 7x30.made of white pvc I think but they are cheap and resist dirt and mold. not sure if I can post the tarp site here so if you want it e-mail me and ill tell you where and whom.

[Andy_in_Germany]

Could you post the link please? I need to get some visual impression so I know what to look for for the bottom skirt (names aren't much use as they will be unrecognisable in Germany)

[TORV]

I am currently debating which material to use for my cover. I like the light that 10 oz duck canvas lets through, but being in northern MN I'll probably have the

insulation

on 8-9 months out of the year. The other option is a poly-ester blend called Top Notch ($$$) which would be more water proof, mold/mildew resistant but less breathable. I plan on using reflective

insulation

. The last yurt I built had a mix of both materials. I've seen yurts of all Top Notch have mold issues (but it was directly on the ground and lived in full time) and the last canvas cover is one year old and not looking to great (the owner placed in under a couple large dirty spruce tress) So...

does the reflective insulation ruin all breathability? How long has your canvas lasted?

Also, i just borrowed an old singer to sew it up, I'm going to get it serviced but does anybody have any tips for a beginner? thread types?

THANKS!

[Bob Rowlands]

Regarding the sewing, I used an old 50s era Singer portable to sew the 12 oz and 17 oz canvas on my yurt. I bought heavy duty polyester thread at WalMart. It's down at the bottom below all the lighter threads, and comes on a 200 yard spool. $5.

If you really are gonna do alot of sewing, it would be cheaper to go to a pro fabric shop and buy a big spool of HD poly thread, and respool onto the small 'homeowner' size spools that fit the Singer.

I used a size 18 needle with good success. Fiddle around with the bobbin and spool thread tensions on spare fabric until you get satisfactory stitch. Also, I screwed the pressure foot tension down to maximum. Good luck.

[Jafo]

Think of the reflectex as bubble wrap with tin foil coating it. Yea, it will affect airflow to a degree.