Plastic Sheeting Blog. Click on Home for all our product categories...

Towing companies have discovered GPS Crash Plastic Wrap/plastic sheeting as a way to add value for their customers, while simplifying their work when they pick up a vehicle that has been in an accident. It used to be that cars that had their windows shattered needed that window to be taped up- to insure the broken glass didn't scatter during towing. Enter duct tape and tarps. You know what is required to tape up a window in this fashion. Not the simpliest way to get the job done.

Today with the advent of GPS Crash Plastic Wrap, the job is quick and easy.  The crash wrap is self adhesive- so it sticks to the frame of the vehicle (as long as it is clean and dry). Just pull off the amount you need to cover the window area and let it do its job.  It will stay in place until you want to remove it.  The best part comes when there has been rain or dust. The inside of the car is protected by the crash wrap. When the owner of the vehicle comes to get their vehicle, they will thank you for protecting the inside of the vehicle.  It's traumatic enough to face your vehicle after it has been in an accident.  Finding that the interior isn't flooded is a welcome relief.

How do you charge for this service? That is the point. You are offering a service of securing the openings of the vehicle with plastic sheeting.  Many of our customers charge by the type of window opening. $25 for each side window, $35-45 for a front or rear window. Charging by the foot makes this service about the amout of crash wrap used on the job.  Charge for your time, and the fact that you care enough to do a good job.  That people are willing to pay for.

 

Ever since mankind began building homes, cities and countries they have always looked for ways to protect them from harm. With this came the originals of the Sentinel.  From antiquity to the modern era, the Sentinels were the guardians of the realm; protecting those in it from invading armies and marauding raiders looking to cause havoc and destruction to one’s home.

Now the days the marauding raiders are long gone but we still need to protect ourselves from the forces of nature that can cause harm to our homes and our health.  Everyday gases like water vapor, carbon monoxide, and radon come up from the earth and into our homes; which if not controlled can cause series problems to our homes but worse to our health.  All of these gases are naturally occurring, and have been proven to cause severe respiratory health problems and even loss of life if not monitored or controlled.

Part of our ongoing goal at Global Plastic Sheeting is to provide solutions for controlling dangerous gases that invade our living conditions.  We have developed  Sentinel XS Radon Vapor Barrier. Just like the Sentinel has always been the guardian at the gates, Sentinel XS Radon Vapor Barrier can now protect us against harmful radon. 

Sentinel XS Radon Vapor Barrier is a 5 layer barrier engineered to have low permeability, extreme strength on a very durability material.  Sentinel XS Radon Vapor Barrier blocks out radon and water vapor even during extreme seasonal temperature changes.

Sentinel XS Radon Vapor Barrier is available in 4’, 8’, 12’ and 20’ widths.  Please feel free to contact us any time with your questions.  866-597-9298.

Be the Guardian of your home with Sentinel XS Radon Vapor Barrier!

Great uses for a 15 mil Polyethylene Sheeting

Containment Liners: Containment liners are used for the containment of liquids preventing pollution or contamination of the earth.

Fish Hatchery Liners:  Fish Hatchery Liners are used for aquaculture, aquaponics and commercial hatcheries for creating ponds to raise the fish.

Canal Liners: Canal Liners are useful for minimizing water seepage in a canal.

Farm Pond Liners: Farm Pond Liners are used to create ponds for farms.

Decorative Ponds Liners: Decorative Pond Liners can hold fish and vegetation.

 

Vapor Retarders for under slabs and in walls: often used as a vapor/moisture retarder underslab and within wall

Radon Retarder: Radon Retarders are specially made liners that will retard Radon gas.

What is the difference between a vapor retarder and an air barrier? 

A vapor retarder's mission is to control the entry of water vapor, or various gases into the buildings they are protecting.  Air barriers role is to control the movement of air through the building assembly.  There are some instances where an air barrier system may have a rubber membrane on the exterior of a masonry wall installed which will make for an effective air barrier and have it the characteristics of a vapor retarder.

Permeability to water vapor is the key physical property which distinguishes vapor retarders from other materials.  Polyethylene liners or any material which retard water vapor to pass through them are considered impermeable. The beauty of polyethylene is that it is a non-hygroscopic material. It does not change its permeability no matter what the relative humidity is doing.   

We get many requests for clear, fire retardant plastic sheeting, or clear anti-static fire retardant plastic sheeting. What people need to understand is the additives that need to be added to the polyethylene that make polyethylene fire retardant turns the plastic into a whitish color. When the additives are added to make it anti-static, it makes the film even whiter. There is no getting around this.

We have 6 mil Anti-Static Fire Retardant film on the shelf, but it is fairly opaque, definitely not clear. 

Have you ever considered the possible impact of containing construction activities, large and small with the use of plastic sheeting?  First, this can save a large amount of time and money on each project, as the mess is contained to a minimal area, where it can be thoroughly cleaned.  If the surfaces are protected within the containment with self-adhesive surface protection or other protective covers, then cleanup time can be kept to an absolute minimum.

 Customers, neighbors, Cities, EPA, are much happier if construction mess is contained and kept to minimal levels. Contractors benefit from this happiness, both financially, and with a better reputation, making referrals for future projects much easier to get.

When heat shrink wrap is used on large projects to contain the area, the workspace can be heated to extend the "season" for many construction activities.  Workers are more productive, because they can't see what is going on outside of the containment, and do not interact with the public.  Worksites are more secure, and safer.  The jobsite is also much less of an eyesore, and produces less impact on the environment.

 Visqueen has become the generic name for plastic sheeting, just as Kleenex has become the generic name for tissue. When someone asks for Visqueen, they are referring to a lesser grade of plastic sheeting. The plastic sheeting known as Visqueen has become a generic name for Construction and Agricultural Grade Polyethylene sheeting (C&A film)? People will often do a search for "anti-static visqueen, or fire retardant visqueen" when they may be looking for an engineered plastic.Did you know that Visqueen is actually a company in the UK?  C&A film contains up to 25% post consumer recycled content, and is made from the least expensive resins available at any given time.  While it is excellent for use in many projects, we do not feel it is ideal for any use that requires sustained strenght such as a tarp or for use as a vapor/moisture barrier or retarder.  Our choice is to recommend engineered films like VaporBlock Plus for this purpose to block as much of the moisture, radon, methane and VOC's as possible. 

The engineered films are designed to last forever buried in the soil, where C&A film often completely breaks down within a couple of years. Have you ever dug up some old black plastic? Remember how torn and crusty it was? 

It's important that today's vapor/moisture barriers or retarders should pass the ASTM E1745 Class A, B and C (standard for underslab vapor retarders in contact with soil or granular fill) , especially since most homeowner's insurance coverage for mold is very limited today.  Builders are experiencing a much higher level of mold related repair costs and lawsuits since the time when most insurance companies changed their mold coverage to active leaks only.

Click here for the home page.

Sheet metal needs protection. For protecting metal using adhesive coated products, we normally like to involve the engineers, and provide a product that works as ideally on the particular metal/finish/process as possible.  In many metal operations, the protective covering is used during manufacturing to keep the metal from being damaged.  

1) Are you using self-adhesive film currently?
    If yes, are there any aspects you wish to improve?  What are you using?

2) Will the metal undergo any processes with protection in place, like bending, shaping, drilling?

3) Will the film be exposed to sunshine while applied?  If so, what is maximum time it could be exposed?

4) Will film be subject to contact with any greases, oils or water while applied?

5) Do you know what size or sizes are ideal?

6) Will film be hand or machine applied?

7) Do you want Clear, tinted, or opaque film?  Is there a color preference?

8)  What will the film need to survive during any processing and shipping periods?
 
Just give us a call at 866.597.9298 to learn about your options.  

OK, there are so many different types of plastic sheeting! Which plastic sheeting roll should I select? What is meant when someone mentions “flexible plastic sheeting” ? What kinds of “flexible plastic sheeting” are there? And what are the additives used to make flexible plastic films?

In its simplest terms, the main difference between the different types of plastic is the way their cellular structure, or molecules bond with each other, and how tightly they are formed. Beyond that, this incredible polymer allows us to add additives to improve the performance of the plastic.

Which is the most flexible plastic sheeting?

Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) is the most flexible of the plastic sheeting films. LLDPE is blended form of LDPE where the film has much more flexibility, tensile strength, and more conformability. It is more pliable and softer. LLDPE is used for pond liners or blended into other films to give them more flexibility and extra strength. LLDPE is used for films that need a tremendous amount of strength to absorb impacts while not tearing or puncturing. An example of this is a carpet plastic film that adheres to the carpet. It is strong enough to withstand foot traffic, even from stiletto high heels! The molecules all line up and strongly hold together as the film is stretched. The most common thickness range is from 0.5 mil to 40 mil in flexible plastic sheeting.

Which is the most common poly sheeting?

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is the most common type of plastic sheeting. It is very flexible, most often from 0.5 mil thick to about 40 mil in flexible sheeting forms. Due to its flexibility is conforms well to a variety of surfaces.  Low Density Polyethylene has a .92 density. The downside is that this LDPE is not as strong or dense as some other types of plastic sheeting. It is not nearly as puncture resistant either. LDPE is used quite widely in construction, agriculture, surface protection applications, covers of all sorts, tarps and much more. It is white translucent with working temps of 0-140 deg F. and a forming temp of 245 deg F.

Which is least commonly used of them all?

Medium Density Polyethylene (MDPE) is the least commonly used form of polyethylene for flexible plastic sheeting. Its positive attributes is that it is stronger than LDPE and has a little more chemical resistant. It has a tighter cell structure making it more tear and puncture resistant. When pond liners are manufactured they are often made with MDPE and blended with LDPE or LLDPE to achieve a strong yet flexible pond liner.

Which poly film is the toughest of them all?

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE, aka HD), has the distinction of being the strongest, toughest, most chemical resistant and least flexible of the four types of flexible plastic sheeting referenced in this article. HDPE is also the most UV resistant- holding up to the harsh rays of the sun without needing UV additive packages. HDPE’s strength comes from its tight cell structure that makes it very difficult for other molecules to pass through its structure on a microscopic level. High Density Polyethylene has a density .95.  When applications call for very large liners such as pond liners, HDPE is the most easily seamed or “sewn” together. Used industrially, the thickness range from 12 mils to100 mil thick. HDPE is used as secondary containment liners for oil tanks, and most industrial ponds and canal liners where chemical resistance is needed. It is white-tan, translucent with working temperatures of 32 deg F to 210 deg F and a forming temp of 310-325 deg F.

What Additives can be added to the plastic?

The image below of the Mars Rover section is using GPS Anti-Static Fire Retardant Heat Shrink Wrap. This is a good example of plastic sheeting that has a fire retardant additive as well as an Anti-static additive. The film shrinks when heat is applied to essentially seal in the contents.

Anti-static:  An anti-static additive can be added to polyethylene to make it resist sparking.  Anti-static films are used in the telecommunication industry as one example.  Certain types of equipment can be prone to sparks which could result in a devastating fire.  Anti-static fire retardant films solve this problem.

UV Stabilizers:  Sunlight eats up plastic.  Perhaps you have seen black plastic on piles of dirt that are flapping in the wind? That is because that torn plastic didn't have any UV stabilizers to combat the strong rays of the sun. Heavy duty plastic sheeting adds these stabilizers for films that will be used for ponds, covering anything outdoors, exposed to sun light. 

Color/Pigment:  It's no surprise that pigment can be added to polyethylene to make the plastic look a certain color.  Just about any color can be created.

Flame/Fire Retardant:  Plastic goes up in a flash if it is exposed to an open flame.  Today there are fire retardant films that when exposed to a flame will not add to the fire. They will self extinguish.  Note that the plastic may melt, but it won't be a fuel source to the fire.

Sip/Anti-block agents:  This additive is used to improve film to film slipping.

External Coatings:  Coatings can be applied to the surface of the plastic, which is designed to help wet out the surface of the film.  This in turn decreases the contact angle of the water droplets and improves transparency.