Forum

Visqueen?

Posted by Jacqueline Webster on February 16, 2011 at 6:19pm

I just recieved a mailing from the spring OKC show that recommends visqueen for booth protection in inclement weather.  It sounds like it has some kind of slit in it so that customers can still enter your booth while your work is protected from the rain.  I tried the Grainger catalog to no avail.  Does anyone have a source for this or a similar option that won't break the bank?

 

Thanks!

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Replies

  • Esther Barr February 25, 2011 at 10:16pm
    I recently bought clear shower curtains to cover work on my panels near the opening of my tent during rain but I suppose I could hang them over the opening as well. I recently went shopping in the garment district in LA and saw that they sell clear plastic in large rolls.... would probably work well and was not too expensive.
    • Robert Wallis > Esther Barr February 27, 2011 at 12:31pm
      I bought a couple of heavy gauge clear shower curtains from Walmart. I can clip them on the front legs of the booth and zip tie them at the top. That leave about a 2 foot overlap in the middle, sort of like a loading dock. That keeps out any slight blowing wind. If I picks up, the curtains are sturdy enough that you can clamp some weights to the bottoms to keep them from flapping around.
      • Larry Berman > Robert Wallis February 27, 2011 at 12:42pm
        Mike Stipek corrected me on the thickness of the rolled plastic. The reason that the roll is needed is that the structure you set up within at Oklahoma City is not what you would consider a standard size. It's 16 foot square divided into quarters diagonally. That means each space is triangular with a 16 foot front. You need rolls of commercial plastic to cover the entire top where it leaks when raining. The only thing clear shower curtains would be good for is to roll them up and unroll them over the outer walls of your own display panels if it rains. They won't work within the space allocated inside the provided structure.

        Larry Berman
        http://BermanGraphics.com
        412-401-8100
  • Deb Fox February 25, 2011 at 1:22pm
    I use my canopy walls I have a showoff, visqueen is a construction product  maybe home depot 
  • Larry Berman February 16, 2011 at 6:35pm
    What OKC is telling you but not telling you is that their tents leak. I did the show in the mid 1990's and the tents they used then leaked also. Buy a few rolls of clear plastic at Home Depot. The are something like 10x100 feet 2 mil thick for about $20. Then clip it up under their roof so that if water comes in it will run off the side or back. Bring lots of clips also.

    Larry Berman
    http://BermanGraphics.com
    412-401-8100
    • Jacqueline Webster > Larry Berman February 16, 2011 at 7:19pm
      Thanks, Larry.  I have a large roll already and it's definitely going with me.  Their letter made it sound as if the visqueen was clear enough that shoppers could see the work clearly through the plastic, which can't be done through the landscape plastic, and that it was to be hung in lieu of a side wall.  They also reiterated more than once that this was part of "remaining open to the public" despite the weather.  I googled visqueen and came up with abatement materials with poor discriptions.  I am considering making a trip to Grainer with my husband on his lunch hour to see what we can dig up, but I'm open to other suggestions.
      • Karole Bowlds > Jacqueline Webster February 23, 2011 at 3:15pm

        Just googled and this is what I got...

        http://www.antonline.com/p_6X8-C-GP_332185.htm?sID=GP

        it is clear...but I believe Clear plastic like Larry said is more cost effective and would do the same thing!

        I actually use painters clear plastic drop sheets in my tent when it has to be set up for longer periods- week long fairs and festivals.

        I stumbled onto that when prepping for a fair here and we had just done some renovating, so had extras on hand...they worked perfectly for weatherproofing!

        • MICHAEL ALAN STIPEK > Karole Bowlds February 23, 2011 at 4:08pm

          I have to amend what Larry said:  I go to a local lumber company in OKC, such as Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. and buy a roll of 4 mil plastic, 15 ft.x whatever the length is.  2 mil will trash in the wind.  The 15 foot width will wrap over the top of the inside of the tent and down the back, so that there is little chance of leakage from either the top or the sides.  Why the sides?  Because the wind can really blow at the OKC show and if your neighbor behind either side of you doesn't put up plastic, the water will come in from the rear of your tent.  I lost a number of framed pieces that way many years ago at that show.

          Basically, you want to mummify the sides and top of your booth with a single flow of plastic sheeting.  Again - no thinner than 4 mil.  Bring a box knife to cut it and duct tape to hold it all together.  A bunch of rubber tipped clamps will also help.

          During the night, depending on how fragile your work is, it might be best to take out most, if not all, of your work.  A lot of labor, but the location gets a lot of stormy weather and those tents really don't protect your work, whether it's 2D or 3D.

      • Larry Berman > Jacqueline Webster February 16, 2011 at 7:29pm
        Visqueen is what I described as clear plastic rolls. It's clear enough that you can see the artwork clearly if you use it as an outer wall.

        Larry Berman
        http://BermanGraphics.com
        412-401-8100
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