What is a tarpaulin?

Simply put, a tarpaulin (also shortened to “tarp”) is a sheet of material which is used to cover and/or protect objects. They are normally waterproof or given a coating to create a water-resistant layer.

Historically, tarpaulins date from the early 1600s, when sailors would use a canvas cloth called a “pall” on their ships. These would be coated with a layer of tar to give it water resistant properties, this being the origin of “tar palling”, or tarpaulin.