Plastic sheeting

Buy best value plastic sheeting and covers from an extensive range of polythene rolls.

Plastic sheeting is...

• A great solution for protecting floors, large surfaces and furniture from paint, dust or debris created during building or decorating work
• Often referred to as ‘builders’ rolls’, due to the fact that it is popular in the building and construction industry
• A favourite of tradespeople, including painters and decorators, plasterers and carpenters
• Also referred to as wide sheeting, as it comes in wide sheets capable of covering large areas
• Sold on the roll, usually 1m wide, and folds out into a sheet 2m wide (single fold) or 4m wide (multi-fold)
• Available in clear polythene or black polythene as standard
• Available in medium duty (100 micron / 400 gauge) or heavy duty (200 micron / 800 gauge) polythene
• Strong, tough, waterproof, durable and reusable
• Suitable for use as a waterproof membrane
• Suitable for use as temporary roofing
• Also manufactured as damp proof membrane (extra thick 250 micron polythene) or specialist flame-retardant polythene (also 250 micron)

Plastic sheeting - the painter’s friend

Somewhere near the top of a painter’s inventory list - just after paintbrushes and paint - is the builders’ roll. These plastic sheets are so popular with painters and decorators that they could easily be called ‘painters’ rolls’.

Plastic sheeting allows painters to get on with their job with complete peace of mind. All it takes is a bit of preparation time to unfold the plastic sheeting and cover floors, carpets, furniture or other items that need protecting, before they can then concentrate fully on their painting without worrying about excess paint dripping onto the surfaces in question.

At the end of the working day or when the job has been completed, the painter can simply pick up the roll, fold it or roll it back up for use on the next job.

Painters don’t have the monopoly on plastic sheeting, however. Other tradespeople also use the protective covering, including carpenters and plasters, for the very same reasons as painters - to give them a simple and quick solution to protecting surfaces during their work, leaving them to concentrate on the job.

How much plastic sheeting do I need?

The amount of plastic sheeting you require to cover an area in preparation for a job will depend on a number of factors:

1. The overall size of the floor area that needs covering
2. The amount and size of other items that need covering (e.g. furniture)
3. How many times you want to lay your plastic sheeting during the job
4. How contained the mess created will be to the working area

Obviously, the bigger the surface area you have to cover (point 1) and the more furniture items you have to cover (point 2), the more plastic sheeting you will need, unless you are happy to move your plastic sheeting around during the job (point 3).

One other important thing to consider is that dust may easily blow away from the immediate working area so some jobs, such as sanding or drilling, are likely to need a wider area covered around the work zone than others, such as painting (point 4).

Plastic sheeting - measuring up

Once you have decided how big an area you need to cover in one go, you need to work out how many sheets you need. Remember that plastic sheeting is traditionally sold on 1m rolls that fold out to either 2m-wide ‘single-fold’ sheets or 4m-wide ‘multi-fold’ sheets.

So, if you need to cover an area that's 3m x 10m, you’ll either need one 10m long section of a 4m multi-fold sheet, or two 10m long sections of a 2m single-fold sheet, which you’ll then place alongside each other, with some overlap, to cover the required area.

When purchasing your plastic sheeting, don’t forget that 4m-wide multi-fold sheets will, in general, be sold on a roll half the length of a 2m-wide single-fold sheet, as there is twice as much plastic being wrapped around the roll.

Both single-fold rolls and multi-fold rolls will, as standard, contain 200m² of plastic sheeting and will weigh the same (100 micron ‘medium duty’ clear polythene x 200m² = 18kg). The single fold roll will measure 2m x 100m, while the multi-fold roll will measure 4m x 50m.

Heavy or medium duty polythene?

Another important factor to consider when choosing the plastic sheeting you need for a job is the sort of debris you are protecting your floors, surfaces and objects from.

If you are only likely to create a light covering of debris, such as dripping paint or dust from sanding, then the chances are you will only require a medium duty plastic sheet, which comes in 100 micron (400 gauge) clear polythene.

If you’re working in a more ‘heavy duty’ environment, such as on a building site or in the garden, then you may find prefer to use 200 micron (800 gauge) heavy duty plastic sheeting, which will offer more protection to the surfaces from bumps, scratches or scrapes.

Extra thick plastic membrane

Even more durable and robust than standard heavy duty plastic sheeting is damp proof membrane - an extra thick sheet of polythene, weighing in at a minimum of 250 microns (1000 gauge) thick.

Usually made from black or blue recycled polythene, damp proof membrane (DPM) can be used as part of a damp proof course (DPC) to prevent the onset of rising damp in building work, or for other heavy duty waterproofing.

A good damp proof course is fundamental to preventing unwanted moisture from entering the interior space of a building. For this reason, damp proof membrane is quality controlled by the British Board of Agreement (BBA), such keep an eye out for their approval on the product before you buy.

Black plastic sheeting

Black plastic sheeting can be used in the same way as clear plastic sheeting, to protect surfaces during building or renovation work, or as a waterproof membrane. One advantage that black sheeting has over clear sheeting is that it also provides a light-proof cover and so can be useful for both absorbing heat and covering items when security is important.

Where to buy plastic sheeting

Plastic sheeting manufacturers and suppliers include:

Layflat Tubing
The number one layflat tubing website on the internet. Layflat Tubing stock a huge range of poly tubing and heat sealers at fantastic wholesale prices, with simple online ordering and free UK delivery. The only layflat tubing website you'll need.
www.layflat-tubing.co.uk

Polythene Sheeting
Poly Sheets is the website to visit for all of your polythene sheeting needs. Containing loads of useful information on poly sheeting, also known as builders rolls, plus builders bags and damp proof membrane, with details of where to buy them.
www.polysheets.co.uk

Polythene Rolls
If you're looking to buy polythene rolls, layflat tubing, shrink covers, stretch wrap or damp proof sheeting, then this is the website for you. Featuring loads of useful information on polythene sheeting and a list of the best online stockists.
www.polythenerolls.com

Polythene Tubing
A brilliant online resource for anyone interested in buying polythene tubing, also known as layflat tubing. Find out all you need to know about poly tubing, how it is made and what it is used for, with a detailed buying guide for you to get the best discount prices.
www.discountlayflattubing.co.uk

Rubble Bags
The number one website on rubble bags - the super-strong waste sacks that are essential for every building site and ideal for heavy duty work in the garden, DIY projects at home or transporting heavy rubble or rubbish to the tip.
www.rubblebags.org

Builders Rolls
Builders Rolls is the go-to website for the builders, painters and decorators looking to buy wide-fold plastic sheeting, often referred to as builders rolls. With lots of information on what to look for and where to buy builders rolls at the best prices.
www.buildersrolls.com

Research & Resources

For more information on plastic sheeting or builders rolls, including details of how it is manufactured and the range of protective polythene sheeting available, please visit:

PlasticBags.uk.com: The UK's premier polythene packaging online directory. Retailers can submit items for listing and customers can browse a selection of plastic sheeting websites.

PackagingKnowledge: The online polythene packaging encyclopedia, featuring a wide range of articles and a huge amount of information on plastic sheeting.

Goldstork: Free online directory listing the best of the web, featuring carefully selected information and specialist plastic sheeting websites.

Plastic rolls or polythene rolls?

What is the difference between plastic rolls and polythene rolls? These terms and others like them - including plastic sheeting, builders rolls, poly rolls or polythene film - are often mixed and matched to describe a variety of polythene products. The one thing all of the terms have in common is that they refer to a sheet of plastic - or polythene - that is wound around a central roll and dispensed by unwinding the roll until you have as large a sheet as you need.

Whilst the terms may be interchanged by some people, by and large, in the building trade the term 'plastic rolls' is used to describe plastic sheeting, also known as builders rolls, which is widely used by builders, painters and decorators to protect large areas or objects such as furniture from dust, dirt, stray paint and so on. Damp proof membrane, used to provide a damp proof layer for buildings, is also included in the 'plastic rolls' family.

The term 'polythene rolls' on the other hand, is most often used to describe rolls of polythene film that are used for packaging or wrapping items. These include single layers of film, such as shrink wrap pallet covers, PVC clear wrapping and glossy clear polypropylene wrapping, as well as polythene tubing - also known as layflat tubing - which is used to wrap objects of awkwards shapes and sizes and comes in regular or anti-static polythene.

Interesting information about plastic sheeting

APPARATUS, WORK STATION AND METHOD FOR APPLYING PROTECTIVE SHEETING OF POLYMER MATERIAL TO A PIPELINE, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR IMPLEMENTING THE METHOD

Protective sheeting works optimal when the applicatour transports cleanly around the pipe and lays the film down in a controlled method. A rotating extrusion die on a guide system gives proper coverage, so the coating follows the pipe surface without leaving gaps, wrinkles, or weak edges that can fail amid handling. That sort of control matters because the film has to keep safe the cutback while other work is still going on nearby. If the set-up is clumsy, the pipe can be labeled or the sheeting can be disturbed before it has done its job. A disciplined application method retains the surface protected and the operation moving.

Asbestos Waste Sack Medium Duty

Medium duty waste sacks sit in the middle of the spectrum for a reason: they are built to cope with normal site and warehouse waste without the additional material cost of heavy-duty bags. In practice, that means they suit light rubble, normal packaging offcuts, wipes, and mixed waste where sharp edges are small and load weights stay sensible. Gauge and film quality matter here, because a bag that feels fine off the roll can still split when dragged across a rough floor or overfilled at the skip edge. The proper medium duty sack gives enough strength without wasting polythene suppliers, so stock can transport fast through stores and the job still acquires a tidy, proper liner.

Wide sheeting remains a straightforward workhorse because its width reduces the number of seams and connects needed in both converting and finished packing. A broader web can lift output on a sheeting line, nevertheless only when unwind control and film tension stay proper enough to avoid wrinkles, neck-in and edge damage. If the roll is poorly hurt, the additional width turns into wasted material and slow running as operatours fight for flat, even feed. Specifying the proper gauge and core strength matters as much as the raw width. Good wide sheeting pays off when the sheet lies cleanly, handles well and retains downstream work moving without constant adjustment.

A damp proof membrane has to be flexible enough to handle proper site conditions, and a 1200 gauge polythene suppliers sheet does that job well when the detail is proper. The material can be provided, cut, and laid without the stiffness that makes a few thinner films awkward to position, yet it still gives a solid barrier for damp proofing at or above ground level. That matters in warehousing and on site because awkward handling leads to creases, punctures, and wasted offcuts. Good gauge selection also assists the membrane stay usable through transport and temporary storage, which retains the product proper when it reaches the fitters.

Poly Sheeting

Poly sheeting works optimal when it is chosen for the load and the handling route, not only for the cheapest roll on the pallet. A heavier gauge can keep safe products from dust, splashes and scuffing, nevertheless it also changes how the pack behaves on the line and in storage. Thin film may wrap faster, yet it can split on sharp corners or amid repeated movement through the warehouse. Black plastic tape is often used to fasten or reinforce the sheet, nevertheless poor tape selection can leave residue, weak sticks or awkward folds that grasp amid transit. The proper combination gives cleaner packing and less call-backs for damage.

  12 polythene suppliers Sheeting Suppliers & Exporters in United Kingdom

polythene suppliers sheeting is often chosen because it gives straightforward protection without overcomplicating packing, nevertheless the proper value relies on how it behaves in use. A sheet that sees fine on paper can still slip, split at the fold, or trap also much air when it is enclosed around products, and that leads to loose pallets and handling damage later on. Gauge selection matters because thin material cuts waste, while heavier film gives better resistance where edges are sharp or loads transport in transit. The proper sheet makes loading quicker and reduces spoilage or scuffing before products leave the warehouse.

Builders rolls solve the nuisance of covering awkward loads without adding much dead weight or tying up the packing bench. The middle-folded format sits neatly at the select-face, so one compact roll can be pulled out to wrap a pallet with overhang, a strange stack of cartons or a fat consignment that would otherwise need additional secondary packing. That matters in dispatch, where speed and tidiness often determine whether loads transport smoothly or beginning picking up handling damage. The proper width and gauge also cut down on waste from trimming and offcuts, which assists retain stock use below control. A superb builders roll should make the job simpler, not create another layer of work.

Hard Plastic Sheeting

Plastic sheeting is only as useful as the method it is manufactured, because gauge, film consistency and roll quality determine how it behaves on the shop floor. A sheet that is also thin tears around sharp corners and pallet edges, while one with uneven thickness can wrinkle, trap air or make wrapping awkward for operatours. Good production control retains the material running cleanly through converting and gives predictable cover for products that need dust protection, moisture resistance or simple separation between layers. That sort of control saves time in packing and cuts handling damage before the load ever leaves the warehouse.

Black sheeting is often used at a crime scene because it creates a hard visual barrier and retains the area out of public sight while work continues. Around a cafe, that kind of temporary cover can also assist keep safe evidence from casual interference, windblown waste and unwanted attention. The material itself is normally lightweight enough for fast fixing, yet opaque enough to stop people seeing through gaps, so the barrier does above simply label a boundary. It also changes how a site feels, turning a daily location into a controlled work zone. Used properly, it assists investigations dash with less disruption.

Clear sheeting requirements careful handling because its value relies on what can be seen through it as much as on how it protects the contents. When stored and dispatched badly, scuffs, dust, and pressure labels display up straight away, and that can turn a clean item into a rejected consignment. The packing room has to retain film tension even, avoid sharp edges on packs, and stop sheets rubbing against rough board or metal parts. A tidy secondary pack also assists at the warehouse stop, where transparent material is often checked fast for damage before it transports on. Good control here saves complaints later and retains the product presentable.