Shrink wrap film is used for a variety of uses such as fresh produce, materials and transport, but a surprising yet ingenious use has surfaced on the other side of the pond.
Nottawasaga in Ontario, Canada is home to a 160 year old lighthouse that has just been given the green light by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to be wrapped in shrink wrap film, protecting it from the notoriously harsh Canadian winters.
The ingenious idea was thought up by the Nottawasaga Lighthouse Preservation Society, who are covering the 90 foot tower in a bid to stop erosion before they undertake restoration work in two years’ time.
The shrink wrap would be a high-density plastic, similar to our Polythene plastic shrink wrap film here at Kempner, and will envelop the whole lighthouse with a vent at the top to allow the already damp interior to dry out, and will consist of 30,000 square feet of plastic.
NLPS chairperson Rick Crouch said:
“We’ve got $100,000 (in donations) right now that we could spend on that, we’re not fussy about putting scaffolding up at this point in time and leaving it out there … it will certainly add to the cost, but we’re two-to-three years away from generating the necessary funds for a restoration, so to have it sitting out there for all that time … It’s something that will have to stand up for two or three years of wind and snow and ice.”
The estimated cost of using shrink wrap film is $85,000, which is a much cheaper alternative to the traditional way of preparing buildings from the elements ready for restoration projects.
Kempner have information on a range of slightly more conventional shrinkwrap applications. Visit out shirnkwrap film guide to discover which plastic films are best suited to your needs.
