I've been using Aluminet in many ways on my greenhouse, coming up on six years, with no failures or problems. I hope I don't have the problems fruitnut mentioned (so far so good.) I first purchased 40% for the roof, but that was not nearly enough protection for my plants during the intense summer months. I later changed it to 60% for the roof, and used the 40% aluminet elsewhere. It's very versatile, and easy to work with because it's so lightweight. I made a cover for my roof, by folding over the raw edges, hand-sewing with a big needle and strong nylon thread, and adding grommets. Then I used it to make screen panels for the south wall of my greenhouse, by stretching it inside the Home Depot metal frames for making your own window screens. I've also made a simple curtain out of it (hand-whipping the edges, again) that slides on shower curtain hooks on a rod over my greenhouse doors (lets the breeze through, but keeps the sun and birds out.) I've wrapped it around a wooden frame for my greenhouse gable, and stapled it in place with a staple gun. Really easy to work with. Rosiew, the appearance is very silvery and shiny/sparkly. It has a fairly loose weave and stretches quite a bit in one direction. It doesn't look organic at all, though, and at first I was a little disappointed with the shiny metallic look. I used to joke that it made my greenhouse look like the Starship Enterprise. The stuff works so well for me, though, I've stopped worrying about that. If you'd like me to send a small piece in an envelope, so you can see the material for yourself, send me an email through Gardenweb. I have lots of little scraps.

Let me bump this old thread to say that I tried to make some diy shade paint by using a diluted interior latex paint, mixed at about 5:1. I applied it with a pump sprayer six months ago to my double layer of 6-mil poly. The problem is that now the paint doesn't want to come off. I had thought that a pressure washer would easily take it off, at the risk of being too strong. But I was completely wrong. Not only does the power washer not remove any paint, the poly itself is oblivious to it. I use the same machine to strip wooden decks and siding. I even tried to cut through the poly with it, and it doesn't even make a mark. It seems like it relates to the poly not being a firm surface; the movement takes away the leverage of the pressured water spray. Undiluted Simple Green and a *lot* of work with a typical plastic kitchen scrub brush eventually took off the paint. If the brush has scratched the poly, I can't see it. It took me four hours of scrubbing to clean just one end wall of a 14' wide high tunnel. If I ever try shade paint again, I will spend the money for the Kool Ray AND paint a small test area only, let it sit for a year, and see how easy it is to remove.

After uploading to photobucket or other photo webhost, copy the "a href" tag and just paste it into your message. This will result in the pic appearing in the message itself. Watch the size, because with larger pictures, like 1700x2200, you will have annoying text wrap problems. I like to resize to about 800x600, but some have even complained that these are too big.

Ah, my mother had some kind of saying about the cobbler's children going without shoes. I run into the same thing here. DH is always willing to help someone out, especially with computer problems, and between college, working full time serving on the local volunteer first aid squad, DS is lucky to find time for his girlfriend ... so I'm happy when he finds, or makes, time at home. Actually, I made the transformation sound quicker than it was - they got the tower moved, then it just sat for a while until I said, nicely but firmly, that I needed some sort of timeline on this, and if it was going to take too long, then we'd best just tear it down because it's an eyesore as it stands now. A little time outside pointing and discussing ... soon they were "getting started" and before the day was out their part was finished. Believe me, I was out there with brush and bucket of stain before the nails had even cooled in the boards! Financing these visions can be a problem here, too, that's why it's so very rewarding when we complete one that is really an excellent return on a small financial investment. Even with it's mere 48 square feet and 75-foot distance from the house (maybe because of it), that little HFGH was as rewarding last winter as any big addition we could have put on our home. Your husband sounds like a really nice guy, being eager to help others ... sometimes it's hard for them to say no and turn their focus on home matters. Wish I had some tips ... but then, if I did, I could write the book and get a really biiiig greenhouse ... contractor-built, lol! Best of luck with the greenhouse; I hope the assembly goes smoothly. I know you're going to enjoy it; it will be nice if your DH does, too; mine's not a gardener, but he went missing several times last winter and was finally found out in the greenhouse ... reading. I can't help but think that there's a pretty strong correlation between their enjoyment of the outcome of our vision and the degree of buy-in and cooperation for the next one. Straying slightly off-topic, I noticed your mention of a pond - we've had ours since August '04 and love it, though I don't think I have it ready to host such a gathering - good for you! Di