If you’re thinking of sprucing up your garden building, there are few better ways to do it than with polycarbonate sheeting. This is an incredibly versatile glass replacement that is superb for all sorts of garden features that need glazing. Whether you’re replacing the glazing in an existing feature or building a brand new one, polycarbonate sheeting will provide the best results in terms of both impact resistance and insulation.
Polycarbonate is a plastic polymer created from bisphenol A and phosgene. The upshot is the creation of a plastic with incredible durability compared to its weight. Polycarbonate sheeting is 200 times as durable as comparable glass while weighing roughly just over half as much. The advantages don’t stop there. Polycarbonate sheets are usually made out of “walls”. These walls are comprised of thin layers of polycarbonate, separated by pockets filled with air called chambers. These walls help give polycarbonate sheeting an insulation edge well above that of glass. Polycarbonate sheets can have either two, three, five, or seven walls at common sizes, and the thicker they are the better they insulate. Polycarbonate sheeting is even easy to install. Not only is it much lighter than glass, but it’s easy to cut to a fit with a circular saw. Just make sure to wear safety goggles and gloves.
Polycarbonate sheets are usually clear but sometimes have a tint. Common tints include opal, which creates a sort of effect similar to frosted glass, and bronze, which is a smoky tint for good shade.
Project Planning with Polycarbonate
The sort of projects you can look to install in your garden depends on how spacious it is. Generally larger gardens lend themselves more to freestanding structures like pergolas, while more modest gardens might be better suited by a lean-to or a decked patio.
The type of project will also affect what sort of polycarbonate would work best. Buildings that need light transmission like greenhouses and conservatories would benefit most from clear polycarbonate, for example. On the other hand, where privacy is more of a concern opal or bronze polycarbonate should be used.
Garden Features Perfect for glazing with polycarbonate
Greenhouses are ideal for use with polycarbonate sheeting. This is because of the impressive insulation provided by the multiple walls of polycarbonate sheets. Polycarbonate sheets can be installed instead of glass to provide a durable alternative with even better heat retaining properties. Clear shaded polycarbonate should be used for maximum light penetration.
The same goes for conservatories or orangeries. These are traditionally grander and more impressive structures than greenhouses. Existing conservatories and orangeries are prime candidates for having their glazing replaced with polycarbonate. This will help improve the performance of an older building. As with greenhouses, plants need sunlight, so clear shaded polycarbonate should be used.
Pergolas are wallless, usually free-standing structures that provide shade to an area of your garden, essentially just a roof, rafters, and some posts to hold it all up. Sometimes they can even be covered in plants and provide something for vines to grow on. Bronze or opal tint polycarbonate are ideal for pergolas since they help provide shade.
Arbors are similar to pergolas, with the main difference being that arbors have integrated seating. Like with pergolas, tinted polycarbonate sheets suit arbors most of all.
Gazebos and small pavilions are garden features that are traditionally free standing. Whether you’re building a new one or glazing one that already exists, polycarbonate sheeting will get the job done. Depending on the sort of light that you want the inside of your gazebo to have, any shade – clear, opal, or bronze – may be appropriate.
If your house has a sunroom or if you’re thinking of constructing one, polycarbonate sheets can serve as a superior form of glazing. A sunroom is an extension of a house that has a lot of windows. It needs to let in light but needs to be properly insulated since the windows generally make it very vulnerable to heat during the summer and cold during the winter. . Clear polycarbonate of a high thickness will achieve this far better than glass.