Polycarbonate sheet is an extraordinary roofing material that is available in various colors, shapes, and sizes to suit all your needs. It is an amazingly cost-effective solution to cover your terrace, open balcony, garden, porch, pergola, etc.
If you’ve got an extra space in front of your house or on any of the floors, then you will definitely want to cover this open space with some extra shelter. This helps you to get protection from the harsh weather conditions, this is where polycarbonate sheet comes to play.
You can use these polycarbonate sheets to beautifully cover your space simply by installing these colorful roofing sheets. It’s quite an easy job to install them and it makes your open area a lot more useful than ever before.
Polycarbonate sheets are getting very popular day by day and they are commonly used in residential areas, warehouses, storehouses, commercial establishments, industrial areas, and many other such places.
Uses And Application Of Polycarbonate Sheet
- The most popular use of polycarbonate sheets is in architectural roofing and glazing. Its material is quite appropriate and durable for outdoor roofing.
- The seeds are also used in the skylight and sidelight in the structure of the house or other commercial properties. This is to provide protection along with the passage or transmission of light into the building.
- These sheets are also very popular for making covered walkways and Pathways in the public area. This helps to protect people from the rain, snow, and wind.
- These colorful polycarbonate sheets can also be used for making decorative barriers and partitions in your home or commercial property. High-quality colorful polycarbonate sheets look really beautiful and amazing with your home decor.
- The sheets are also very in blocking the sound and noise from the outside, and as such, they are also used for creating sound barriers by many people.
- It is also very commonly used in greenhouses for making the right kind of environment for a sustainable greenhouse. For this, you have to choose the right kind of color and thickness of the sheet.
- The polycarbonate sheets are also used for making shelter at many public places like bus stands, stadiums, playgrounds, etc.
Advantages And Disadvantages
Polycarbonate sheet offers a lot of advantages but it also has a few disadvantages that you should be aware of. Let’s have a look at some of the main advantages and disadvantages of polycarbonate sheets.
Advantages Of Polycarbonate Sheet
Durable
These sheets are highly durable in nature and once you install them properly they can last for as long as 10 to 12 years without any kind of repair requirement.
Light Weight
They are also very lightweight in nature and they are quite light in comparison to their other counterparts. This makes them more popular amongst all the other options.
Transparency
Polycarbonate sheets offer a fair amount of transparency which allows the passage of light it. And it also enables you to monitor the outside activity if you use these sheets at home.
UV Resistant
These sheets also offer a fair degree of UV resistance and as such, when you use these sheets for roofing they help you from exposing yourself to the harmful radiations of the Sun.
Flexible
The polycarbonate sheets have a high amount of flexibility and can be easily fit to form any kind of structure. They can also be easily bent to form a round or curved structure.
Easy Installation
The sheets are very easy to install, they are easy to carry, easy to fit, and screw. This makes the installation process quick and economical. Accordingly, it helps you to save the labor cost in the installation process.
Disadvantages Of Polycarbonate Sheet
Expensive
One of the biggest disadvantages of polycarbonate sheet is that it is quite expensive than the other options. This makes it out of reach for the people who are on a fixed budget.
Scratches
With time the polycarbonate sheets start to develop scratches, and this decreases the transmission of light through them and with many scratches they also do not look that beautiful.
Melting Point
The polycarbonate sheets do not have a very high melting point and in case of fire, they can cause problems by melting down. As such, necessary provisions have to be done.
Price Of Polycarbonate Sheet
The price of the polycarbonate sheet differs on the basis of the material, quality, color, and thickness of the sheet. All these factors have an impact on the overall per square feet price of the polycarbonate sheet.
These sheets are also available in the market at cheap options starting from Rs 25 per square feet but they do not generally last very long. You can get a good quality polycarbonate sheet in the range of Rs. 50 rupees to Rs. 100 per square feet.
Basic Properties Of Polycarbonate Sheet
R Value
An R-value indicates the property of the polycarbonate sheet to resist the heat flow. The higher the R-value higher is the capacity of the polycarbonate sheet to resist the heat. In other words, a polycarbonate sheet with a higher R-value will provide more insulation from heat.
Light Transmission
Different types of polycarbonate sheets different light transmission capacities. A thick and dark-colored polycarbonate sheet will transmit less light and the thin and light-colored polycarbonate sheet will transmit more light.
Polycarbonate Sheet Weight
The polycarbonate sheets are very light in weight and this makes them really easy to use at almost all places. Even the large sheets weigh only a few hundred grams and as such, they can be easily installed and fixed.
Solar Reflection
This property indicates the capacity of the polycarbonate sheet to reflect the sun’s rays. The higher the capacity of the sheet to reflect, the cooler will be the structure under the polycarbonate sheet roof.
Installing Polycarbonate Sheet
Owing to the lightweight, flexibility, and other good qualities of the polycarbonate sheet it is quite easy to install them almost anywhere. Let’s have a look at the stepwise process of the installation of polycarbonate sheets.
Making The Structure
The first step in the installation of the polycarbonate sheet after selecting the right kind of sheet as per your requirement is to prepare the structure. The structure should be strong enough to properly support the polycarbonate sheets for roofing. The structure can be made by fixing the metal bars either to the ground or else they can be fixed to the wall for a short shade.
Measuring The Gaps
After the structure has been prepared for the whole area the next step is to measure the exact gap that has been left behind in between the metal bars or strips. This gap should be of the appropriate size to properly support the polycarbonate sheets. This helps to increase the lifespan and durability of the polycarbonate sheet roofing.
Cutting The Sheets
After measuring the gap the next step is to properly cut the polycarbonate sheet in accordance with the size of the gap between the metal strips or bars. While cutting just leave a few millimeters extra than the gap so that this extra part can be used for fixing screws to the metal strips.
Securing The Sheets
The final step in the installation of the polycarbonate sheet roofing is to fix the sheets with the help of screws to the metal bars or strips. The sheets should be screwed properly with enough screws so that they can withstand the pressure and force of natural forces.
