Polycarbonate sheeting is becoming ever more popular for garden features. Its lightweight, durability, ease of installation and insulative properties make it simply the best for many different applications. However, you don’t have to just slap it up there and call it a day.
There are many ancillary products to help you get the most out of your polycarbonate sheeting. They don’t just improve the effectiveness of the installation, but also really improve the lifespan and protect the sheeting.
Glazing Bars
While polycarbonate can just be screwed into place because of it’s anti-fracture properties, glazing bars provide superior protection while securing polycarbonate more thoroughly. Complete systems like Clear Amber’s ALUKAP and Snapa lines use endcaps to hold sheets in place. They are made of aluminium and PVC respectively, providing water-resistance and durability.
Glazing bars also make for a much more appealing finish, often being available with crests and finials to allow for a more aesthetically pleasing route than just harsh minimalism.
Union Sections
While polycarbonate sheets come in many sizes and can be cut to fit using a circular saw, sometimes you need to join multiple sheets together. That’s where H Sections come in. These allow for multiple sheets of polycarbonate to be joined together, with the H Section not only securing the joint but helping shield it from water ingress.
There are also two other kinds of sections. Polycarbonate sheets are usually multiwall. This means they are formed of thin layers separated by empty chambers of air. Making sure the ends are kept watertight is therefore a priority. Anti-dust breather tape is very useful here. But for total security, C Sections cap off the ends of sheets, preventing water from getting into the chambers. For when a sheet meets a wall at an abutment instead, F Sections can be used instead.
Flashing
Flashing refers to the watertight coverings installed over joints. Normally, these are made of lead. However, lead is unfortunately toxic, so installing lead on a garden feature might not be a good idea. That’s why there are so many non-lead flashing options available for polycarbonate sheeting. From dedicated aluminium flashing to Securbond Flashing Tape, there are plenty of ways to flash your sheeting without having to resort to lead.
