Should you choose polycarbonate sheets for your roof?
It can be difficult deciding whether to use glass panels or polycarbonate sheets on your glazed roof. In our opinion polycarbonate roofing offers more advantages over other types of roofing material. Here’s why:
Polycarbonate roofing sheets are extremely versatile and a great choice for lots of applications such as conservatories, canopies, carports and pergolas. They are a very durable and have good impact resistance. Polycarbonate sheets are also much lighter weight than glass panels making them much safer and more manageable on site.
Polycarbonate sheets have good light transmission and built in UV protection. They are also more thermally efficient.
What are the benefits of polycarbonate sheets?
Durability Being up to 200 times stronger than glass, polycarbonate is a very durable material for a roof. Its high impact resistance makes it deal better with falling debris e.g branches and with weather events like hail.
Light transmission Polycarbonate sheets have good light transmission with solid sheets letting more light through than multiwall. They are a great material for letting natural light through, reducing the reliance on artificial lighting. The sheets are available in a range of colours and thicknesses, and the level of light transmission is identified for each product.
Thermal insulation Multiwall polycarbonate sheets offer good thermal insulation. They are constructed from walls and cavities. The thicker the sheet gets the higher number of walls and cavities leading to the higher levels of thermal insulation. For context 10mm clear twin wall polycarbonate have more thermal insulation than 10mm solid sheets, with a U value of 3.0. 35mm seven wall polycarbonate has the highest levels of insulation with a UV of up to 1.2. Perfect for a conservatory roof the insulation in 35mm polycarbonate roofing sheets would help to keep excessive solar heat out in the warmer months making the space more comfortable. It will also keep internal heat in the space in the colder months helping with energy consumption.
UV protection Polycarbonate sheets are co-extruded with a layer of UV protection on the top surface of the sheet. This makes it perfect for roofing applications where it will give protection from the sun’s UV rays.
Light weight Polycarbonate roofing sheets are much lighter than glass of the same thicknesses. This makes them much safer and easier to handle than glass. This is particularly true when working at height in the construction of roofs for canopies or conservatories.
Good for the environment Polycarbonate is recyclable. Its thermal insulation properties also help to retain heat reducing the need for excessive heating of the space beneath it.
Draw backs to using polycarbonate
Polycarbonate isn't perfect and you may need to consider the following drawbacks when making your choice:
Chemical sensitivity Polycarbonate can be damaged by certain chemicals and cleaning products. While this is true, there are a wide range of products that can be used for polycarbonate for example some silicones can cause damage however, LMN silicones are widely available and are well suited for use with polycarbonate sheets. The sheets can also be safely and easily cleaned with a gentle detergent and soft cloth
Can be scratched As polycarbonate is a softer plastic it can be scratched more easily than glass. This is much more obvious with solid sheets than with multiwall ones. Care should be taken when cleaning to use soft products.
Can be noisy Twinwall polycarbonate sheets in particular can be a little noisy in heavy rainfall. This is less of an issue when not directly attached to a room where this would be a nuisance. On a pergola or a carport for example this would not pose such a problem.
Price Polycarbonate can be more expensive than some other cheaper plastics like acrylic. It is however a much better product for roofing applications and can be very cost effective in the right application e.g. 10mm twin wall polycarbonate on a pergola roof.
To sum up
Polycarbonate sheets sheets offer a cost effective, easy to install and safe solution for most roofing applications. Versatile and practical, they are also durable, strong and light weight making them easy to fit and maintain.