DIY polycarbonate installation: video

DIY installation of polycarbonate - step-by-step instruction

Every year polycarbonate is gaining more and more popularity not only in the industrial sphere, but in private construction.

Excellent operational and technical parameters of the material make it the best for hanging decoration, small outbuildings and structures for agricultural purposes.

Ensuring a long service life of polycarbonate is obtained by correct installation. So, let's look at how to install polycarbonate with your own hands.

Main stages

Installation of polycarbonate sheets differs depending on the type of construction, fastening methods, type of frame.

The material lends itself well to any type of mechanical type of action - cutting and drilling. Correct installation implies the use of special components, which include aluminum and polycarbonate profiles, sealed and perforated tapes, thermal washers.

What needs to be prepared?

Preparation for installation

Polycarbonate panels are suitable for mounting on vertical, arched and horizontal structures. The first task will be to study assembly technology. After that, you can proceed to the preparatory stage of the material and installation tools.

It is recommended to pay special attention to the processing of the end panels. Each panel sheet has a special film that will mark the side with a special layer to protect it from ultraviolet radiation. When installing polycarbonate, it is important that this side faces outward. Otherwise, the material will quickly become unusable. It is required to remove the factory film at the end of the installation work.

Sheet-mounted tools

The exact list of tools and accessories will depend on the frame, structural design and other factors. We have listed here a universal set that is perfect for all types of fastening:

1. Polycarbonate sheets - a pre-developed project makes it possible to determine the number of material, and through it it will be possible to calculate the total area of ​​the structure.
2. A hacksaw is an excellent option for panels with a thickness of up to 1 cm, for thicker panels it is recommended to use a circular saw.
3. Fixed or split polycarbonate / aluminum elements - their choice will directly depend on the structural purpose.
4. A figured, ridge or even corner profile may be required as additional accessories.

5. Prepare a screwdriver, self-tapping screws, a hammer and galvanized nails.
6. It is recommended to use bolts and thermal washers to fix the sheets to the frame.
7. It is possible to use a special adhesive composition resistant to the atmosphere, or an analogue with a composition based on silicone.

Now let's talk about panel cutting

Panel cutting technique

Polycarbonate sheets are sold in regular widths of 6 or 12 meters. In order to create awnings or partitions, and depending on the frame of the building, you will most often need to resort to cutting the panels.

Such a procedure must be carried out extremely carefully, otherwise, there is a risk of damage to the protective film and sheet ends, which will lead to their rapid wear. For cutting sheets, experts advise using a circular saw at high speed with carbide-type discs. The small undiluted teeth ensure a very smooth cut. During the cutting process, the panel should be secured as best as possible. Try not to damage the protective film, and after cutting, clean the cavities inside from chips so that condensation does not accumulate in such places.

Sealing

Mounting of profiled polycarbonate with your own hands is special. In the role of the primary preparation of panels for installation, it is required to ensure reliable end sealing, and it is this that will guarantee a long service life of the material. It is recommended to cover the upper end with an aluminum tape in order to protect it from environmental influences. The bottom end will not be sealed, and therefore a perforated tape is used to protect it, on top of which a special profile is mounted in the future.

Making holes for sheet attachment

It should be said that marking and creating holes for future sheet attachment should be given taking into account some rules.

The distance from the panel edge should be approximately 2 cm, if the hole diameter is no more than 0.3 cm. To obtain the holes, it is recommended to use typical wood drills. Drilling is best done at low speeds while controlling the temperature of the work area. Competent production of holes will guarantee reliable fastening, creating a tight sheet fit to the frame.

The use of thermal washers in the installation

The installation of polycarbonate sheets is carried out using specialized profiles, thermal washers and self-tapping screws. Washers are used in order to create reliable fastening of sheets to the surface of the frame. The thermal washer includes a plastic washer of a convex shape and a leg or without it, a sealing ring made of a special elastic-type polymer, a plug. Self-tapping screws must be purchased separately. The thermal washer not only provides secure fastening, but also does not allow moisture to pass into the material, leaving a beautiful structural appearance as a whole.

Such elements are made of polycarbonate and are available in a wide range of colors, which makes it possible to choose them to match the color of the sheets.It should be noted that thermal washers made of polycarbonate have a long service life, in contrast to cheaper analogs - polypropylene and steel, stainless or galvanized washers.

Details

Panel orientation in design

The placement of polycarbonate sheets during installation plays a huge role. It is important that during the design process, the internal rigid ribs are placed so that the condensation that appears in them flows out through the panel channels. In the case of vertical glazing, the stiffeners should be placed vertically, and in the case of a pitched type structure, along the slopes.

As for arched buildings, including greenhouses, the stiffeners are located in an arc. Pay attention to the fact that it is impossible to bend the sheets along a small radius than the manufacturer indicates in the technical parameters for the material.

Installation methods

In general, the installation process of cellular polycarbonate has certain basic rules that may vary slightly depending on the type of design. The material can be installed in an arch, vertically or horizontally. We propose to consider the special of all installation methods separately.

Flat roof

DIY video of polycarbonate installation will help you a lot. A flat roof is a structure that consists of one plane with a slight slope. Polycarbonate sheets that are installed on such buildings are subjected to heavy snow-type loads during the winter season. Pitched-type structures are very popular, and these are roofs with a slope of up to 40 degrees.

In the manufacture of polycarbonate roofs, it is recommended to observe the minimum slope of about 5%.

If the material will be inserted into the frames, it is necessary to calculate the coefficient of linear expansion in advance, which will be calculated by the thickness of the sheet. To create a pitched type structure using polycarbonate, it is recommended to use profile aluminum sheets. It is important to pay attention to the fact that the space between the girders should not exceed the usual width of the polycarbonate sheet - 2.1 meter.

The distance between the rafters must be calculated in such a way that the place where the sheets are fastened is located along the central bar part.

The upper part of the frame type structure is mounted after the installation work for the polycarbonate panels. It is recommended to additionally process the seams with mastic. Between the installation sheets, leave a space for compensation of 0.5 cm. After installing the profile elements at the edges, put stops, which will be fixed with rivets.

Arched structures

Polycarbonate is often used to make arched structures - canopies, greenhouses. Due to its excellent flexibility, it is possible to easily install on any type of frame.When installing panels on an arch-type structure, it is important to take into account several extremely important points:

• Bending polycarbonate sheets is required only along the stiffeners.
• It is required to take into account the minimum bending radius of the material, which will be indicated by the manufacturer in the technical parameters.
• It is best to use a polycarbonate pressure profile.

• In the case of using an analog made of aluminum, the radius of curvature should be slightly less than the radius of the arch in the structure.

Now let's talk about editing.

Installation depending on the type of frame

Mounting features of cellular polycarbonate depend not only on the type of construction, but also on what it is made of ...

There are several extremely important points to pay attention to when attaching panels to wood and metal frames. When installing polycarbonate sheets on a metal frame, it is recommended to place the panels along the rafter structures. Eaves overhangs should not be more than 5 cm so that the material does not sag. It is important to set the cross joint on the ridge.

It is important to start assembling the panels from the middle.

First, install the connecting profiles to the rafters (one-piece or split will do). Polycarbonate sheets will be held on the roof by self-tapping screws and thermal washers, which are installed on the purlins and intermediate-type rafters with a pitch of 0.3 meters. Fastening is carried out by drilling a sheet under a thermal washer. In order to create a beautiful design, you need to place the screws symmetrically.

Wooden

Mounting polycarbonate with your own hands on a wooden frame is very popular. Environmentally friendly material is convenient to work with, but additional processing is important. Most often, a wooden beam is used to obtain such structures, and in order to build a durable structure, the material should be pre-treated with special antiseptic compounds.

There is one more point when using a wooden frame, which is important to pay attention to - the coefficient of expansion of the material as a result of exposure to moisture, which affects the density of fixation. In the role of fasteners for mounting polycarbonate on a wood frame, experts advise using thermal washers.

Unlike metal structures, it is important to start the installation from the frame edge. During installation, the edge of the panel should slightly extend beyond the bar edge. The connection should be very tight, and the joint of the panels during installation is placed over a timber beam.

Installation of profiles

When installing polycarbonate with your own hands, it is important to pay special attention to the choice of profiles, because it is with their help that you can create reliable connections that ensure a long service life.

Polycarbonate profiles

The non-detachable profile of the connecting type is intended for fastening honeycomb polycarbonate sheets in the manufacture of small structures.

They are 6 meters long, along the edges of which special grooves are placed, into which polycarbonate panels are inserted.

The profile can be easily installed on sheets with a thickness of up to 1 cm. When fastening, it is required to leave a small gap in case of expansion of the material under temperature exposure. When choosing a profile, it is important that its dimensions correspond to the sheet thickness of the polycarbonate. The split profile of the connecting type is easy to install.

It is a cover and base, which make it possible to completely close the connection. When installing a split profile, first fix the base, and then you need to attach polycarbonate sheets to it and snap it with a lid. When assembled, it will not curl.

Aluminum profiles

This profile is often used to install honeycomb material. It is perfect for panels of different thicknesses.

This includes special rubber seals that ensure reliable sealing of the joints. Aluminum parts are perfectly combined with plastic, additionally giving the structure high characteristics of the load-bearing type. Also, the material has a long service life, which is 20 years.