Should You Use Polycarbonate Or Glass To Build Your Greenhouse

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Greenhouses can be built in hundreds and
thousands of styles, sizes, shapes, and
materials. But, whether simple and traditional,
or fancy and contemporary, the main aim of a
greenhouse is to protect the plants within from
the harsh environment around, while providing
them with the goodness of Nature to grow. And
for this, the material to be used should have the
properties of both durability and transparency.
So, which are the materials that can be
used? Glass has been the
traditional material used for greenhouses since
ages. But eventually, other materials have come
up in recent years to replace glass one of the
most popularly used today being polycarbonate.
This is because polycarbonate roofing sheets are
equally transparent, but are more durable and
have many other benefits when compared to
traditional glass. Let us look at the
differences between the two materials in
detail. Transparency
As mentioned above, both glass and polycarbonate
are transparent and let in maximum
natural sunlight to come in through the panes.
Although glass provides a little higher clarity
than polycarbonate, but an added benefit of the
latter is that it comes with a special UV
protection
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layer that prevents the harmful UV radiations of
the sun to enter the structure. This means
the plants within get maximum sunlight and zero
UV rays.
Weight
Polycarbonate weighs less than half the weight of
glass! This clearly means that it is very easy
to carry and transport, and is also very easy to
install without the help of any additional labour
or machinery. This means that polycarbonate is
comparatively more manageable than glass.
Durability
We all know that glass is brittle and can crack
or break with the force of any impact. This is
one drawback that polycarbonate has taken
advantage of Polycarbonate, in spite of being
comparatively very light in weight, is
approximately 200-250 times stronger than glass!
Any kind of hail, rain, snow, stone, wind, or
storm cannot damage polycarbonate as it remains
sturdy and unbreakable. This is the reason why
polycarbonate is used in bulletproof equipment
and police shields.
Flexibility
It is a known fact that glass cannot be
bent to form different shapes, which is why
glass greenhouses are limited in designs. But,
polycarbonate is very flexible and can be easily
bent to form curved roofs and other designer
structures. This is an added benefit for those
who would love to have greenhouses with a design
perspective.
Cost
Polycarbonate is much cheaper than glass, not
only in price, but also in other aspects like
labour costs, transportation costs, and
installation costs, as it requires no additional
equipment, tools, or labour to deal with it.
Moreover, its amazing quality makes it a very
cost-effective material. One of the most
important considerations while deciding upon a
greenhouse material is the insulation that it
can provide. Polycarbonate has an amazing quality
of thermal insulation, which has the owner
paying a lot less money on electricity, without
the need of any traditional cooling unit
installed that consumes lots of power. With all
the above information, you can clearly decide as
to which a better option for a greenhouse
polycarbonate or glass is. If you decide to opt
for polycarbonate roofing sheets, you can
approach Tuflite Polymers to provide you with
the best quality sheets for your application.