The visor over the porch of polycarbonate

Types of polycarbonate sheet

Polycarbonate was widely used only 2 decades ago, now it is produced in three forms -monolithic, honeycomb and wavy.

Cellular has excellent thermal insulation properties, thanks to its structure.

It is a thin plate connected by crosspieces which, when cross-sectioned, gives a honeycomb structure, the inside of the air keeps heat, so cellular polycarbonate is widely used in the construction of greenhouses.

It is cellular polycarbonate can be painted in various colors. Sheets of cellular polycarbonate are available in thicknesses from 4 to 16 mm, 2.1 mx6.0 m or 2.1 mx 12.0 m in size.

The name of the second type of polymer - monolithic - speaks for itself.

Inside this material there are no voids, it passes light rays so well that it can be used instead of ordinary glass.

However, unlike glass, it has super strength: during bench tests, a shot from a gun could not penetrate a 12-millimeter sheet of polymer.

A new development of chemists - monolithic anti-abrasive polycarbonate - is resistant even to the appearance of scratches. Monolithic polycarbonate is a building material for a wide range of applications.

Its appearance for widespread use has literally exploded the construction market.

The thickness of sheets of monolithic polycarbonate, commercially available, ranges from 2 to 12 mm, the sheet size is 2.05 mx 3.05 m.

Cellular polycarbonate is somewhat cheaper than monolithic.

Wavy is a kind of monolithic, but differs from it in appearance and greater strength.

Its waves completely coincide with the waves on the metal, so it is often used for repair and roofing, in particular for the installation of light windows on the roofs.

Wavy polycarbonate is produced not more than 1.2 mm thick, sheet height is up to 5 cm, standard sheet dimensions are 1.26 mx 2.24 m.

Advantages of polycarbonate

We pay attention to the advantages of polycarbonate sheet:

• low cost;
• light weight;
• incombustibility;
• resistance to temperature changes;
• resistance to mechanical damage;
• excellent sound insulation and heat-saving qualities;
• long operation;
• is easy to care for;
• plasticity and flexibility;
• a diverse color palette.

In addition, polycarbonate does not pass and does not absorb moisture, so even when mounted on a wooden frame, it is not necessary to use waterproofing materials.

All these items provide plasticity to the popularity among professional builders and amateurs doing everything by their own hands.

Canopy from polycarbonate cloth: DIY

We create the visor with our own hands by determining its shape, dimensions and design features.

Will it be a small ledge above the door, or a spacious overhang over the porch - only you will decide. All the measurements you need to apply to the drawing, and then carefully stick to them.

Features of installation of polycarbonate coating

Polycarbonate covering can be applied on canopies of almost any shape, good flexibility of the material allows it to be bent up to a radius of 0.7 m.

This point should be taken into account when designing your design, as with a reduction in radius, the plastic sheet can simply break.

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Also, do not forget that although polycarbonate is resistant to various temperatures, its installation( especially curved shapes) must be carried out in a warm environment - in the summer, or in winter, in a room with heating.

Polycarbonate is cut by marking with a saw-bolt or a hand saw, the edges of the fabric do not crumble, although for the cutting it is necessary to apply efforts, and its aesthetic appearance from the front and the underside eliminates the need for filing the lower part of the visor.

Fastening of sheets of plastic to a skeleton is made саморемими with rubber linings.

Doing a canopy

Believe me - it's not so difficult to make a visor over your porch using polycarbonate.

You can design your own design of the entrance to your house or choose one of the offered on the Internet.

The most optimal option, when the canopy over the porch is made simultaneously with the construction of the house, in this case, when building the wall in the right places, you can immediately make mortgages, to which the structure will be attached in the future.

If a canopy over the porch is arranged on an already finished building, then for fastening you will need eyes, a metal corner, or a supporting beam attached above the entrance.

Depending on the materials and construction used, you will need some tools and fasteners, you can select the necessary tools for doing the work yourself, I think it will not be difficult, and the drawing will help you to determine the number of fasteners - the one that we drew in the verybeginning.

When calculating the required amount of materials, make an increase in the depth of the support pillars with the support structure of the canopy.

For working with metal parts you will need a welding machine, however, in its absence, it is quite possible to do with aluminum rivets, which is clearly demonstrated by the master on this video.

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Having purchased the necessary materials in sufficient quantities, we proceed to assembling the frame. How much and what materials will be needed - the same drawing will tell us.

Assembly of the entire frame, except for the support system, is performed on the floor or workbench.

Then the cover is fixed to the finished frame, if necessary, filing, painting, processing with an antiseptic, etc., and the fully assembled element is fastened above the entrance door.

The polycarbonate is bent over the arc by hand without much effort, for convenience you can use templates-arcs from a metal or plastic profile.

Give the profile the desired radius simply - you need to make the cuts every 4-5 cm and bend it in the desired shape.

If your project provides for the installation of support poles, then this work needs to be done before mounting the frame itself. According to the drawing, we mark on the territory at the entrance the place of installation of the pillars.

For reliability and stability, the lower ends of the pillars must be firmly fixed - either embedded to the porch, or concreted into the soil.

In the second variant of fixing, in the place where each column is installed, we dig holes 0.5-1.5 m deep into which we place the lower ends of the supporting columns.

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Then fill the remaining space with a concrete mixture, and leave the entire structure until the concrete solidifies completely( 2-3 days).

The installation of the visor, its attachment to the support posts can only be carried out after this time.

I'll tell you the trick: in order to save concrete after the installation of the pillars, the grooves in the ground can be pre-filled with stones of different sizes, and then pour the cement mortar there.

Please note that the lower parts of the metal pillars should be treated with anti-corrosive compounds, it is also necessary to use a waterproofing to prevent the material from deteriorating.

Also the waterproofing should be used, if you make a frame made of wood, wooden structures must also be treated with special compounds from decay, fire and insects.

Following the recommendations of this article, you can make your own entrance to your cottage a real work of art, and the use of polycarbonate will provide you with a beautiful, modern, safe visor over the porch.

As they say, the theater begins with a hanger, and the house - with a porch. Let the first impression of your home demonstrate visitors hospitality, friendliness and style of the hosts.

At last we will show some more photos where in registration of an entrance part of the house, in particular visors over a porch, polycarbonate is used.

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