Polycarbonate fence construction technology

Lightweight, functional and relatively inexpensive fence for fencing the surrounding area can be made of polycarbonate. Polycarbonate - a transparent or translucent polymeric material widely used in construction and finishing, has a number of advantages:

• Lightweight and durable material, does not weight the structure, while it has a long service life;
• Easy to handle, cut with a jigsaw or hacksaw, easy to mount and allow the creation of bends;
• Skips the sunlight, so it does not obscure the plants even at a significant height of the fence;
• Provides noise isolation, reflecting sound waves;
• A wide choice of polycarbonate colors and additional elements - plugs, corners, connecting bars - with varying degrees of transparency allow you to make any design decision and decorate the site.

Features of the choice and installation of polycarbonate

Polycarbonate can be of two types: monolithic and cellular. Cellular polycarbonate has found wide application in the manufacture of fences, greenhouses, canopies and roofs of light buildings thanks to a special structure: two layers of material are connected by partitions, which make it much easier to weight the material and simplify installation. Monolithic polycarbonate is produced with a thickness of 4 mm, it is somewhat heavier, but it is more durable, that's why it is used for making fences in regions with a large wind load.

When buying polycarbonate for a fence, one should take into account its standard dimensions:

• Monolithic polycarbonate - 2,05х3,05 m, thickness from 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 mm;
• Cellular polycarbonate - 2,1х6 m or 2,1х12 m, thickness 4, 6, 8, 10, 16, 25, 32 mm.

When installing polycarbonate, it should be taken into account that it has a large coefficient of thermal expansion, so the fastening should not be rigid: if polycarbonate is fixed in a frame of metal structures, it is necessary to leave gaps at the rate of 4 mm for each meter of polycarbonate length. Attach the polycarbonate to the frame on self-tapping screws with sealing polymeric washers, and pre-drill a hole slightly larger than the diameter of the screw. Cellular polycarbonate must be covered with special plugs on the end faces to prevent moisture from entering the cells and condensation.

Technology of building a fence from polycarbonate with their own hands

1. Polycarbonate fence requires support poles, and in some cases, for the construction of combined fences made of bricks, metal and polycarbonate, and a foundation. The site for the construction of the fence is freed from debris and foreign objects and leveled, cut off the fertile layer of the soil. If it is necessary to build a foundation - dig a trench depth of 30-50 cm, which equip sand or gravel pillow. If the foundation needs to be raised above the ground level, formwork is made of the required height from the boards.
2. Prepare concrete from cement, sand and filler. As a filler, you can use rubble, brick fragments, expanded clay. The ratio of components in concrete is 1 part of cement per 3 parts of sand and 3 parts of concrete. If the base or fence supports are built of bricks, the foundation must be reinforced with a bar or reinforcement mesh. Concrete is poured into the prepared trench and formwork, leveled and waiting for its congealing of 3-6 days.
3. When constructing a fence of polycarbonate on a light frame, concrete pours only the supports. The distance between supports is chosen based on the wind load on the fence, most often they are set in increments of 3 meters. In places of installation of support poles, wells with a depth of at least 80 cm are drilled, a layer of sand or gravel is poured onto the bottom of the wells. Prepared supports from a rectangular pipe are treated with bitumen waterproofing in the lower part, after which they are wrapped with a roofing material and installed in a prepared well. Align strictly vertically, fasten with retaining boards and fill the hole with concrete. The supports are removed only after the concrete has completely hardened.
   

   Trenching technology for the

4. fence. The polycarbonate fixing frame is made of a rectangular pipe or a metal corner, and a gypsum board profile can also be used. The frame is made in the form of several horizontal guides at a distance of 0.6-1 meters from each other, the guides are fixed to the supports by welding or on self-tapping screws for metal. Supports and guides from material susceptible to corrosion are first coated with a primer and then with paint.
   

   Make a frame for fixing polycarbonate

5. Polycarbonate is cut into the required size with a jigsaw with a wood blade and an average tooth size. The protective film is not removed during installation - it protects sheets of polycarbonate from scratches and other damages. On the ends of honeycomb polycarbonate wear special aluminum plugs. Polycarbonate is attached to the frame by means of screws with sealing washers. Preliminary drill in the polycarbonate holes with a pitch of 30-40 cm, the diameter of the hole - 2 mm larger than the diameter of the screw. When fastening it is necessary to make sure that the polycarbonate is not tightly clamped by the screw, otherwise it may crack at temperature changes. It is also necessary to ensure that there is a gap between polycarbonate and other structural elements necessary for thermal expansion.
6. After fixing the polycarbonate remove the protective film, if necessary, supplement it with decorative elements. Care for polycarbonate is in its annual washing from the hose, with a strong contamination - with the use of detergents.

Carrying out a polycarbonate fence with your own hands is not a very difficult task, and if you set a goal, you can make from it an original element of landscape design, decorating it with cast-iron forging, masonry made of decorative stone or backlight elements.

One should not forget about such an important element of the fence as the gate - they can also be made with your own hands, choosing a suitable design.