The plastic profiled sheet is in demand as a roof covering, since it combines good technical performance and an affordable price. There is not only colored, but also transparent corrugated board. It is used in the form of a material that transmits light rays into a greenhouse, greenhouse, entertainment pavilions, awnings. Installation of plastic corrugated board is carried out using a special technology.
Features of plastic corrugated board
The material is a thin-walled panels made of polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, composite composition. In the production process, the mass is pushed through extruder machines, at the output, profiled sheets with a wavy surface are obtained. The technology requires a verified gradation of the constituent components.
Profiled plastic and polycarbonate are used for coating:
- Private buildings on garden, summer cottages. Used for roofs in greenhouses, greenhouses, hotbeds. Used on open terraces, winter gardens.
- Industrial buildings. Plastic slate is suitable for the roofs of warehouses, fencing partitions in the squares, they delimit production areas in workshops, technological areas in the production of goods.
- Urban social facilities. Corrugated translucent and transparent plastic is placed on the walls and roofs of bus stops. Visors are made of it over the stands of stadiums and training halls. Wavy polycarbonate is used to equip trading floors, cafes.
For residential buildings, experts do not recommend installing a PVC roof; it is installed in rooms with an open space that is well ventilated.
Types of plastic sheeting
Material manufacturers offer a wide range of products. They are distinguished by the main raw materials, color, wave size, wall thickness.
The options for plastic slate are popular:
- polyvinyl chloride (PVC);
- polycarbonate material;
- composite coating.
The most commonly used colors and shades of gray. The color can be combined with various materials, suitable for all design developments. Transparent slate is used in places where a lot of light is needed, this filling resembles tinted glass in a car. They let in light for comfortable work, relaxation, but block the path of hot air and do not distort the view from the window.
Wavy plastic corrugated sheet of red, green, blue is used less often, they are placed in the form of stained-glass windows in the construction of entertainment complexes, gazebos, fences. The properties of all types depend on the original components of the raw materials, plasticizers, modifying additives, color stabilizers and pigments.
PVC corrugated board
It belongs to the most budgetary options, polyvinyl chloride particles are taken for production, plasticizing additives are introduced into the composition. Plastic copes with the long-term action of ultraviolet radiation, thanks to the inclusion of light-absorbing dyes in the original composition.
Properties possessed by plastic roof sheeting:
- working temperature range - from -20 ° С to + 50 ° С limits the area of application to central Russia, in the south and north the use is problematic;
- low strength does not allow its use on the roof of a residential building;
- the air in the under-roof room can warm up on a hot afternoon to temperatures above + 50 ° С.
On the Russian market, products are represented by brands: Israeli PALRUF, French ONDEX, German SALUX. The first and last grade is produced by pulling the fibers in one direction, so the strength characteristics are inferior to the French. The ONDEX manufacturing group uses state-of-the-art production, pulls material in two directions during release.
Polycarbonate professional sheet
Made from a monolithic type of polycarbonate. Almost all characteristics are similar to plastic slate, but resistance to low and high temperatures is increased.
Transparent profiled sheet differs from corrugated PVC in terms of:
- high impact resistance - withstands up to 21 kg / m²;
- used at ambient temperatures in the range of -40 ° - + 120 ° C;
- sheets of monolithic polycarbonate weigh more, since they are produced thicker than PVC type.
Changing the working range expands the area of use to the north and south of Russia. With minus indicators, polycarbonate slate will not harden, therefore, the likelihood of crumbling into crumb is excluded. In hot climates, the material does not melt, does not change the shape of the roof under the influence of the sun.
On the Russian market you can find:
- Israeli material SANTUF;
- Russian brand BORREX.
The material does not conduct heat well, so there will be a comfortable microclimate under it in the gazebo, on the terrace, in the greenhouse. For greenhouses and greenhouses, this view is convenient because it lets in a large amount of light (85 - 95%). On the surface of the polycarbonate corrugated board there is a layer that protects against ultraviolet radiation, which destroys the coating, is harmful to greenhouse crops.
Composite corrugated board
The production consists in combining several layers of film, resin, glass material (glass mat or chopped glass fiber). The processes take place with the continuous movement of layers along the conveyor. After that, heat treatment takes place in an oven for melting and gluing layers, forming waves. Composite sheets are obtained, cut to size and stacked on pallets.
Characteristics of a multi-layer corrugated plastic sheet:
- used at temperatures from -60 ° C to + 110 ° C;
- thermal conductivity is 25 times lower than the metal profile;
- is classified in a low-flammable category that does not support ignition;
- in the RAL catalog you can choose any colors and shades.
The opacity of the sheets is compensated for by the high impact and bursting strength, for example, by the snow mass. The material is suitable for working in an aggressive atmosphere in hazardous production workshops, it is used as protection against vandals.
Most often, two-component sheets are found, less often panels of three ingredients are used in the composition. Complex production, heterogeneous layers increase the cost of the material, so not all owners of summer cottages and garden plots can afford it.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage is lightness compared to metal slate - when designing a roof, you do not need to lay a reinforced foundation.
Other advantages of the material:
- resistance to hot climates (except for PVC slate);
- strength allows to withstand average wind gusts up to 15 m / s, the flooring will not bend under the influence of snow;
- polycarbonate, plastic, composite composition do not rust, acids, alkalis from the atmosphere, carbon and salt components do not act on them;
- all types of plastic have a protective coating against UV rays.
Plastic slate has a wide range of uses, but the materials have significant drawbacks.These include a short warranty period for the coating - about 10 years (for comparison - steel lasts 35 - 45 years). For composite plastic, there is a lack of a high price, and polyvinyl chloride at a frost below -20 ° C becomes brittle, crumbles under a small load.
Installation rules
Take into account that you cannot walk on the sheets during installation, since the material may crack. For installation, additional supports are provided in the form of stairs, which are attached to the ridge of the canopy or roof. Plastic slate is easy to cut with a hacksaw, circular saw. It is better not to use a grinder, since the protective layer melts at the cut.
Install PVC slate at a temperature of + 5 ° C. In this case, you do not need to put up protective awnings, heat up the space with heat guns - this increases construction costs. The person should also have a comfortable working temperature.
When stacking sheets, the protective side with the film is placed on top. The panels are fastened with roofing screws with a rubber lining so as not to damage the surface. For screwing, choose a screwdriver with a lock so as not to overtighten the hardware. Hammering in nails is not recommended.
Tips & Tricks
When choosing, take into account that manufacturers do not work according to a single GOST, but produce products according to the technical conditions (TU) developed by them. Therefore, the characteristics are checked with the seller or supplier, they require a quality certificate and a guarantee.
When calculating the number of sheets, not the full, but the useful overlap area is taken into account, since the material is laid with an overlap by one wave.
The variety of waves of a plastic profile for most manufacturers coincides with the same indicators for metal corrugated board. This suggests that both types can be combined in the composition of the roof covering, freely connecting them to each other. You just need to choose the same height and wavelength.
