Polycarbonate doors: how to make

Wonderful appearance, low weight, as well as lower price compared to glass, make polycarbonate very attractive not only for the construction of porches, greenhouses, transparent roofs and partitions, but also for filling door panels. Well, what is this polymer material?

But he does not fight, and does not crumble into fragments, which makes the operation of the structures of it safe. In addition, do-it-yourself polycarbonate doors are much easier than any other option. This is what the video in this article will tell about, and its theoretical part will complement the information with some details.

Glass substitute: polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is an engineering synthetic sheet material that can be operated at fairly extreme temperatures. Therefore, it is equally suitable for both indoor and outdoor constructions - you just need to choose the appropriate option.

Features and advantages of the material

Of course, polycarbonate cannot be compared in its translucency with glass, therefore, it cannot be replaced, for example, in windows. But, thanks to its flexibility, it helps designers develop interesting designs with a curvilinear shape - for example: sliding canopies over a terrace or swimming pool.

There are two types of polycarbonate, the main difference of which is their different structure:

• First option - These are thin double panels interconnected by bridges that form cells in the thickness of the material. Because of this, this type of polycarbonate is called "cellular".
• Other variety polycarbonate, because of the solid structure is called monolithic. In appearance, the sheets are very similar to glass, and can be from 0.2 to 2 cm thick. They are almost as transparent as can be seen even in the photo; therefore, panels with a monolithic structure are most often used for erecting partitions and glazing interior doors.

Monolithic sheet does not bend as well as cellular polycarbonate, which can even be rolled, but if necessary, it is given a spherical shape by the method of hot molding. Due to its dense structure, the material has a higher strength, and can even serve as a frameless self-supporting slab.

The standard width of the polycarbonate sheet is 2.05 m. The length can vary considerably, but the minimum is 3m. The popularity of the material also contributes to the rich color gamut of the material.

It can be transparent or matte, have a bronze tint, or match all the colors of the rainbow. Manufacturers usually guarantee 10 years of quality preservation, but in fact polycarbonate lasts much longer.

Translucent doors

Polycarbonate can be inserted into canvases of hinged swing-open doors, or serve as a filling for folding or sliding doors. The first ones are attached to the slopes by means of loops, the second ones are moved on rollers along the guide rail, located above the opening, or mounted in the floor.

Execution of door leafs made of polycarbonate, can be frameless. In this case, it does not have a frame, and all the accessories are attached to the polymer sheet. It is clear that if there is no frame, then the polycarbonate itself must ensure the rigidity of the structure. In such cases, use only the monolithic version, with sufficient thickness.

Such a door is not cheap, but it looks very solid. Honeycomb sheets are less durable and too light for frameless doors, so they are only used to fill plastic, aluminum or wooden frames.

Fabrication

It is almost impossible to make a frameless polycarbonate door so that it looks decent in the interior, at home. Unless, it will be a compartment door in the closet or pantry.

If we give preference to the frame method, then only the wood version is suitable for independent work. Polycarbonate at the same time plays the role of glass, and is inserted into the frame in the most usual way, by attaching the fragments cut to size with a bead.

• Basically, our readers are interested in the question: "How to make the doors in the greenhouse polycarbonate?". To do this, just need instructions for the installation of this material, which can be found without difficulty. In principle, it is required if the entire greenhouse is assembled from polymer sheets. As for the door, the main task here is to properly make the frame of the canvas so that it fits exactly into the opening.

Note! If the greenhouse itself is not factory-built, but was built independently on a metal frame, then the frame of the canvas should be made metal. To do this, you can take an aluminum tube with a size of 30/2 mm or 40/3 mm If the greenhouse is built of wood, then for the frame of the door it is best to take a pine timber section of 50 * 50 mm.

• Then the frame with one or two sides sheathed cellular polycarbonate. To ensure timely outflow of condensate, the sheets are oriented so that the longitudinal channels are located at the height of the door. The material itself is quite simple in processing. Cut it with a regular hacksaw, and before you install the fasteners, pre-drilled holes.

For better rigidity, the frame of the door leaf is better divided along the center of the crossbar, even by two.

Thus, if you do not have a solid sheet of polycarbonate corresponding to the frame in size, the door trim can be assembled from two pieces and dock them on the centerpiece. With the help of hinges, the frame of the leaf of the greenhouse door is hung on racks, bolts are fastened to the inside and outside, and that is the whole door.