How to make a polycarbonate fence: important nuances and the

Polycarbonate fencing

Modern fences are made not only from the familiar to all wood or metal. Very often homeowners want a polycarbonate fence for themselves - and this is actually a very interesting decision. Because such a fence will definitely look pretty nice, and besides, its price will be about the same as the standard structures.

And it is convenient here that polycarbonate can be safely used in conjunction with any other materials. It will harmoniously look with wooden supports, brick and of course metal.

Brick fence with polycarbonate

In this article we will look at the classic version - how to build metal fences of polycarbonate with your own hands and what is important to consider during the work. But first, let's look at the features of this modern material.

Material overview

Information about polycarbonate will not be superfluous, at least because on its basis it will be easier for you to decide whether to apply the material in a particular case or whether it is better to use some other one.

So, polycarbonate for the fence - what is good, and what is bad ...

Cut polycarbonate

Advantages of polycarbonate

Here it is worth to highlight such moments:

1. The material is absolutely not afraid of corrosion, temperature changes, mold and winds. Compared with the same metal or wood - this is a big plus;
2. Polycarbonate panels are quite flexible, which allows them to take even complex forms. For example, if you want to make a fence that will stand in a semicircle, then polycarbonate can be bent without problems exactly as needed;
3. You can make a transparent polycarbonate fence and translucent, and this means that near it you can plan the planting of both light-loving plants and those that grow well only in the shade;

Dark polycarbonate

1. Such panels do not require painting, and this is a direct saving of time and money. In fact, all the care that is needed is the periodic flushing of the surface with water. Agree that this is a great advantage of the material;
2. Polycarbonate fence can be attributed to noise protection fences. This quality will be especially important for houses that are located near highways, highways or railway tracks;
3. The range of material is very decent. You can easily pick up the polycarbonate with the desired shade;

Color range of material

1. the instruction and sequence of installation is such that in principle, it is quite realistic to save and do everything yourself, without resorting to hiring third-party teams.

Please note that the main difficulty in installation is not the fastening of the sheets or, for example, the installation of supports, but the welding of frame elements. If the necessary skills and equipment are not there, then, in general, you can save money too - just hire craftsmen who will only weld the frame, and do the rest.

Now let's talk about the negative properties of the material and technology in general.

Polycarbonate Disadvantages

It's all quite transparent. Such that you buy the material, but you will not know about any specific disadvantages of it only in the course of the operation of the fence.

Because the negative features are just a few points:

• fences for giving from polycarbonate do not have very high strength. In particular, their surface can be easily scratched, chopped or even broken with sticks or stones. Therefore, if the fence is placed only for decorative purposes, and there is no risk of such mechanical attacks, then polycarbonate is suitable as a fence. Otherwise it is better to use metal;

Damaged panel

• the sheets themselves do not have sufficient rigidity. Therefore, they are not suitable as bearing elements. That is, to put it simply, a polycarbonate fence on a metal frame will be as tough and durable as the frame itself is strong. Therefore, if you do not want the fence to squint from the wind or, for example, collapse, pay maximum attention to installing supports and carrying bridges.

Tip: so that the sheets do not “led”, make sure that the holes for the screws in the polycarbonate are slightly larger than the diameter of the screws themselves. If this is not ensured, then during frosts or hot weather, the material will not have room for expansion or contraction under the influence of temperature.

It turns out that it is quite possible to make polycarbonate fences for giving or at home, but here it is only necessary to take into account the instability of the material to mechanical loads.

Now let's figure out how to mount it. But for this we need something.

Necessary tools and materials

As a visual example, consider the situation when the installation of the supports and the frame cladding is performed by itself, and the welding work is performed by specialists.

So, in order to install welded or forged fences with polycarbonate, we need this:

• shovel and garden drill for digging holes for supports;

It looks like a garden drill

• construction thread, tape measure, pencil and upholstery cord with paint;
• metal screws;
• screwdriver, screwdriver set and grinder;
• rule with level;
• buckets and trough for making concrete;
• cement, sand and crushed stone;
• profile pipes for supports and carcass.

Tip: for the foundation of the supports as a filler is not recommended to use stones that absorb moisture well and are destroyed due to it. That is, brick battle and claydite are not suitable, but crushed stone is inert and is optimal for the foundation, as it does not rot in its structure.

It is important to understand that any welded or forged fence with polycarbonate must be additionally protected against corrosion. To do this, all the metal elements of the finished frame must be well treated with sandpaper, primed and painted. Only with such an approach, the construction will last for a truly long time.

Anticorrosion primer for metal surfaces

If everything you need is there, then you can start working.

Mounting the fence

Installation of polycarbonate fences in the local area and suburban areas is as follows:

1. First you need to perform the markup, that is, to create a visual line, the contour of the future fence. This is done quite simply:

• determine the starting point - this will be the first corner of the fence;
• we determine all corners of the structure and at this place we drive in pegs.

1. Now you need to install all the corner supports.

To do this, we drill holes in the right places in the garden drill. As a rule, for supports up to 2 meters high, there is enough foundation with a depth of 70 centimeters. After the pits are ready, we insert supports into them, align them vertically, fix them additionally (to eliminate bevels) and fill with concrete.

Alignment of corner posts

1. Now you need to tighten the thread between the installed columns, which will serve as a beacon for the vertical level of all intermediate supports. After all, you see, it will be very inconvenient to align each pillar, and simply for a long time. Therefore, we wait until the concrete is completely dry and then we stretch the thread as in the photo - and using it we will determine not only the vertical, but also the points on the pillars to which the horizontal lintels of the frame will be welded.

Alignment of intermediate pillars "by thread"

Tip: while the concrete hardens, do not waste time, but rather drill holes for all intermediate supports. In order to determine where they should be - drive the pegs near the corner posts and pull a thread between them. For this work, an error of several centimeters is not so important, since the diameter of the pit, as a rule, allows, in the event of which, to move the support in the right direction, and therefore it will be difficult to make a mistake.

1. In general, after the foundation has gained strength, you can put a mark on the corner pillars and connect them with a thread. Now we install intermediate supports, align them and fill the foundation.
2. Next you need to wait until the concrete hardens everywhere and you can invite welders to connect all the elements of the frame.

Welding work

1. After that, you can clean the steel and treat it with a primer and paint. And then you can cut and screw the polycarbonate to the metal.

Tip: do not remove the packaging film from polycarbonate until all work is completed. If it is removed, then, most likely, a lot of scratches or even cracks will appear on the surface of the future fencing.

As you can see, the installation of such a fence is really simple.

What about polycarbonate stone fences?

Let's briefly touch on this technology.

Brick fence with polycarbonate

Brick and polycarbonate fence

Such a design can also be made independently and it will look beautiful, but now you need to take into account, at a minimum, such moments:

• it will not be possible to install brick pillars in a couple of days, as for laying several rows of bricks, you will have to wait until the previous rows are dry;
• the price of such a fence will be very decent. Because the foundation needs to be made more powerful, and much more to buy expensive material.

So think, as they say themselves - whether or not to make a brick fence with polycarbonate. It turns out that the design will come out beautiful, more durable and durable, and the polycarbonate itself will still not be able to protect against vandals.

Conclusion

We have considered how to make a polycarbonate fence with our own hands and what is desirable to pay attention to before choosing this technology. If you want to know more, then watch the video at the end of the article, perhaps there will be additional useful information. We wish not only to correctly determine the optimal design and materials, but also to make a high-quality installation (read also the article “Types of fences: the most popular options”).

All the best to you!