Polycarbonate Or Glass?

7 REASONS WHY POLYCARBONATE ROOFING IS BETTER THAN GLASS

There’s no denying the use of glass as a cladding material in commercial and residential property constructions has many appealing qualities.

Number one and most obvious quality is transparency. Glass allows natural sunlight to light up and brighten interiors creating a warm and inviting space.

But despite this light transmitting quality, glass has several disadvantages that can potentially pose some major problems and outweigh its advantages.

Glass is heavy, fragile and expensive.

Handling glass is more difficult and time consuming. It can crack or break easily and is expensive to replace.

Fortunately, there is an alternative material available that has the same transparent or translucent qualities as glass and none of the disadvantages.

Polycarbonate No Ordinary Plastic

Developed in the 1950’s, polycarbonate is a strong and durable plastic that is easily worked, molded and thermoformed. The unique features of polycarbonate make it a versatile and affordable construction material for use in commercial and residential builds.

Let’s take a closer look at the properties of polycarbonate and how they stack up against glass.

Properties of Polycarbonate

• Polycarbonate is durable, has high impact resistance and low scratch resistance which makes it a very strong, long lasting material that can withstand forceful contact without cracking or breaking like glass.
• Stronger than glass but lighter in weight makes polycarbonate so much easier to handle.
• Polycarbonate possesses good thermal properties, which means it won’t warp, discolour or buckle in extreme weather conditions.
• Polycarbonate offers crystal clear transparency for ample sunlight and is coated with UV protection to block 99% of harmful UV rays.
• Polycarbonate is available in a variety of translucent colours to reduce the amount of light in. This lets you customize your outdoor spaces or interior to suit the general climate and comfort of your property.
• Polycarbonate provides good sound insulation helping to reduce outside noise pollution.
• Polycarbonate can be used for roofing, fences, privacy screens and partitions, green houses, pergolas, carports, covered walkways, swimming pools, patios, commercial glazing, sports and shopping complexes. With all the above features that polycarbonate offers, it makes for an attractive, affordable and much better alternative to glass.

Whether it’s a commercial or residential property, polycarbonate roofing will provide the durable protective cover you need without sacrificing any of the available natural light or detract from the design of your build.