Greenhouse Materials – Glass or Plastic

Which materials will you use for your new greenhouse? Depending on the materials you use, you can have a very different greenhouse from one to the next. When you choose a premade greenhouse, you can also have a number of materials to choose from. Selecting the right materials for your greenhouse and your environment will make all the difference in the life and future of your greenhouse structure.

The most important thing to consider first with the materials is the roof. The largest amount of sunshine will hit your roof from the late morning until the early afternoon and having the right material will make a significant impact here. You can choose between several different materials and design options to influence how much sunshine hits your building.

Glass is a traditional choice for greenhouse roof options. Since it transmits light well and is easy to clean, glass is a popular choice. It can also have great reflective properties that will hold the heat from the sunshine in.

Glass, however, can be expensive and easily broken. It can be heavy and extreme temperatures on either side of the glass will cause it to spontaneously crack and shatter. If you bump into the glass in a weakened state will also make it crack and shatter everywhere.

Materials have definitely improved for greenhouses in the last 20 years, making them stronger and more adaptable to the weather. Many more greenhouses are using plastics and composites in the roof to give them more stability and sturdiness. Plastics can be purchased that are partly transparent or partly translucent to best fit your environment’s requirements. They can control the sunshine better, which is very helpful during the long, hot summer hours with direct light.

Glass is still a very viable option. You can find a system that will shade the roof with glass to give it more protection and control during the cooler and warmer months. There are inexpensive mechanical systems that will use either a white cloth, bamboo, plastic shutters and more to control the amount of light and heat that go into the greenhouse. There are even more expensive systems that will sense the amount of sunlight coming in and will monitor the opening and closing of the shades automatically.

Walls are also very important. You can use the traditional glass again, which can be tricky since the walls will have to bear the weight of the roof. Most of the glass walls will need to be embedded and alternated with load bearing roofs and other support materials.

Glass can be really beautiful to look at, but modern composites and plastics can offer similar beauty with much more strength. You can find lightweight, strong alternatives that look great and support the structure better. Some have partial wood, aluminum or other materials that will be used as well, but make sure they offer light or else you will have nothing more than a shed! Build the right greenhouse for your property’s needs when you look into the right materials today.

         

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