The building materials market is constantly replenished with useful new products that allow for the implementation of more interesting and original projects of residential buildings and technical structures. One of the recently appeared materials, transparent slate, aroused the interest of consumers and quickly gained popularity. It is a polymer roofing material created from polycarbonate, acrylic or PVC, its scope is the construction of roofs that do not require installation of insulation.

Content

1. What is a transparent slate? video
2. Material benefits video
3. Area of \u200b\u200buse of transparent slate video
4. Installation recommendations for transparent pvc slate
5. Other varieties of transparent and opaque slate

What is a transparent slate?

Although the transparent roofing material is called slate, it has a very distant relation to the usual gypsum-cement material: it is similar to it except in the form of sheets and the wavy profile, which has a transparent pvc slate. Acrylic and polycarbonate materials are flat.

Roofing acrylic  and polycarbonate in fact, they are plexiglas with a cellular structure that gives them sufficient rigidity. The positive aspects include the permeability of materials for ultraviolet radiation - this allows their use in the construction of tanning salons and greenhouses, greenhouses, conservatories, arbors, verandas, pools.

A polycarbonate roof can last more than 15 years, while an acrylic roof can last about 10. A polycarbonate coating has good wind and mechanical shock resistance and is not susceptible to chemicals.

Plastic   polymer slate  allows you to build from it the roof of the original form. Unfortunately, this material has significant drawbacks: the effect of temperature causes a change in size that exceeds the change in size of the frame on which they are mounted. This will need to be considered when performing roofing work.

In addition, walking on such a roof is not recommended: it will not support the weight of a person, i.e. the process of laying the roof causes some difficulties. Today you can buy transparent slate in a wide variety of colors, the thickness of its sheets can vary from 1 to 1.5 mm. Sheets have standard sizes: 200 mm x 108.6 mm.

Somewhat improved characteristics, compared with acrylic, has pvc slate: it can be used at temperatures from -20 to +50, its service life is 50 years, it refers to materials with a low degree of combustibility. But the above advantages are not a reason to resort to covering him completely the entire roof of the structure.

Material benefits

Among the main advantages of plastic transparent slate, I would like to note the simplicity of its installation and the ability to create durable original designs, including those with light transmission. Using the material, you can create domed, arched and other complex shapes that are reliable and capable of protecting the structure from wind, snow, rain, frost.

Transparent pvc slate is produced in a wide range of shades, which allows you to diversify the color scheme of buildings. For example, the use of orange and yellow shades when creating a roof will create a warm and sunny mood in the room, and blue and blue will give a feeling of coolness and freshness.

The low weight of building materials is also of great importance, especially when you consider that it is used as roofing. Hence - the opportunity to save money on all areas of work: laying the foundation, erecting walls and installing the roof itself.

The material has a fairly long service life - about half a century, it does not collapse under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and atmospheric precipitation.

  A pvc roof always looks decorative - dust and dirt do not accumulate on it, its smooth surface does not provoke the accumulation of snow mass. The material is attractive in terms of fire safety - it does not burn and does not support the flame, when heated to high temperatures it does not become a source of emission of gases or vapors harmful to humans.

Of the significant shortcomings, the limited temperature regime of operation can be noted - from -20 to +50 degrees.

Area of \u200b\u200buse of transparent slate

As the main roofing material, transparent slate is used in the construction of public and commercial buildings, agricultural buildings. The material can be considered the best option for the construction of arch-type buildings, such as warehouses and hangars.

Unusual in appearance material allows you to build original canopies, outbuildings, garden arbors, hedges. Greenhouses and greenhouses constructed of transparent slate have a long service life and well maintain the temperature inside the structure.

From it build canopies over areas for recreation and sports competitions. Flat sheets have found application in the interior: they make internal partitions from it. Walls and roofs of indoor pools, car parks, city stops are collected from transparent slate.

Installation recommendations for transparent pvc slate

• An important condition for the successful operation of the roof from pvc slate is its angle of inclination exceeding 8 degrees.
• The radius of the arch created from the material should be greater than 2.5 m.
• Lay sheets on the crate, be sure to do an overlap 0.2 m wide.
• The crate should be built of wood. When using metal structures, it is recommended to paint them with white paint or wrap with foil. Such precautions will prevent the heating of the metal and eliminate the threat of deformation of the roofing material.
• The sheets are stacked from the bottom up, perpendicular to the battens of the crate.
• During installation use screws with a washer. They are screwed in every 3-4 waves. Near the eaves with drains and near the ridge, screws will need to be mounted more often - every two waves.
• Before making fasteners, holes are drilled in the sheets, their diameter should be 3 mm larger than the diameter of the screw part of the self-tapping screw.
• The location of the screws should be at least 4 cm from the edge of the sheet.
• To fix each sheet, you need 18 or 20 screws.
• Since walking on the surface of a slate roof is not recommended, then a board with a length of at least three sheet lengths is used to move it.
• Cut the slate with fine toothed hacksaws or circular saws.

Other varieties of transparent and opaque slate

In addition to the above, there is another kind of polymer - fiberglass. In its manufacture, fiberglass reinforcement is used. This technology has allowed us to create a heat-resistant material that can be operated at temperatures from +140 to -40 degrees.

The material is durable, durable, it can be used safely when roofing. As a result of strong impacts, scratches, dents, white specks can form on the surface of the material, but they do not affect the quality of the material and its protective properties.

An interesting option is a new, though no longer transparent, type of slate: asbestos-cement sheets with a polymer coating on both sides. Such material has all the positive qualities of ordinary slate, in addition, it is devoid of fragility, is not afraid of high humidity, does not form microparticles of asbestos dust. Its decorativeness attracts attention - it will not be necessary to paint such a material.

All of the above allows us to conclude: transparent slate has many positive properties that ensure its relevance and popularity. In addition, the price of transparent profiled pvc slate practically does not differ from the price of asbestos-cement, you can purchase it at any store that sells building materials. For the convenience of customers, polymer sheets are sold complete with cornice and ridge elements and fasteners.

Author: Sergey and Svetlana Khuentsov

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