corrugated plastic shed roof

[Adam Funk]

I built a shed about 10 or 11 years ago with a sloped roof made of the corrugated clear plastic from Wickes. A few days ago, while putting a ladder away in the shed, I banged the roof & made an irregular hole in it. Is it worthwhile to replace the whole roof (6 or 7 panels, I think) on the grounds that the plastic has degraded in the sun over time, or should I just replace the one with the hole in it & see how it goes?

Thanks.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Adam Funk expressed precisely :

Unless the clear plastic is essential, I would look at using modern box section steel roofing and replace the lot.

[newshound]

You might get a sense for how "brittle" the plastic has become by bending bits around the hole. IME it lasts reasonably well but is not particularly strong in impact: I've just replaced a similar roof in a lean-to under some trees; in the winter storms bits of branch an inch diameter and a couple of feet long are heavy enough to crack or puncture it. What I went for was this sort of stuff

(or just search eBay for corrugated fibreglass sheet)

which is a bit more expensive, but is much tougher.

In your case, though, I would think about just replacing the panel. Or even just gluing a bit of sheet underneath the damage. Use clear silicone from a cartridge gun, make sure there is a sealing bead all around the hole.

[Brian Gaff]

I think you need to test it, but that stuff is pretty brittle to start with, so it won't have improved. I had some on a garage and it went milky white before it started to splinter. How have you secured it? I found that you need a big area to hold it down or winds tend to rip them right off if there are too small and not enough fixing points. Surely by now somebody has made a more stable plastic? Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Or some of that stuff they seem to make some conservatory roofs out of that seems to be one plastic that lasts. Might be overkill for a shed though! Brian

[harry]

It's not supposed to be affected by UV but I think it is. Some makes has to be put on the "right way up" as only one side is UV proof. I would repair it with weatherproof tape for now & see what happens. You can get clear outdoor tape (intended for tunnel greenhouses) or use Flashband.

[Adam Funk]

Do you have link for an example of that?

I'll patch it for now & replace the whole roof in the spring --- it's not an enormous shed.

I like the clear plastic because it makes the inside well lit during the day, but I suppose it does subject the contents to more heat and UV exposure during the summer.

[Steve Walker]

You can find it online (including Ebay) easily - just look for box profile roofing sheets.

You can also consider the version with insulation on the back - both keeping the heat out in the summer and preventing condensation for the rest of the year.

SteveW

[Adam Funk]

Thanks --- googling that turned up some things that were less expensive than I'd expected.

I guess this stuff is much more durable than the clear plastic. I'm used to having natural light in the shed during the day, but I could put brighter lights inside.

[Steve Walker]

You can usually buy translucent panels with the same profile to allow for natural light through part of the roof.

SteveW

[Adam Funk]

Thanks for the tip!