Clear Plastic For BBQ's Whatever The Weather

There’s nothing like an organised BBQ to bring on the wind and rain!  We thought you might like to see how one of our customers here at The Plastic People is preparing for such eventualities by protecting their BBQ from the full brunt of the weather by using acrylic in the design of their family BBQ area.  Thanks to them for this photograph below of their finished efforts – looking good:)

  
Acrylic glazing protects BBQ area

A BBQ hut is a great way for offering protection while still enjoying cooking time outdoors.  Some BBQ huts have open walls, others have solid walls and there is a fine balance to gain quite enough protection and a view of what’s going on elsewhere in the garden.

If you would like to follow suit and use this idea, it’s a fairly easy project to do and this blog takes a look at some of the options you might consider.

Glass is one option providing effective protection from the weather.  Because it is in use outdoors, consider using toughened glass to reduce the chance of any possible damage.  We are thinking about stray footballs, fast flying birds, children playing !   

Cost may be the ultimate deciding factor which brings us to some other alternatives.

Clear plastic sheets such as acrylic and polycarbonate are recognised alternatives to glass – with properties that make them a better choice for many products that might otherwise be made of glass. These types of clear plastic sheets make great choices for an outdoor BBQ hut and in most cases acrylic sheets make an ideal choice because they provide adequate shelter at a lower price than polycarbonate.

Acrylic offers glass like transparency providing shelter from the sun and rain while at the same time letting filtered light pass through.  Acrylic is very clear - 92% of visible light can pass through it.  It also remains clear compared to very thick glass which has a green tint to it.  Acrylic supplied by The Plastic People will not yellow or break down when in the sunshine over a long period of time.  Less well known is that acrylic offers up to 99% UV protection from the suns rays as well as providing thermal insulation making acrylic a good, year round choice.

Compared to glass acrylic is super-strong – in fact, 10 x as strong.  This means it is a safer option as it is less likely to break.  In the unlikely event that acrylic does break, it is also a much safer option as it breaks into a few large shards rather than lots of tiny sharp pieces, like glass.  At the same time, acrylic is only half as heavy as glass which makes it easier to lift, handle and work with, and indeed a better choice for projects if weight is an issue.  It can be sawed - whereas glass must be scored – and it can be shaped and made into structures without seams.  Should it become scratched, scratches can be buffed out - unlike glass.
 
If you'd like a super strong option, take a look at clear polycarbonate.  Polycarbonate is stronger than glass and acrylic. In fact, it is 200 x stronger than glass and is so strong it is the material used in police riot shields.  But perhaps unnecessary for most BBQ huts?!  Opt for a UV protected version for longevity outdoors (this is available at The Plastic People as standard).

Polycarbonate and acrylic come in different sizes and can be cut to your exact requirements.  Both types of plastic are flexible enough to be gently curved without losing structural integrity.

If you’d like to add a bit of colour to your BBQ area, you could also choose from the range of coloured tints that acrylic is available in.  We love how another of our customers injected some colourful design into her garden using coloured acrylic.  It's not specifically for a BBQ area, but you can see how this could work:



Suitable acrylic and UV polycarbonate can be bought to your exact sizes at The Plastic People.  For further advice or assistance please contact our friendly plastic experts by email or phone 0113 249 2222.