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Aluminium greenhouse with asbestos panels - restoration job!

I have an old but mostly serviceable 'Guernsey Glasshouse' greenhouse which, at a guess, is around 40 years old.  The main structure is fine and in good condition, but a couple of the bottom panels are damaged - in fact, one cracked the other completely missing.  These bottom panels - each about 24" by 12" in old money - appear to be made of asbestos cement.  I don't want to replace these by glass given the fact that I need to mow close up to each side.  Does anybody have any ideas for suitable material to use as a substitute?

Posts

  • Steve 309Steve 309 Posts: 2,753

    Marine plywood, suitably painted?

    perspex?

     

  • Thanks Steve. Marine ply was my first thought also but given that it needs to be thin - of the order of 3-4mm - it may be difficult to make weatherproof.  

    I suspect that this must be a common problem with older greenhouses.

  • Steve 309Steve 309 Posts: 2,753

    Bed it on some mastic - that should make it everything-proof.

  • Just occurred to me that sheathing marine ply in fibreglass would do the job.  Which then led on the an ongoing search for 3mm fibreglass sheet...  Will post further ideas as and when I come up with a solution!

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    4mm twinwall polycarbonate sheet, Bob.  Very strong, long-lasting and easy to cut.

    C & A Building Plastics are one of the cheapest suppliers of polycarb sheet:

    http://www.cabp.co.uk/Roofing-Materials/Polycarbonate-Multiwall/4mm-6mm-Twinwall-Polycarbonate/4mm-Multiwall-Polycarbonate-Collection-CLEAR_4MMMULTICLEAR.htm

     

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Excellent suggestion Bob(TheGardener)!  I didn't realise that you could get polycarbonate sheet with such a thin profile. Many thanks also for the link to C&A - much appreciated. 

  • Looks like the perfect product, though C&A minimum delivery charge (£24) looks totally unrealistic for a small quantity!  Will look now for a local (Hampshire/Sussex) distributor.

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Sorry, didn't check the delivery charge Bob.  I used them when I built my conservatory so had a large amount of stuff.  I just typed 4mm twinwall into ebay.co.uk and lots popped-up there with reasonable delivery charges, so if you can't find it locally try there.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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