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How to Attach Poly to
the Ends and Sides of a Metal Frame or a PVC Frame Greenhouse
Perhaps the most common question asked of
us is how to attach the poly to the ends and sides of a PVC greenhouse or
a metal greenhouse, whether the frame is metal tubing or rebar. On a
wooden frame you can attach the poly with nails or screws and our flexible
cinchstrap or polyfastener, or with wooden lath. You can't nail onto metal
or pvc. Screws can be used on all except rebar, but it's difficult. On
rebar it's impossible. So what's the answer?
The short answer is: "Attach wood
to the metal*, and then attach the poly to the wood!"
*Metal is used instead of "Metal or
PVC" throughout this article, to make it easier to read, but the same
method can be used for PVC pipe as for metal, if you don't want to use
screws to attach the poly to the PVC.
Before attaching the poly, you first have
to attach wood. Attaching the wood gives extra stability and a place to
nail on the poly. Here's the details!
HOW TO ATTACH WOOD TO THE METAL
pipestrap, clasps/clamps, staples,
u-shaped 2-pointed nails, nails hammered over into the wood on other side
Clasps or clamps can be purchased to go
around the pipe or rebar and into the wood. To save some money on clamps,
I use some long nails and partly drive the nails into the wood and then
tightly curl them by hammering around the metal pipe or rebar. Attaching
wood to the metal at the two ends of the structure makes a permanent
framework for fastening the poly to the ends.
THE LONG SIDES - ATTACH WOOD ALONG THE
LONG SIDES
Using the method described above, attach
boards (outside of the frame), along the lower edges of the long sides of
the greenhouse. This will give you a place to nail down the bottom edges
of the long sides of the main piece of poly covering. But don't put on any
poly yet!
THE ENDS
ATTACH WOOD AROUND THE METAL CURVE AT
EACH END
To fasten poly to the ends of metal
structures, I buy or find short pieces of wood, usually 2 or 3 feet long.
I prefer two by fours. I attach the wood within the space formed by the
curve of the metal, to follow the curve and to create something into which
I can later drive nails to hold the poly.
ATTACH WOOD ALONG THE GROUND AT EACH
END
Along the ground at each end I attach a
preserved wood sill plate. Attach it to the ground by drilling holes in it
every few feet and driving pieces of rebar rod into the ground to hold it
down. Attach it to the metal frame by using u-shaped staples, clamps, or
bent over nails, as above.
MAKING VERTICAL STUDS AT EACH END
Secure wooden vertical studs to the
ground plate and to the wood framework that follows the curve of the metal
frame, as above. This wood at each end makes a permanent framework for
building doors and vents at each end.
MAKE DOORS AND VENTS AT EACH END
I build the doors and vents framework out
of wood and cover them with poly. Build lots of vents please! Vents are
good for your plants and also for your poly life. Neither plants nor poly
like to get overheated to where they cook or wilt. I attach the poly using
my cinchstrap as a lath between the poly and the nail-head.
COVER THE STRUCTURE WITH WOVEN POLY
COVERS
The sides and top can be covered with one
big piece and the two ends can be covered with separate pieces of poly.
Or, you can instead use one big piece of poly to cover the whole length
and the ends in one go, which I find works well on a small greenhouse.
Either way, fasten the poly to the wood you've attached as above.
MORE HELP
Email us with your questions. If you
prefer to talk to Bob about it in person, the easiest way to catch him by
phone is before the rush of calls that hit the midst of the business day.
For easiest connection, try calling between 6 am and 10 am Central Time.
Have fun building your greenhouse!
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