Attaching Woven Poly Greenhouse Plastic to Metal-PVC Frame

How to Attach Woven Poly Greenhouse Plastic 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 plastic sheets 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 plastic sheets with nails or screws with our flexible Cinchstrap or Polyfastener, or with wooden lath. You can't nail into metal or PVC. Metal screws can be used on all metal. On rebar it's almost impossible. So what's the answer?

The short answer is "Attach wood to the metal", and then attach the plastic to the wood!

The same method can be used for PVC pipe as for metal.

Before attaching the plastic, you first have to attach the wood. Attaching the wood gives extra stability and a place to nail on the plastic. Here are the details.

How to Attach the Wood to the Metal

Clasps, pipestrap and clamps can be purchased to go around the pipe or rebar and into the wood. To save some money on clamps, I use some really 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 rebar or metal at the two ends of the structure makes a permanent framework for fastening the plastic to the ends.

Attach Wood the Ground

Attach boards (outside of the frame), along the lower edges of the sides of the greenhouse. This will give you a place to nail down the bottom edges of the sides.

The Ends

Attach Wood Around the Metal Curve at Each End

To fasten plastic to the ends of metal structures, I buy or find short pieces of wood, usually 2 to 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 plastic.

Anchoring The Greenhouse To The Ground

Along the ground, I attach a preserved wood sill plate. Attach it into the ground by drilling holes in it every few feet and driving short pieces of rebar rod or pipe into the ground to hold it down, maybe two or three feet long. Then I use a sledge hammer to bend over the top few inches so the wood is secured.

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.

Making Doors And Vents at Each End

I build the doors and vents framework out of wood and cover them with plastic. Build lots of vents please! Vents are good for your plants and also for your plastic life. Neither plants nor plastic like to get overheated to where they cook or wilt. I attach the plastic using my Cinchstrap as a lath.

Cover The Structure with Woven Poly Plastic Covers

The sides and top can be covered with one big piece and the two ends can be covered with separate pieces of plastic. Or, you can instead use one big piece of plastic to cover the whole length and the ends in one go, which I find works well on a small greenhouse. Either way, fasten the plastic to the wood you've attached as above.

More Help

Feel free to email or fax us with your questions. The easiest way to catch Bob by phone is early in the morning. For easiest connection, try calling between 6:00AM and 10:00AM Central Time at 1-204-327-5540.

Have fun building your greenhouse!

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