What is plexiglass? What use for the home?

 Plexiglas is a material similar to glass and plastic that can be found in many everyday objects and spaces. Solid, resistant, easy to work and insulating, it has many qualities, but it is less aesthetically durable than glass because of its tendency to tarnish. Discover the secrets of this material, the uses for the home as well as the methods to work with it.

What is plexiglass?  What use for the home?

What is plexiglass?

Plexiglas®, a registered trademark used in everyday language, is a transparent thermoplastic material also called polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Used in many fields, it makes it possible to make a whole bunch of objects that can be found in industry, optics, decoration or even advertising. In addition, it is known to be used for making windows.

The advantages of plexiglass

Plexiglass is often used as a replacement for glass since it is easy to install, durable and bright, allowing almost 92% of the light to pass through. This explains its nickname of acrylic glass, which is one of its components.

Strong and robust, it withstands shock nearly 40 times better than glass. Its lifespan is therefore almost unlimited. Lightweight and malleable, it is easy to work with and allows for all kinds of customization. It is easy to paint, sand, cut or drill for example.

As insulating as glass in terms of acoustics and temperature, it is also resistant to pollution and UV. Thus, it is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

The disadvantages of plexiglass

If it has its advantages, however, the plexiglass has the shortcoming of being scratched very easily and tarnished over time. This explains the reason why it is used more to replace a glass surface during a repair than in a durable way. Finally, it gets dirty much faster and must therefore be cleaned regularly.

Plexiglass is a bit more expensive than glass. However, being easier to work with, worked plexiglass remains less expensive than worked glass. However, if you want to maintain the shine of the plexiglass, you will need to replace it regularly to avoid the effects of tarnishing.

While glass is infinitely and 100% recyclable, plexiglass has a harmful environmental footprint due, on the one hand, to its composition, and on the other hand to its difficulty in being recycled, due to insufficient supply chain recycling, so it ends up buried or incinerated when not exported ...

What use for the home?

Plexiglas can be used in many ways within the home, indoors and outdoors because of its strengths, resistance, malleability and insulating power.

it replaces glazed surfaces such as windows, verandas, awnings, greenhouses or canopies.

it is used to dress the garden for the making of barriers and fences.

it makes it possible to create a swimming pool covering.

it is useful for making furniture, whether it is shelves, display cases, tables or even storage chests.

plexiglass is also widely used for making aquariums thanks to its great resistance.

easy to work with, it can be found in a large number of objects and decorative elements. It is particularly popular with artists since it is very malleable and allows their imagination to run free.

How to work with plexiglass?

The cut of the plexiglass

Plexiglas is relatively easy to work, and especially to cut. The technique is however more or less complex and meticulous depending on the thickness of the material; the thinner it is, the more fragile it is.

the thick plexiglass can be easily cut with a cutter to obtain an aesthetic result, straight and clean.

when it is moderately thick, the hacksaw is the best solution for achieving a clean, burr-free cut.

for fine plexiglass, it is recommended to use tools intended for cutting plastic and operating electrically.

Cleaning the plexiglass

Plexiglas should be cleaned regularly if exposed to the outdoors and occasionally indoors to limit the effect of natural tarnishing. Anyway, its maintenance is only possible with a mild and neutral product, non-alcoholic and ammonia-free. Be careful, as these components are present in most cleaning products sold on the market.

Ideally, mix lukewarm water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid, known for its degreasing power while being non-abrasive and non-aggressive.

Apply the mixture to the plexiglass surface using a soft cloth or non-scratching sponge, since the material is easily scratched. Avoid paper towels, which are unsuitable for this type of surface. Rub, rinse with clean water then dry gently without scratching with a soft, clean cloth or chamois leather. Do not hesitate to change the cloth or sponge several times if the surface is very dirty; you will get a better result while avoiding the risk of scratching.