Acrylic Sheet or Glass? Which One is Better for a Greenhouse?

6 August 2017 Edited 1 February 2024 3 min read

Acrylic Sheet or Glass? Which One is Better for a Greenhouse?

In recent years, acrylic sheets in greenhouses have become increasingly popular and look set to overtake glass as the main material used for covering greenhouses. However, both of them are designed to meet different criteria making with different advantages. In this article, we will take a look at the advantages of using acrylic sheets over glass.

Efficiency

Plants grow optimally when there is between 70% and 75% of light. Diffused light is important for a greenhouse, acrylic sheets have been designed for use as a light diffuser. As acrylic sheets are thicker than glass, they provide better light diffusion than standard glass. All the plants in the greenhouse will get an equal amount of sunlight, which is essential for plant growth. Lesser or no light diffusion can cause the greenhouse to overheat hence, the burning effect. Acrylic sheets have natural ultraviolet filters, which protect your plants from excessive exposure to harmful radiation.

Long Lasting

Greenhouses are in house gardens, which makes them prone to a lot of damage. Greenhouses made with glass are an expensive risk in a garden where children play with balls. Acrylic sheets are perfect for use as greenhouse glass, it is stronger than traditional glass, which enables it to take much more damage. Replacing glass is a hassle, as the right size has to be found and it is usually replaced by a contractor as glass is a complex material. Acrylic sheets are strong with an impact resistance being 6 to 7 times greater than glass. However, when it comes to the replacement of acrylic sheets, it is much easier. In case of any damage or other circumstances, you can replace the acrylic sheets yourself.

Cost effective

A few years back people couldn’t even think about building a greenhouse with acrylic sheets. As it seemed expensive to them and more importantly it went against a traditional, existing style. With the growing passage of time prices of acrylic sheets kept decreasing and people started choosing acrylic sheets for building greenhouses. The increase in the use of acrylic sheets is mainly due to scientific advancements, in refining the chemical process through which plastic is made.

Light weight

Glass can be very heavy, particularly once it is over a certain thickness, so it needs a lot of extra support to hold it safely in place. Acrylic is extremely lightweight when compared to a sheet of glass. It weighs less than half, an important factor when mounting larger windows and panels on a greenhouse.

Extended plant growth

Acrylic sheets have a significant impact on the overall performance of a greenhouse, which means that because of acrylic sheet greenhouse there can be extensive plant growth. This lets you grow your favourite fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Acrylic sheets save you from artificial heating, misuse of electricity, time and cost.

Although people still love classic-style glass greenhouses, if you compare the advantages of both materials acrylic sheets win over the glass. Acrylic sheets are gradually taking over the glass and it might not take too long for acrylic greenhouses to take over glass greenhouses completely.

Verified

My order was ready to collect within the expected preparation window. I was constructing three drawers that require highly accurate cutting and the boards produced were of exactly the right size to Les than 1mm which was obligatory in creating a precise, quality result. The cost of bespoke drawers/kitchen units far exceeds the cost of prefabricated units, forming part of fully integrated, refitted kitchen however, the bespoke drawers were invaluable in upgrading an existing kitchen. The MDF, carcass and drawer fronts were if good quality however, easy to split when drilling along the grain unless the excess from the hole can easily escape from the drilling site. Best ti mark holes and drill panels separately rather than drill holes between boards to obtain a professional result. I oiled my screws and drilled slowly to facilitate their penetration as the material is dense with a lot of squeaking from resistance.

David Clegg,

1 day ago

Great bit of kit makes my life easier on the job but one of the top sections of beading was 5mm shorter than the rest which did lead to more prep/repair work having to be done to make it right for the customer but overall a great bit of kit.

liam gothard,

Received my order late because there was a mixup in the cutting process but I spoke to the staff and they sorted it out they were very apologetic and the item came very shortly afterwards and it was a very good quality wood and hinges expensive but you get what you pay for....quality

Mark john Customer,

Ordering was straightforward. The order arrived quicker than expected, and the plywood I had ordered was of good quality and cut accurately to the dimensions I had supplied. My model railway baseboard is coming together nicely!

Bob Zeepvat,

Perfect service, wood cut and trimmed to the correct dimensions and received on time.

Roger Williams,

Perfect! Easy to order and quick to arrive. Love my new desk which fits perfectly! Have placed another order for a shelf now too.

Alannah,

all good really, delivery and packaging fantastic, ordered to replace a bedroom makeup work surface for my wife, kinda expecting a standard furniture board but what i recieved was so much better quality

Darkman,

My first order came really quick however it arrived broken, 2mm acrylic. Looks like delivery droped something on it. Sent the form saying it had broken waited a few days didn't hear anything back so gave them a call, they had no issues sorting out a replacement and the packaging was even better then the original to make sure it was 100% protected. The replacement arrived within 2 days of phoning them. The main reason I can't give 5 starts is the original damaged product and I felt like I had to chase to her a replacement by email and then phonecall.

Sarah Cropper,

Very happy with the shelves, great quality. Customer service is excellent and solved a minor issue very quickly. Thank you

Laurie Hope,

high qualitywork, very satisfied,

Bentley David,

I needed a perspex cut to window size with a hole for portable a/c exhaust, there website ordering is easy, just put the.measurements in and the position & sizeof the.hole required , it instantly gave the price, placed the order and within 3 days it arrived and it fits perfectly.

Ravi,

Fast and reliable delivery & service. Well made. Came well packaged. Great for extra shelves in an IKEA detolf. Also really good price considering that most places will want you to order a large amount in bulk. Will be ordering again for guinea pig cage windows 🙂

Amy,

Good quality, fast delivery and good comm.

helen Richardson,

2 days ago

I live in a rather remote part of Scotland, on a farm track, 1km from a tarmac road where deliveries often go astray. So I was a little worried about the arrival of my large sheets of acrylic. Whilst they were slightly delayed (original delivery slot Friday, but they only arrived the following Monday), I was kept sufficiently well informed, and they arrived in excellent condition, well wrapped, and cut to the exact size.

Underwhelmed customer,

Wanted some ply panels cut to size. I wanted 4 panels 24mm thick and cut to precise measurements. Not having much experience with online wood specialists. There were a few to choose from, but I went with CutMy. Not sure why. Anyway, the service was good. I entered my exact requirements in the online form. And a few days later, was notified that my order had been dispatched. The order arrived well packaged and the quality was faultless. I would recommend CutMy for your wood requirements. Very pleased with the overall experience.

Michael Cline,

Very pleased with the large sheet of perspex we ordered, the edges and holes all machined accurately as per request - perfect fit for the gap. Delivered well packaged and undamaged Would recommend and use again.

Angela Guest,

Very pleased with the product and easy to install and quick delivery. Highly recommend.

Customer,

Arrived swiftly, look good and cut to exact measurements so the fit is perfect.

Darren Hatcher,

everything worked perfectly

Kenneth and thanks for your order,

excellent service

Thomas,

3 days ago

I ordered from CUT MY Marine plywood cut to size best decision I have ever made this company is great easy website great fast delivery kept informed until delivered thank you guys you are the Muttz Nuttz ( Compliment ).

Danny Cobham,

Great and affordable. Delivery could be better organised and quality of some cut edges was not 100% Overall very pleased and will definitely return for more DIY projects.

JM,

very reasonable and great quality and precision - perfect for creating a display cabinet

Chris Leonard,

The great product. It fits perfectly.

Liben Jiang,

CutMy is a cut above the rest. My experience of CutMy was first-rate; we did have a little wobble in terms of the delivery date, but the concept and execution were superb. I would definitely recommend the service to someone whose forte is not DIY

Marc,

After an initial issue with a defective (scratched) order, I was pleased to get a positive response on the telephone, and a replacement came within a couple of days. Well handled by customer services. However, it had been more difficult when trying to sort the issue out by email, felt like it was going around in circles. The product - a Perspex sheet - is good quality, cut exactly to my requirements.

Tom,

Everything accurately cut, labelled and shipped.

Andrew,

I'm absolutely delighted with the beautiful acrylic shelf that looks exactly like the glass shelves in my cupboard, and is just as strong. Mabel's customer service was fabulous. She went above and beyond to make sure I bought exactly the right thing, and I am so grateful. I highly recommend this company!

Deborah Siepmann,

Very happy with my purchase. The rusty red MFC is such a great colour and high quality. Will definitely recommend and order from cut my again!

Stephanie,

Brilliant service from Cut My! Ordered a 5mm acrylic sheet cut to size, and it arrived promptly. Great prices and top quality—highly recommended.

Davor Krznar,

Very happy indeed with my purchase. Excellent quality product, delivered on time and with care. Fantastic service from start to finish. Thank you!

Mark Wakefield,

My marine ply was cut perfectly and at a very reasonable price. Delivery and communication were absolutely excellent.

Dan,

Very quick service and items fit perfectly

Peter Hughes,

We are impressed with how they go together and look hence our 4 orders although one order seems to have gone awal

Stephen Marsh,

order was simple

CHRIS,

Excellent service

George Colbran,

This is the second time I have used Cut My. On this occasion I wanted a shelf with one rounded corner to fit into a small section of my ensuite. It was surprisingly easy to order on line, the shelf arrived quite promptly, can't remember exactly how long, it is exactly as I wanted and looks great.

Aileen,

Shed roof panels cut and delivered promptly. Delivery driver was friendly and helpful

Nicholas,

The website is easy to use when specifying your requirements and placing orders. I had standard shapes to cut along with a bespoke piece, for which I sent a drawing. Everything was cut to order and each piece had an easy peel label on them, with the specs I put on the order, which was useful, since some pieces were similar to each other. The packaging was sound, so no damaged parts. The delivery service is reasonable... they must have been busy! I have used Cut My many times for different projects and materials and have never been disappointed. I recommend Cut My for ease of use, simple process, good quality and great communications.

Peter Smith,

The website was easy to navigate and it was great to be able to customise my doors. I was kept informed of progress along the way. When my doors arrived, they had been carefully packaged for transit. They look really lovely and are such good quality. I am always sceptical when dealing with a company that I have never dealt with before, but I need not have worried and I can highly recommend Cut My.

CJ,

Perfect fit, wood in good condition, delivered in good time.

Dave K,

4 days ago

great product. Good cut. rapid and well wrapped delivery

christopher polge,

Fantastic company. Simple process and measurements supplied. Plastic glass window sent and exact measurements I’d given. Window fit like a glove. Window was delivered very quick and I installed it very easily.

Gary,

Extremely quick delivery for a high quality product

Karen,

Had to wait longer than originally advertised for delivery. Driver was nt particulary helpful as my item was bottom of the pile and he suggested coming back another day. apart from that pleased with sheet.

Steve Bone,

Good price promt delivery would recommend 👌

june fleming,

good quality items exactly the size as I ordered on time delivered as whole good services

Mrs Rita Rai,

Great service, came on time and great product. I will be using cut my again

A. Hasty,

Great service turnaround and delivery.

Phil Beet,

Fantastic service. Ordered and delivered around 24hours later. Amazing service, don't see it much these days. Well done.

PETE,

They was very helpful the quality of the wood was spot on loving it to the addition to my new desk for extra room was Needed so it now has four legs and sits great on my desk.

MRPAULCONSTANTINE,

These guys are my ‘go to’ people. They’ve provided a number of items, an mdf oak like seat for my cupboard on my ikea hack, a sink base for the top of my vanity when I could no longer replace the exact size and a splash back to accompany it. Looking forward to the next project 😊

Sarah Walker,

Peter Hares,

Really sorry about this late review really pleased with the service and quality will definitely use you again thank you

ROY ANTHONY JEWKES,

helpful and fast delivery and great cutting

Lorna Brawn,

WEB site very good order dealt with urgently very satisfied with product

Mr John Eckford,

great service thanks

Barry Harris,

Cut exactly to the right size, perfect for what we needed.

ELIZABETH,

I saw Cut My on social media and thought I would give them a try . I needed some mdf for a project and didn't want a whole sheet I have nowhere to store it. Cut My Cut the mdf perfect to the exact mm, it was very well packaged which was a relief as it was over 2mt long. It was delivered very quickly.

Mandy Ryder,

Very easy to select item and delivery very fast

Graham,

5 days ago

Great product and excellent customer service

Marlene Kofman,

Fast delivery, well packaged for delivery & everything was perfect. Would definitely recommend.

LW,

Perfect fit. Prompt delivery

Graham Eastwood,

Clear and quick communication to queries, quick delivery

Kevin D,

Easy to order, quick delivery and very pleased with results.

Beth Poultney,

Easy to order and delivery was quick, a couple of issues but very promptly resolved by the after sale follow up service

Grant,

Cut bang ok, slightly chipped on some of the edge but it's still ok Packed really well Delivered before the slotted day

Mark Belcher,

Reliable & efficient. It cuts the price down considerably if you are able to pick up your order yourself.

Janet Boden,

The whole website is so easy to use. Very helpful when you are rather slow at using new decimal measurements; easy to convert to proper ones. Excellent products every time I have purchased. Delivered on time every time. Fantastic range of products for delivery to my door.

Mr I S Thwaites. satisfied cus,

6 days ago

Once i got my measurements and correct thickness sorted what was sent was first class. Prompt postage.

Kenneth Blackwood,

Great product swift service

joanne crew,

Good product - exactly what I was after. Good value. Arrived quickly with good communication about a small delay.

A Lloyd,

Simple to follow guides for measurement purposes and clear instructions for fitting. Prompt delivery and excellent packaging.

gpd,

Very easy to order. Fast delivery and excellent quality. Wonderful service.

customer,

1 week ago

Loved my CutMy experience and would definitely purchase from again , and recommend to others. It was a great way to simplify the process of putting up a panelled wall. Loved that I didn’t have to cut any pieces because it was all pre-cut exactly to the measurements I required. So glad I found this website. Brilliant, thank you.

Sharon,

After an awful experience with a competitor this was a trouble free order , quick with good communication and well packaged

John Hughes,

Arrived on time. Good communication from start of online purchase until delivery. Good quality design.

Sharon black,

Great material cut to a perfect size, making the repair so much easier.

James Alan,

Got some acrylic made to size, it turned up as expected, will definitely use again.

John Mcginty,

Cut to size and on time.

Pete,

Measured and procured just what I wanted. Came in time, just need a bit more firkaling to bend and fit to the job. Brill

Ozzy,

Great service, good selection of products and very quick delivery.

Mr and Mrs N Hales-Jerkins,

Item provided as ordered.

CMA,

Perfectly cut and very speedy delivery! First class service.

Matt Neale,

Love the design tool to design the wall layout for the Quaker mdf. Super quick delivery.

Graeme,

Everything as agreed including delivery. Website was clear with good explanations which meant nothing was guesswork

Zai,

Exactly what I wanted, delivered with care.

Mr Bassett,

Great quality and exactly what I needed for my windows

Claire,

Item was easy to order from their website and completed quickly and exactly how requested.

Christopher Jeacock,

Company great. Wood as described and helpful staff. Delivery by APC less than great.

Jonathan Gardner,

Good quality, good delivery

Bart,

Cut to perfection , really fast delivery, used as a loft hatch and looks perfect

James,

Super quick delivery exactly what we wanted. Thanks

P A Gulliver,

so fine okay

Shu Kwan,Sam Lam,

This is my fourth order from Cut My and all of them have been delivered quickly, well packaged and cut very accurately

Debora Cane,

Prompt delivery. Good quality. As ordered. Thank you.

Sally Millar,

Order = easy Price = good Delivery = good

Eddie,

Finding a company that provides custom cut items is wonderful. I bought an air conditioner this summer (I have respiratory issues and I struggled in the heat). So how to run an ac unit without wasting energy and of course the cool air? Simple. Get Cut My to cut a temporary window pane that accommodates the ac hose. AND that you can easily remove when you don't need the ac. Great and thanks.

KarenW,

Great communication, speedy delivery & accuracy of cut lengths

Paul Roberts,

Not all fitted yet but the material was cut accurately and supplied quickly and safely given that is was polycarbonate sheet. Quite easy to order some irregular shapes albeit in straight lines and my bits were not huge with the largest being 1100mm by 625mm.

Mrs Whittard,

Acrylic Sheet or Glass? Which One is Better for a Greenhouse?

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Efficiency

Long Lasting

Cost effective

Light weight

Extended plant growth