We don’t just sell these products, we use them ourselves! Here are a few insider tips we've picked up along the way.

We recommend a minimum roof pitch of 5 degrees, though a steeper fall is ideal. Because Custom Glaze spans wider gaps than standard corrugated roofing, with purlins spaced up to 1500mm apart, the sheets naturally have more flex mid-span. If the pitch is too shallow, this can cause water to pool in the center of the panels.

There is an overlapping and an underlapping ridge. The overlapping ridge is slightly larger and is marked with laser printed writing on it.

Cutting to width. If you need to cut one of the sheets to width (i.e. your structure doesn't take an exact number of sheets) you can cut the sheet down with a handsaw or similar. Because the ridge will be cut off on that edge the sheet will be quite flexible. Ensure the flexible cut edge is supported all the way by a rafter. You can then put a timber batten on top to hold it down, or a metal flashing or right angle profile.

Custom Glaze is incredibly tough. In our extreme wind zone testing at the maximum 1500mm purlin spacing, the polycarbonate panels never failed, the fasteners failed (sheared) first. Because Custom Glaze uses fewer attachment points than standard corrugate, those fixings take the brunt of the force. If you are building in a high wind area, there are a few things you can do. Reduce purlin spacing: Bringing your purlins closer together increases the total number of fixing points and provides a more rigid frame. Upgrade your fasteners: Use heavy-duty hurricane or storm washers (available at most hardware stores). These feature an oversized washer that distributes the wind load much more effectively across the sheet. Secure the ends: Add an additional fastener directly in the center of the pan on the very top and very bottom purlins to lock the exposed ends down tightly.

Installing on rafters only. While these are designed to go on purlins 1500mm apart, they can also go directly on rafters without purlins. Lots of people do this, and there are some pergola companies who install them exclusively on rafters as well. A couple of things to keep in mind: The top of the rib is only 30mm wide (not 50mm), so you can't put it directly on a standard 45mm beam. However, you can put a packer down first (no more than 27mm wide, by at least 30mm tall), so it can sit on top of that. Alternatively you can use rafters wider than 70mm so it sits directly on top, but this is uncommon to get. It'll still need an expansion hole drilled through the ridge, before putting the fasteners in. We recommend the rafters are flush with the end beams, so the bottom (and top) ends of the sheet have something to support it and keep it flat.

Different batches can have a slight variance in colour (mainly in the bronze and grey tints). We recommend you order your entire order in one go, not at different times.

Polycarbonate is affected by methylated spirits, benzene, petrol, ketones, acetone, phenols, chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum-based paints, abrasive cleaners and solvents.