Yesterday’s story about my $14-worth-$3,000 fiberglass tubing *score* led me to this resource: Where to find those old-fashioned green, wavy plastic panels that Grandpa used for the roof on his back porch? I still see them on porches at estate sale houses, and I always think they are so homey — affordable, functional, and appropriate — and I love that green color! You can use these as panels in all sorts of applications — how about the green for the walls of an outdoor shower?
Sources that seem to offer old-fashioned fiberglass-reinforced corrugated panels — get samples! ask questions! this story is just a ‘scan’ I have not seen samples or contacted the companies for more info — in various colors and specifications:
Heart says
I just remember them called ‘fiberglass panels’ or ‘corrugated roofing’. In the old days the fiberglass was embedded in some sort of Resin (?) I think.
Found this:
http://inspectapedia.com/roof/Corrugated_Roofing_Guide.php
Oh snap, asbestos? woopsie
Pam Kueber says
Thanks for the link, Heart. Another reminder to be aware that there can be vintage nastiness in the materials and products in our old houses. Be Safe / Renovate Safe https://retrorenovation.com/renovate-safe/
Kathy says
According to the article… Remainder of comment edited
Readers, this comment was about asbestos. On this topic, I advise everyone to consult with professionals.
deb says
Hi Pam,
totally off topic, but wanted to let you know that retailer West Elm now has a Charley Harper line some of your readers may find interesting.
Christa C says
My grandfather had this in Green and yellow for his fence- a couple years ago I put it ( clear) on top of the pergola over the hot tub…we got ours from Menards- came in 8 ft long sections, either 3 or 4 ft wide…you could order colors.
ptdx says
I have the green cover over our carport/”covered patio”. Didn’t appreciate it that much when we bought it, but quickly realized how GREAT this is in the summer. The transparency of the green allows some light to come in so your not sitting in the dark, while also providing significant shade. It is the ultimate in function over form (it DOES look dated), but isn’t that what retrorenovation is all about?
Jay says
Wow, blast from the past! Didn’t know it was still being produced, The stuff was everywhere back in the 60s. My parents and many other neighbors on the street of row houses had the green panels over the small kitchen porches that led to the back yards. Kept the snow off. Weather resistant however the elements take their toll – the fiberglass panels eventually crack or split. I remember seeing it used in wood framed fencing as privacy screening. Also as shower enclosures at the (Jersey) shore. A much smaller scaled version was used in aluminum frames to create awnings for windows – quite popular. I remember it could get quite hot under it as the porch faced west.
Jules says
This is easy to get in Oklahoma; Lowe’s sells it as “polycarbonate roofing.” There’s the plastic kind (in a few colors) and the metal kind.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Tuftex-PolyCarb-2-17-ft-x-12-ft-Corrugated-PolyCarbonate-Plastic-Roof-Panel/3043807
Pam Kueber says
I tend to think the stuff in Lowes and Home Depot is not the same as the kind I am spotlighting… not the same as the kind used back in the day. The old stuff is fiberglass-reinforced. It’s hefty.
Jay says
You’re right Pam. Fiberglass is different from acrylic (Plexiglas) and polycarbonate (Lexan). All three are different from each other. The latter two can be made practically clear and used in place of glass. The latter two are also more expensive.
Pam Kueber says
…yes, and the far less expensive panels at big box stores seem to be made from other materials altogether, as I recollect…
Irving G. Steinberg says
Great resource. My parents’ backyard shed (we called it the playhouse) has green corrugated fiberglass panels on the roof and parts of the sides. If I ever move back there or get a chance, I should replace a few of them. At 55 plus years, they are getting a but shaggy…
Marya says
Just replaced this roofing with metal roof on our screen porch because the wind ripped a piece of this off in last year’s storms. I loved the semi- transparency, the way the light came through, and the sound of the rain on it. New roof is not quite the same. 🙁
Carolyn says
Aaaaaaah! Pam! It took you awhile but you may have opened the door to finding the answer to my question:
Old-timers know what I’m talking about but no one has been able to give me the answer that has been driving me bonkers for about 10 yrs.
This material had a generic name by which it was known, such as someone asks for a “kleenex” or “xerox” this paper. You know to hand over a tissue, no matter the brand, or copy that paper. We still say “fridge” from Frigidaire more than refrigerator. Formica when we mean any countertop laminate.
I’ve looked in old Popular Mechanics (found names for different brands), the internet (the name of the plastic composition), small-town hardware stores, asked old guys and farmers…it’s always at the very edges of our memory but just too far to snag. I’m down to one last guy that might know but I’m hoping Dear Readers can solve the mystery.
What was the ‘popular’ name these corrugated fiberglass panels went by?
Thank you, thank you, thank you if we can solve this mystery.
On topic – the panels came in green, white, and sorta beige so you were able to make somewhat of a design of stripes. The best use I’ve seen has been to clad an outside stairs to the upstairs flat of a single-family converted to 2-family flats. Well, besides patio windbreaks and roofing. They make light-weight “sky lights” in pole sheds/barns.
Somewhere along the line, people started looking at these as “cheap & chintzy” which brought about their decline as viable alternatives to wood. Now we have pergolas of 2 x 8’s that you need to site ‘just right’ to create shade instead of the filtered shade of these panels. Be aware your neighborhood/municipality may have outlawed their use the same as having backyard clotheslines.
Kelly Wittenauer says
Yes! I know there was a generic name and it bugs me that I can’t remember it. My dad & uncle built a roof over the back porch when I was a child. These panels over a wood frame. Mostly green panels, but 2 stripes of clear above the 2 windows. It’s long gone now, having been replaced with a 3 season room in the ’80s.
Brian T says
Is Lexan the word you’re looking for?
Kena says
Or Filon?
Carolyn says
Brian T & Kena, sorry no…these are brand names. I saw the ad for Filon in a late ’50’s/early ’60’s Popular Mechanics and looked through more to see if the term might come up.
Kelly Wittenauer – I don’t suppose your dad and uncle are still with us…? Of course this might be mean because they’ll go “ja, ja, ja…what IS that stuff again?!”
Mary says
Alsinite?
BungalowBILL says
I saw these used as fencing inserts around a beach house on Fire Island. I thought they were pretty attractive allowing a glow of light through while keeping total privacy.