I have a strange question... (regarding covering corrugated roofing)

[Dandelle]

I have decided to reuse my dad's old corrugated pvc roofing panels that he had on his greenhouse (he tore half of it down and is going to put tin roofing on the other half to make a shed).
The thing is, these panels are discolored and a bit weakened from being in the sun. They are only about a year and a half to two years old, so I don't want to buy new ones just for them to look like that in the same amount of time.

What I'm wanting to do is give the panels a little decoration to [try to] hide the discoloration, as well as add strength. It would also be nice to provide a bit of sunscreen for the girls.
I want it to be somewhat see-through, so I can't paint it unless there is a sheer/opaque kind of paint that I am unaware of. I was thinking of putting some kind of mesh/fabric on top of them and then putting some kind of protective clear coat (maybe this would work? /// http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...d=10053&langId=-1&keyword=bondo&storeId=10051).

I have no idea if anything can be done, I'm just wondering. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'll graciously take any advice.

 

[Judy]

In your climate they will require shade and breeze. Chickens have a lot more trouble handling heat than cold. I don't think a roof that lets in any light at all is a good idea.

Actually you don't even need a 4 sided coop -- the more air movement, the better. Many build a 3 sided structure with ventilation in the high side. For predator proofing, you can build a pen extending from the structure.

This thread shows a lot of good ideas:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/163417/please-show-me-your-hot-weather-coops

 

[Haunted55]

I have decided to reuse my dad's old corrugated pvc roofing panels that he had on his greenhouse (he tore half of it down and is going to put tin roofing on the other half to make a shed).
The thing is, these panels are discolored and a bit weakened from being in the sun. They are only about a year and a half to two years old, so I don't want to buy new ones just for them to look like that in the same amount of time.

What I'm wanting to do is give the panels a little decoration to [try to] hide the discoloration, as well as add strength. It would also be nice to provide a bit of sunscreen for the girls.
I want it to be somewhat see-through, so I can't paint it unless there is a sheer/opaque kind of paint that I am unaware of. I was thinking of putting some kind of mesh/fabric on top of them and then putting some kind of protective clear coat (maybe this would work? /// http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...d=10053&langId=-1&keyword=bondo&storeId=10051).

I have no idea if anything can be done, I'm just wondering. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'll graciously take any advice.

Yes it should work. Something I have done in the past is to take the fiberglass window screening and the glue you put PVC pipe together with. Lay the screening on whatever, plastic, pvc, fiberglass and then use the applicator to dab the cement over the screening. Small repairs, it works great but for what you're talking about....... A lot of work, expense, not to mention you'll be high as a kite before the first panel is even done. If you really want to do this I would go right for the fiberglass resin and cloth. Do you have any pictures of the roofing? How about where it'll end up? Sometimes seeing will open up a whole new line of thinking.

 

[Fishbone]

Only a product made to stick to PVC will...stick to PVC!
Fiberglass will pull apart from the PVC panel.
In less than a year in the Texas sun, it will look worse than what you have.

As mentioned, you need shade from the Texas sun!

 

[Dandelle]

I should have said that the roofing will go over the run; I have the coop pretty much done
Here are some pictures; please excuse the mess! My crape myrtle is shedding all over the panels in the second picture.







I'm going to make a wooden frame out of furring strips and attach the panels to them. They will then be put on top of the white part. The frames will be hinged for easy cleaning

So I suppose I should forget about putting fabric and gloss over it if it's just going to deteriorate just as fast. But what about spray paint made for plastic? I couldn't find anything specifically for pvc unfortunately.

Thanks for the advice so far! And thanks for the link, flockwatcher, lots of nice looking coops there

Oh and here's the kind of spray paint I have in mind: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25e...Id=-1&keyword=spray+paint+straw&storeId=10051

 

[Haunted55]

Okay, after seeing what you're doing what I would do is if you need to get some opacity to the panels I would lightly spray them with the Krylon plastic spray. You don't want a heavy application, more like a mist. Like an over spray? I would go for a white paint myself. It will keep the sun from baking the panels any more than it already has. Any of the holes that will not line up with what you are planning, I would use small bits of fiberglass window screening and the pvc pipe glue. It will hold up quite well. You might want to dab on the glue over the screening a few times for it to be totally closed off. Good luck! I too am going to be using the stuff to cover the top of my chicken's run this year. I used it on a greenhouse we built last year and I love it! Lucky you to find it for nothing! This stuff is tough and should do you well.

 

[Dandelle]

Thanks everyone for your advice! I decided to forget about the pvc panels and I went ahead and bought some terra cotta-colored polycarbonate roofing. I really wanted to use the pvc because it's here and it will just be thrown away if not used. But, I really did not want to have to go through all the trouble of cleaning and painting it when it would probably need to be replaced in a year. Now I just have finish this thing so my chickens have some extra room.