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The acronym “uPVC” is odd enough to put anyone’s head in a spin – and that’s before they’ve even read the full term!
In a world full of new technology and constantly evolving materials, it can be difficult to keep up – even with the things that are used in and around the home. If you’ve read the term and have no idea what it means, then we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ll be talking about all things uPVC.
Whether you’ve stumbled across uPVC in the wild, or you’re interested in buying one of our insulated garden offices or premium garden rooms that use it, we’ll be explaining all there is to know about uPVC including its uses, advantages, and what we use it for.
Sound good? Then scroll down to learn everything you’ll ever need about uPVC!
What is uPVC?
In simple terms, uPVC is a building material that’s cheap to produce, extremely lightweight, and requires very little maintenance. Despite this, it is extremely strong, durable, and looks fantastic. I bet you can already see why we like it so much!
On the more technical side of things, uPVC is a plastic polymer. The acronym stands for “Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride”, which is quite a mouthful!
It was first invented as just “PVC”, polyvinyl chloride, which is much more flexible. Scientists found that if it remains “unplasticized” then it remains rigid and strong and can be used in construction – and from that came the miracle that is uPVC.
The material is white, although it can be painted or modified to take on a wide range of different appearances. And, on top of all these other great benefits, it also has great resistance to chemicals, water and sunlight.
All of this put together makes for the perfect construction material.
What is uPVC used for?
PVCs are used across the globe for a huge variety of things, such as pipes and road signs. But where uPVC has its speciality, and where it is used the most, are window and door frames.
PVC makes for the ideal window or door frame due to its combination of useful properties. Since we’ve already covered those properties, let’s look at how they make uPVC perfect for use in frames.
- Cheap to produce. This one is easy: the cheaper something is to make, the cheaper it is to buy, and the better for your wallet it is! What’s especially good about uPVC is that despite being cheap, you’re not losing any quality by buying it.
- Strong and durable. uPVC’s strength and durability make it great in frames for two reasons. First, it will be able to hold the fitting without breaking as the building naturally warps and moves over time. Second, it won’t be broken by strong forces – whether that be the wind or an unwanted intruder, making it great for security!
- Requires little maintenance. Not having to worry about maintenance for your windows means less time, money, and stress spent on them – you can’t go wrong with that!
- Great general resistances. Being resistant to sunlight, air oxidisation (ie. rust), and chemicals make uPVC just perfect for frames, as those are all the things they’ll be exposed to! No amount of sunny weather or rain (much more likely for a British summer) will significantly damage them.
- Lightweight. Using materials that are lightweight make everything easier – fewer transportation costs, easier installation, and easier to replace, too. This is important when upgrading or using uPVC frames for your garden building as it takes a weight off your back – literally!
The combination of these physical properties make uPVC perfect for use in frames – they’re strong, resistant, and cheap! But there’s one major thing that we’ve not talked about which puts the cherry on top. That’s right, it’s how uPVC looks.
Appearance
Where uPVC excels is its natural finish – and how it can be modified and changed to look like your perfect window.
The clean, white look of uPVC frames is ideal as it looks exactly like, if not better, than traditional white-painted wooden frames. On top of this, uPVC can be painted and modified to look like other types of wood, painted or unpainted, or it can be given a sleek, modern finish in a dark matte colour.
Above all else, the fact that it looks like a classic window frame right out the box makes it the perfect material.
If you need a reliable, strong window frame with a good finish for your Garden Building, look no further than uPVC.
Where and Why We Use uPVC
It should be no surprise that, here at Garden Buildings Direct, we’re big fans of uPVC frames. In fact, we’re so excited about it that we decided to use them for our newest kind of buildings, our range of insulated garden offices.
These garden buildings are fitted out with the latest in Garden Building technology. This means they’re built with structurally insulated panels, composite cladding, and even double glazed windows!
To hold these double-glazed windows and doors in place, we needed a frame material that was good-looking, strong, and resilient. While we often use wooden frames for our buildings, we wanted to go above and beyond for our premium product – that’s why we opted for uPVC framing.
Rounding Up
If you were stuck on uPVC before, we’ll bet you’re unstuck now – and thinking about getting yourself some great looking frames!
uPVC really is the cream of the crop when it comes to window and door frames. It provides strength, durability, resistance to the elements, and a fantastic finish all in a cheap and lightweight package. You really can’t go wrong with uPVC.
If you’re interested in how we use uPVC at Garden Buildings Direct, then check out these 5 Best Log Cabins next!
