How to cover breezeways in Queenslander?

[Martin_Smythe]

Hi everyone,

Thanks in advance for any clever ideas you might have.

I have an old Queenslander with ~6 breezeways above the doors (see attached pic) which I'd like to cover for air con/noise reasons.Ideally a temporary-ish/eventually reversible solution, they are lovely but costing a heap in air con and we'd also like to manage sound and light (one of them is leading into the bathroom which isn't optimal!)

Their dimensions are 75cm x 35cm and the max depth is 2cm. I'd be pleased to provide more info or pics if that would help any advice offered! Thanks again.

Martin

[EricL]

Hello @Martin_Smythe 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about covering the breezeways above your door.

I propose using Suntuf 900 x 600 x 5mm Clear Acrylic Sheet to cover the breezeway. It might be possible to get two panels out of one sheet by cutting it in half. I then recommend drilling a hole in each corner and screwing the clear sheets over the breezeway. In this manner you'll still be able to remove them for cleaning. I also suggest having a look at these discussions - Cutting acrylic sheet to size by @michael_cc and How to cut a straight line on acrylic sheet? by @caitlinxo1. 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Martin_Smythe]

Hi @EricL

Thank you for the reply, I think that's a really good idea. I have access to a jigsaw to cut the acrylic sheet. Could you please recommend what sort of screws I should use? Have you got any tips to not crack the acrylic while drilling the holes? (I don't know what I'm doing!)

I was going to put holes in the corners - but am open to suggestion - would be a shame to crack the acrylic.

Thanks again for your help - I think this will be the way forwards and I look forward to sharing the work on here!

[JacobZ]

Hi @Martin_Smythe,

I'd suggest predrilling the acrylic at least 25mm in from the corners, then using Zenith 8G x 20mm White Button Head Screws to fix it to the timber.

You'll need 2 different-sized drill bits to ensure you don't crack the acrylic and get a good hold in the timber. 

The drill bit to go through the acrylic should be large enough to fit the screw without the thread touching the acrylic. This is because the thread could potentially crack the acrylic if it bites into it.

The pilot hole in the timber should be made with a drill bit that is the same diameter as the shank. This is so the thread bites into the timber, but the shank sits comfortably within the timber.

It is worth having a read of How to choose the right screw for the job for some further information.

I'd suggest grabbing the screws and heading to the Tool Shop to physically compare them to the drill bits. If you are having trouble, I'm sure the team would be happy to assist.

Once you've got your materials and tools, start by predrilling the acrylic away from the timber ensuring you are in. Now you've predrilled the acrylic, place the acrylic in position and mark the hole locations. You can then swap to the smaller drill bit and put a pilot hole in the timber, being careful not to drill too deep into the timber. If you had concerns, you could measure 20mm up the drill bit and place a piece of tape as a depth gauge to prevent overdrilling.

Now your holes are drilled, screw the acrylic into place being careful not to overdrive the screws. You want them to be driven deep enough to hold the acrylic in place, but not so deep that it cracks.

Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[Martin_Smythe]

Thanks very much for your reply @JacobZ - that's very useful and I know how to drill the holes now - re: screws, I was hoping to screw the plexi into itself through the holes in the breezeway so as not to damage anything - what do you think?

Cheers

Marty

[Martin_Smythe]

P.S. Another friend suggested Sunlite10 Twinwall x 2.4m Clear Polycarbonate Roofing

Any thoughts on that?

Cheers again

[JacobZ]

Hi @Martin_Smythe,

You could use two sheets of acrylic to sandwich the breezeways using a nut and bolt to hold them in place, or you could use Clear Double-Sided Mounting Tape to attach the acrylic. This would retain the look of the breezeways without causing damage to the timber and I feel is the nicest way to do it.

The Sunlite10 Twinwall x 2.4m Clear Polycarbonate Roofing is another option, but in my personal opinion, it won't look as nice as the acrylic.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob