Repairing Holes in Greenhouse Plastic

Cole_Robbie · March 7, 2017

I'm going into year 6 now on my plastic that was rated 3-5 years. My greenhouse is 14x48. The plastic is 20' wide. Looking long-ways down the piece, I can see the seams in it. That's how they make it at the factory. They heat-seam together plastic on rolls to make larger pieces. My 20' span over the hoops has about three seams in it. These seams are the weakest point on the plastic, and the first place that it will fail.

Originally I bought the expensive tape they like to sell you. It's great as far as tape goes, but it only lasts a year at best, and it is very expensive.

Last year I was sewing up seams with a needle and fishing line. That was a cheaper fix, but did not last more than a few months in the sun.

This year, I've had the most holes to patch, and the best I've done so far is using clear 100% silicone and a patch of a piece of scrap material glued over the hole with the silicone. It's as cheap as any repair, and seems to be holding quite well.

March 7, 2017	#1
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Repairing Holes in Greenhouse Plastic I'm going into year 6 now on my plastic that was rated 3-5 years. My greenhouse is 14x48. The plastic is 20' wide. Looking long-ways down the piece, I can see the seams in it. That's how they make it at the factory. They heat-seam together plastic on rolls to make larger pieces. My 20' span over the hoops has about three seams in it. These seams are the weakest point on the plastic, and the first place that it will fail. Originally I bought the expensive tape they like to sell you. It's great as far as tape goes, but it only lasts a year at best, and it is very expensive. Last year I was sewing up seams with a needle and fishing line. That was a cheaper fix, but did not last more than a few months in the sun. This year, I've had the most holes to patch, and the best I've done so far is using clear 100% silicone and a patch of a piece of scrap material glued over the hole with the silicone. It's as cheap as any repair, and seems to be holding quite well.