Plexiglass · Winnipeg
Acrylic and polycarbonate, cut to order
Plexiglass is what most people call clear acrylic sheet; polycarbonate is its tougher cousin. Both are lighter than glass, far harder to shatter, and cut to size for guards, signs, shed windows or cold frames. We connect you with an independent Winnipeg glass pro who cuts plastic sheet, and who'll say when glass would serve better.
- Acrylic or polycarbonate, explained
- Cut, drilled and edge-finished
- Temporary covers after a break
Two plastics
Acrylic (plexiglass) vs polycarbonate
They look alike on the rack. They behave differently.
Acrylic
Clearer and stiffer, with a glass-like look, and it holds up in the sun. It scratches more easily than glass and can crack if drilled carelessly. Good for signs, displays and cabinet doors.
Polycarbonate
Much tougher: it bends before it breaks. Slightly less clear, it scratches unless coated and needs a UV-stabilized grade outdoors. Good for guards, sheds and cold frames.
Where it's used
Common uses: guards, signs, displays, sheds
Shops use clear sheet for counter guards, signs and displays; bigger fit-outs go through our commercial glass side. At home it's cabinet doors, shed windows and cold frames.
The frost-free season here is short, so a cold frame earns its keep, and polycarbonate is the usual lid. This is also hail country. Plastic tends to come through a summer storm better than glass, though no sheet is immune. For hail damage to the house, see storm and hail-damaged glass.
Fabrication
Cutting, drilling and edge finishing
Sheet is cut on a saw, or scored and snapped when thin, with its protective film left on until the piece is done.
Holes are drilled with plastic bits and kept back from the edge. Edges are left saw-cut inside a frame, or polished clear where they show. Acrylic gets brittle in the cold, so drill and fit it indoors or on a mild day.
Choosing the sheet
Thickness, UV and scratch resistance
Thickness
Thin sheet suits frames and small panels. Wider spans, weight or knocks need thicker sheet so it doesn't bow.
UV
Outdoors, ask for UV-stabilized sheet. Polycarbonate without it can yellow and turn brittle.
Scratches
Coated sheet lasts better on guards wiped all day. Clean with mild soap, never an ammonia cleaner.
Glass instead?
When real glass is the better choice
Plastic isn't a straight swap for a window pane. It scratches, moves more with temperature, and doesn't insulate like a sealed unit. In a cold snap, a plastic pane on a heated room frosts on the room side and lets heat out.
Choose glass for house windows, tabletops and anything you want clear for years. Custom glass is cut the same way, in safety glass where needed. Plastic earns its place where lightness and toughness matter more than clarity.
What affects the quote
What shapes the price of cut plastic
Plastic sheet is priced by the piece. What moves it:
- Acrylic or polycarbonate, and the grade (UV-stabilized, scratch-coated)
- Thickness and overall size
- Number of cuts, holes and shaped corners
- Finishing on exposed edges
- Pickup, delivery or fitting into a frame
Send the dimensions, the thickness if you know it, and what the sheet is for.
After a break
Plexiglass as a temporary window
When a window breaks at a bad moment, a sheet cut to the opening is a tidier stopgap than plywood. In a cold snap, seal the edges and expect frost on it; it's a cover, not insulation.
It's meant to come out once the new sealed unit is ready, not stay up all winter. For what to do first, see emergency glass and board-up.
Questions
Plexiglass questions
Explore your options
Other glass jobs we can help with
Local pros cut plastic sheet for homes and businesses across the city and nearby towns, including Garden City, North Kildonan, Transcona and Selkirk.
Send the size and what it's for
Tell us the dimensions, the thickness if you know it, and whether it's a guard, a sign, a shed window or a temporary cover. We'll pass it to a local pro who cuts plastic sheet and gets back to you.