I’ve been thinking about adding a pergola to my backyard, but I’m not sure if polycarbonate is the right material. We get pretty harsh sun here in the summer, and my main goal is to create a shaded space where my kids can play without me worrying about UV exposure all the time. Does polycarbonate actually block UV rays effectively, or is it just a fancy-looking clear roof? Would love to hear from folks who’ve tried it themselves.
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Hey — great question. I had the same concern last year when we started redoing our garden space. We ended up going with a polycarbonate pergola over the patio, and honestly, it’s been a total game-changer. The panels we chose are UV-coated and block almost all harmful rays, which made a noticeable difference — I used to get a slight sunburn just sitting outside reading, but not anymore. The light still comes through, but it’s diffused, and the area underneath stays cooler even during peak heat. It’s not like sitting in the shade of a tree exactly, but close enough and way more structured. If you're still browsing options, here's a decent variety of aluminium pergola in UK that come with polycarbonate roofing — we actually found ours through this site. Just make sure you look at the UV rating on the panel specs. Some cheaper ones are just clear plastic with zero protection.