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Summer residents who have on their site high beds, have long appreciated their dignity. Fencing of an earthen embankment is most often equipped independently from scrap materials. The disadvantage of self-made boards is a short service life, unaesthetic appearance, lack of mobility. It's another matter if you install galvanized beds in the country for planting vegetables and flowers. Collapsible structures are easy to move to any place, and such boards will last about 20 years without losing their aesthetic appearance.
Pros and cons of using galvanized metal fences
It just so happens that building materials are increasingly being used to equip summer cottages, in particular, vegetable gardens. Initially, earthen embankments were fenced with slate, bricks, cinder blocks or boards. Now the turn has come to the professional sheet. The fact is that shop metal beds are made of the same material as the corrugated board.
Let's figure out the more profitable a factory galvanized fence from homemade boards:
- metal is a material that is not suitable for the life of fungi and other garden pests, which is especially important for a greenhouse;
- all store beds made of galvanized metal represent a collapsible structure that can be quickly assembled or disassembled when moving to another place;
- if necessary, the galvanized fence can be made longer or the sides can be increased in height;
- the small mass of the sides allows you to independently assemble and carry the box without assistance;
- many shop beds made of galvanized steel are made so that they can be folded into an original polygon-shaped fence;
- galvanized with polymer coating has all shades of corrugated board color, which allows you to decorate the summer cottage to your taste;
- ordinary beds made of galvanized metal will last up to 20 years, and if a polymer coating is applied on top, the service life will increase to 30 years;
- it is convenient to attach arcs under the greenhouse and the drip irrigation pipe to the galvanized fence.
However, everything cannot be perfect, and metal fences likewise have a number of disadvantages. The first is the high cost of the finished product. The second disadvantage is the high thermal conductivity of the metal. Although this drawback must be dealt with. The metal quickly warms up in the sun, which causes the root system of plants to suffer. Root crops growing near the side generally disappear. This problem is more typical for the southern regions, where metal beds are not the best type of fencing. For cold areas, the rapid heating of the metal sides can be considered a plus. In early spring, the soil in the box will become warm faster, and if you additionally stretch a greenhouse over the garden bed, you can grow early vegetables.
Variety of models of galvanized fences
So, garden fences made from the same material as the corrugated board. From here, products are divided into the following types:
- Conventional silver-colored galvanized beds are made from sheet steel. Only a zinc layer is applied as a protective coating.
- Polymer-coated beds produced in different colors have additional protection. The sides of the product are made of sheet steel. As a protection, the first layer of zinc is applied to the metal, and the second layer is a polymer.
- Iron fences for beds, treated with a polyurethane coating, are made similar to the product with polymer spraying. The boards are produced in different colors from the same galvanized sheet steel, but instead of a polymer, a layer of polyurethane is applied.
The galvanized coating serves as the main protection against corrosion of the metal. The service life of the garden bed fence is increased several times. However, zinc itself can be at risk if, for example, it gets into an acidic environment. Additional protection is provided by a polymer layer with a thickness of at least 25 microns, applied over the zinc. The service life of a polymer bed in comparison with a galvanized product is increased by another 2–3 times. The polymer does not react with any kind of fertilizer, soil and water.
In the video you can see the galvanized beds:
Fences for embankments are made of galvanized steel with a polymer coating of various sizes. The greatest demand is for boxes with a width of 50 and 36 cm. flower bed border I make it so that it can be given any length by adding or subtracting sections. Galvanized beds are very convenient to use, with the possibility of building the sides. It does this in a similar way by adding height-only sections.
As for the beds with a polymer coating, the manufacturing technology of the metal sheet itself is much more complicated. Hence the high cost, but also a longer service life.
The material used in the manufacture of polymer-coated boards has the following characteristics:
- sheet steel is taken as a basis;
- on both sides the sheet is coated with zinc;
- the second is the passivating layer;
- the third coating is a primer;
- the back of the sheet is covered with a layer of paint;
- the front side of the sheet is coated with a colored polymer.
The most reliable is the polyurethane coating. The upper colored layer of the fence is resistant to UV rays, corrosion and weak mechanical stress. It is very difficult to put a scratch on such a board. The service life of a polyurethane-coated fence reaches 50 years, but the high cost does not make the product popular among summer residents.
The cost of metal fences
The price for galvanized steel beds is formed taking into account many factors. First, the protective layer is taken into account. The cheapest will be metal boxes with a galvanized coating, and the most expensive ones with a polyurethane layer. Polymer-coated fences are in the golden mean in terms of cost. Secondly, the price is formed by the dimensions of the box and the number of collapsible elements.
A standard rectangular metal box consists of two end and side shelves. They are connected to each other using fasteners. The fencing is sold as a set, and the price is set for the entire product as a whole.
Large galvanized beds have the property of bending the side walls by pressure soil... This is avoided by the steel braces included in the package of such products. There are models of fences that allow building the sides. Such products are sold as standard, and additional boards can be purchased separately.
Assembling the factory fence
It is so easy to assemble prefabricated polymer-coated metal beds that you don't even need to look at the attached instructions. If the assembly is performed for the first time, it is better to see the drawing. The easiest way is to assemble a garden bed made according to the French system. Here the simplest latches act as fasteners, with the help of which all the elements are connected. Due to the modernized latches, the cost of the entire fence increases.
It is more difficult to assemble a fence, the sides of which are fastened with a bolted connection or self-tapping screws. Such beds are produced in rectangular and polygonal shapes. In terms of quick assembly and disassembly, the boxes are unprofitable, but the cost of the products is much lower than the equivalent in the French system.
A standard galvanized bed can be assembled in 30 minutes. It is enough to connect four sides into a rectangular fence.
The video shows polymer-coated metal boxes:
Do-it-yourself galvanized bed
If you wish, you can make a metal bed yourself. For the sides, you will need galvanized sheet or corrugated board. The main issue is the fabrication of the frame. You will need four corner posts and eight crossbars. The frame is welded from a metal corner or assembled from a wooden bar. Fragments are cut out of galvanized sheet or corrugated board according to the size of the sides, and they are fixed with self-tapping screws to the frame.
When making a homemade garden bed, it is important to protect the edges of the fence from burrs. On a metal frame, the sharp edge of the galvanized sheet will hide under the horizontal shelf of the corner. On a wooden frame, the place of fixing the sharp edge of the galvanized steel is hidden under the casing.
Reviews of summer residents about metal beds
Often, user reviews on the forum help to decide on a purchase. Let's find out what people say about metal beds.
