It’s here and it’s anyone’s guess what this year’s hurricane season will bring. What do you do for your home or business? Do you buy now, do you procrastinate in hopes that you won’t need to make that investment in plywood to board up glass windows and doors? Stress not my friends! AIN Plastics has a tried and true product that we think you will really appreciate as much as our guys in Florida do.
A Chat with Dick Cubero of AIN Plastics, Florida About Hurricane Season
Unlike myself, a life long Michigander, Dick Cubero of AIN Plastics lives and works in Florida and he really understands the stress and expense that hurricane season brings to everyone. So we sat down and talked about the issues and why he really likes the HurriGuard® product.
Dick says traditionally people have boarded up windows and doors with plywood which works, but it has its short comings. Mainly, it’s heavy, it can be very hard to come by once you know a hurricane is on its way, it is used only once and then it’s thrown away, and once it’s up you have a very, very dark home or business. It can also be very expensive.
Along came Gallina USA who saw the potential with a clear ultra strong engineering plastic called polycarbonate. This product is known for clarity as well as strength. In fact, AIN Plastics works with places that are manufacturing aircraft to supply polycarbonate for mirrors and windows. Polycarbonate’s strength, clarity, and the fact that they don’t shatter makes them ideal for aircraft, military vehicles, even storefront windows! It also hold up well under UV light.
Gallina USA has been in the business of making clear plastics for over 50 years and they have become a favorite of many architects with good reason. Their products are noted in structures around the world for the beauty and lasting strength they bring to commercial and private structures. Gallina took that global experience and created a multiple wall (that’s layers of polycarbonate), coextruded, clear polycarbonate sheet that is an ideal product for hurricane protection. When properly installed it can protect your windows and doors from hurricane-force winds, flying debris, and severe weather while still allowing light to enter. They have performed extensive testing and received approvals from Miami Dade County Florida for use in Hurricane protection. It’s just the kind of material that AIN Plastics in Florida wanted to provide to their customers.
I found a couple of pretty amazing videos showing the testing of their product. In these videos the folks at Gallina shot off missiles from an air cannon aimed directly at a sheet of HurriGuard® set up in a frame similar to what you would have in your home or business.
In addition to the missile testing Gallina exposed panels of HurriGuard® to high air pressure to simulate 170 mph winds. The HurriGuard® panels have passed all the tests and received the following approvals:
Miami Dade Approval 08-0213.02
So other than the advantages of the product being clear and strong why would you choose HurriGuard® over traditional plywood? Well, Dick had a whole list of reasons to tell me about that made good sense:
- A panel of HurriGuard® weighs about 1/4 of what the same size piece of plywood
Panels are easy to install and transparent
would weigh (a 4×6 sheet of HurriGuard® weighs about 12 lbs.)
- It’s easy to install with tools you probably already have around your house
- It saves a whole lot of time, money and, according to Dick, his stress level has been greatly reduced because he knows he won’t be waiting in line trying to get plywood.
- You can reuse it year after year
- Since it lets light in you can install it well ahead of an emergency so you are ready
- It’s stronger than plywood
- It’s cost-effective
- Fire Resistant
- It also comes with a 10 year warranty
- It’s available in many sizes
How do you get HurriGuard® for Your Home or Business?
It’s easy! Give Dick Cubero at AIN Plastics a call at 813.242.6400. You can also contact him via email: dick.cubero@thyssenkrupp.com
Dick says they have HurriGuard® 16mm (5/8 inch thick) sheets in stock in the following sizes:
- 4 x 8
- 6 x 8
- 6 x 10
- 6 x 12