Perspex or Plexiglas? Some US – UK discoveries

Plexiglas is acrylic glass and is known in the UK as perspex.

In East London it is possible to buy perspex in a mulitude of colours over the counter. Cut to specific dimensions and thicknesses requires more time and money but the technique of laminating several pieces using a two stage glueing process produces thick pieces that can be seen through as clear as glass.

(A note for Hamar acrylics; one of our best local discoveries all year.)

However, translucent product after thin layers of Plexiglas gluing is something US suppliers just will not do. Combined with the fact that the range of colours held is much smaller and that codes used to mark them have little correspondance with UK ones, makes finding samecolours across the ocean pretty precarious. Correspondingly, the yellow Kaffe was after at a thickness of 1 inch to capp the Bed sides and steps within time and budget frame was finally not possible.

Alexander (left) did fabulous sanding and gluing tests(top) with the US yellow Plexi that could be acquired, but the colour just was not the one. Kaffe therefore opted for clear, which turned out, as is the way, to be just the best thing.