It is quite difficult today to meet a balcony without a minimum finish. Modern materials and metal-plastic double-glazed windows make it possible to turn this part of the home into an additional room or a place to relax. In summer, such a system performs its functions perfectly, while in winter and in the off-season it becomes uncomfortable on the balcony. The temperature drops there, and the floor becomes especially cold.
Therefore, many property owners are wondering how to provide maximum convenience and create conditions that will make you feel comfortable in this part of the apartment in any weather. It is not advisable to carry out floor insulation on the balcony if the thermal insulation of the walls has not been completed. The easiest way would be to lay a layer of thermal insulation between the surface of the ceiling plate and the floor. On the market today you can find many materials that are designed for such purposes.
Choice of insulation
The floor on the balcony without insulation will remain cold. Therefore, it is worth resolving this issue by choosing the appropriate material. The most advanced and modern solution is penofol. Heis a foamed polyethylene, which is protected by an aluminum film. The insulation is flexible, which makes it easy to lay and install.
Familiarizing yourself with the range of the market, you can find modern options for penofol with one-sided and two-sided metal foil protection. If you want to provide not only heat, but also waterproofing of the floor, you can prevent the formation of condensate. For this, it is better to purchase double-sided material. It is sold in rolls, and to connect the strips and pieces, the joints are glued with aluminum film. If you want to achieve a better level of heat retention, then it is better to use penofol in conjunction with other foam-type heaters.
Should I use Styrofoam
Floor insulation on the balcony can be done with foam. This option of thermal insulation is today the most common and cheapest. To date, there are plates of different thicknesses on sale, which is very convenient when working on thermal insulation with raising the level.
The material is pre-cut into pieces and placed between the slab and the top coat. All cracks are filled with mounting foam. The foam has one drawback, which is expressed in brittleness and rigidity. In addition, when working with it, a lot of small debris is generated.
Using EPS foam
Floor insulation on the balcony can be foamedpolystyrene foam. Its characteristics are selected in accordance with the requirements for thermal insulation, environmental, fire and biological safety. Penoplex is flexible, lightweight, does not rot, is chemically inert, does not burn and is ready to serve for quite a long time, without creating comfortable conditions on its surface for the emergence and development of mold or fungus.
If you decide to insulate the balcony floor with polystyrene foam, you can use polystyrene foam, which is sold in sheets. Their thickness varies from 20 to 50 mm. For the price, penoplex is on the first place together, however, it is the optimal thermal insulator with which it is comfortable to work.
Using mineral wool
Floor insulation on the balcony is often carried out with mineral wool. This material has stood the test of time. It is based on bas alt threads or fiberglass. Mineral wool does not absorb water, is inert to chemical influences, does not burn, mold does not multiply in it.
If we compare with other heaters, then mineral wool differs in that it can be placed in any slot. However, the material has one drawback, which is expressed in the fact that when working with it you need to use personal protective equipment, because its fibers are very sharp and fragile. When exposed to the skin, they irritate, so cotton wool causes severe itching.
Preparation for work
The first step is to prepare. For thisthe balcony slab is protected with a coupler to prevent cracks and damage along the edges. But first you need to consult with the specialists of the organization that deals with the operation of the house. Sometimes, for safety reasons, it is not recommended to make the stove heavier.
Preparation of mortar
If the building is new, and the balcony is strong enough, then you can start laying the screed. The coating should not be heavy and thick. Its mass should be less, and the structure should be strong so as not to crack at a minimum thickness.
Insulation of the floor on the balcony with expanded clay allows you to achieve the above goal. Additionally, you can use perlite, but it requires the use of complex mixing techniques, in the process of this you will have to use a concrete mixer. This leads to the fact that expanded clay is better suited for home conditions.
To work, you must mix a solution of three parts building sand, part cement and 0.1 part lime. Quarry sand and the one collected in nature will not work. You must purchase construction material that is cleaned and sieved.
Part of the cement is mixed with expanded clay. To reduce the mass, the volume of cement can be 25%. The dry composition mixes well until a uniform color. Then you can add water and knead. The solution should acquire the consistency of thick sour cream.
Filling the screed
Next stepyou can start laying the screed. In the case of a balcony, you can do without the use of lighthouses, since the layer will turn out to be thin, about 5 cm. The space must be waterproofed along the perimeter. This can be done using mounting foam or self-adhesive tapes. The scope of work is small, so bitumen is usually not used.
It is necessary to proceed from the far corners from the door. The layer in the course of work is stretched and aligned with the rule. The level is controlled by an appropriate instrument. The screed dries well, only after that it can be considered that it is suitable for walking. This will happen in 3 days. Experts advise to withstand the floor for about 12 days, periodically wetting it with water and covering it with a film. This will give the tie the most strength.
Construction of the floor
The floor level on the balcony should be close to that in the adjacent room. Usually this surface is made somewhat lower. If it is necessary to raise the balcony floor in relation to the general floor in the apartment, it is better to provide a recess in the form of a pocket at the door. This will prevent moisture from entering the room.
Preparation of materials and tools
For floor laying you will need:
- roulette;
- wood beam;
- electric jigsaw;
- insulation;
- sheet material;
- construction foam can.
For lack of a jigsaw, you can use a wood saw. Select the beam of the desired section. Lags will do. To cover the surface, you will need sheet material of the type:
- sheets of thick plywood;
- boards;
- chipboard.
If the thickness of the latter is about 17 mm, then the material can be laid directly on the logs. Having previously created a grid of boards, you can lay 10 mm sheets on the surface. You can level the base with plywood or chipboard. The beam is cut to size and laid across the balcony. The distance to the walls should be 5 cm.
The cut parts are located at a distance of 0.5 m. They are attached to the surface of the plate. This can be done using self-tapping screws with a plastic stopper. It is inserted into concrete in order to prevent splitting. From the edge of the beam to the first self-tapping screw, it is necessary to maintain a distance of 10 cm. At this stage, you can hardly monitor the level of the floor, because this task will be performed by subsequent work.
Insulation laying technology
Insulation of the floor on the balcony with foam plastic provides for preliminary cutting of the material into separate pieces to fill the gaps between the timber. The level of thermal insulation should be flush with or below the surface of the timber. The gaps should be minimal. Gaps where necessary are filled with foam.
If you decide to use mineral wool, then lay it in the free space. With the laying of penofol, everything is simpler. The strips are cut to size, but their length should be 40 cm longer than the length of the balcony. As a result, you should get about 200 mm of extra insulation. To connect the pieces, it is necessary to provide an overlap and glue the seams with aluminum tape.
Work onfloor level
The final leveling of the surface is carried out with bars for longitudinal mounting. They are cut off taking into account the length of the balcony. The final value must be reduced by 5 cm. The blanks are stacked with the control of the final level. Next comes sheet material like plywood or chipboard. As a result, you should get a flat surface that will contain a layer of insulation and an air gap to prevent condensation.
Insulation of the floor on the balcony under the tiles can be carried out according to a simplified method. To do this, the timber is laid in one layer. In doing so, you must form a grid and fill the gaps with thermal insulation. But this approach is not very convenient, because you will have to control the level of each piece of timber as carefully as possible. The overall thermal insulation will be worse, but this approach will save height by lowering the level of the floor.
Reviews on foam insulation
Before you start insulating the floor on the balcony with foam, reviews and tips should be read. After reviewing them, you can understand that this material is easy to install and is cheap. It keeps its shape perfectly, so it is widely used in construction and repair. Consumers consider flammability as the main disadvantage of polystyrene.
When rubbed, the material begins to release asphyxiating dangerous gas. Consumers also like the fact that the foam is affordable. It has a convenient design and is supplied in the form of sheets. Sometimes the material is applied in the form of balls or crumbs.
Home masters emphasize that thisthermal insulation is versatile, because it can be used not only for the floor, but also for walls, as well as the ceiling. Processing sheets is very simple, for this you can use a regular knife or hacksaw.
Holes of any size and depth can be easily made in the slabs. This is especially useful when it is necessary to install canvases in hard-to-reach places. Styrofoam is also good because it can be glued to almost any surface, and after the composition has dried, the base can be further processed for decoration.
Additional information about the use of foam for floor insulation
If you decide to use polystyrene for thermal insulation, then the technology will remain almost the same as described above. At the first stage, a plastic film is laid on the base to protect the material from moisture. It is fixed with construction tape. Next, a frame is mounted, between the elements of which thermal insulation will be laid.
After that, the foam is laid out on the floor, and its sheets are additionally fixed with glue. To do this, you can use liquid nails. Elements should be located as closely as possible to each other. If you plan to lay several layers, then their joints should not match. The seams are sealed with sealant. The floor covering is laid on top. If the floor of the balcony is insulated under the tile, then it is better to use fiberboard as a rough surface. Some people lay a thin screed on top, otherwise the foam may bend or crack.
Nuances of laying mineral wool
Before anywork on thermal insulation, the basis must be prepared. To do this, the surface is checked for cleanliness and the presence of foreign objects. The material must be dry. Cracks and chips are filled with a cement-sand mixture or alabaster. If there are damages between the panels, then they are filled with mounting foam or the same solution.
Before insulating the floor of the balcony with mineral wool, it is necessary to lay waterproofing, for this, roofing material is usually used. It is rolled out along the length of the room. There must be an overlap of 200 mm between the sheets. The edges of the material should go to the walls. The joints are additionally glued with adhesive tape.
Lags are set next. For this, wooden slats are used, which are pre-impregnated with an antifungal composition. The material is additionally dried for 2 days. The size and thickness of the slats may vary depending on the level to which the floor needs to be raised.
The beam can be fastened to a concrete base or with the help of direct hangers. In the first case, we are talking about technology that provides for the need to use linings, with the help of which you can align the horizontal level. The bars can be fixed to corners or hangers that are mounted on the floor base.
Laying insulation
Floor insulation on the balcony with mineral wool is carried out along the crate. Thermal insulation sheets are cut, while the markup must be amended. About 70 mm is added to the parameter so that the edges of the canvas fit snugly against the logs. Material inserted into spacebetween rails. Sections of the frame are filled with insulation. The gaps are closed with mounting foam.
When choosing stone or mineral wool, it is better to prefer sheets with a thickness of 50 mm. If you want to form a thicker layer, then one canvas should be superimposed on another. But mineral wool should not be strongly pressed down, since the air in it acts as a heat insulator. If it is forced out of space, the thermal insulation qualities of the material will decrease.
After completion of work, the structure is closed with plastic wrap or other material that does not allow moisture to pass through. The canvases are fixed to the wood, while using a furniture stapler. At the next stage, you can start laying solid board, USB, chipboard or plywood sheets.
Additional nuances of using penoplex
Insulation of the floor on the balcony with penoplex allows you to achieve good results. To carry out work, the stove should be cleaned of old finishing materials, dust and dirt. The base is checked for integrity, which is especially true for those places where the material is connected to the wall. If the base has cracks or chips, then they are covered with plaster. After the solution has hardened, the surface must be treated with a primer in several layers.
Next, the lag is laid, they are wooden supports, between them there will be a heater. The distance between the lags should not be too small, because the thermal insulation will have to be cut into separate segments. Instructions for floor insulation on the balcony with penoplexprovides for laying insulation between the lags on the film. The surfaces are again covered with a film in several layers. On top of the lag there will be a rough coating, which is later finished off.
Insulation under floor heating
Some make the balcony a full-fledged room in their apartment. If you also decide to follow the example of such property owners, then you should use the technology of laying the underfloor heating system. To do this, first the surface is leveled, thermal insulation is laid on it, which acts as the basis for attaching the mounting tape. It is placed in its place, and a heating cable is pulled over it.
Insulation of the floor on the balcony under the warm floor allows you to make the area of the apartment even larger. The next step is to place the thermostat in the place where it will be convenient for you to use it. The floor area is filled with cement-sand mortar, and then ceramic tiles are laid. Balcony insulation with underfloor heating can significantly increase the weight of the structure.
Glazing and wall insulation
When insulating a balcony, it is also necessary to change the old frame, which acts as a glazing system. If this is not done, then even the highest quality materials will not achieve the desired result. Balcony glazing and floor insulation necessarily provide for filling cracks in the parapet area, as well as walls. Cold air can enter through them.
Styrofoam boards can be attached to the walls for thermal insulation. For this, cement glue is usually used. For more reliablefastening, you can use dowel-nails with wide hats. After installing the insulation, a heat insulator in the form of penofol is attached to it. It is better to install it in whole pieces. Insulation of the walls and floor of the balcony is also accompanied by finishing work. To do this, you can use plastic panels installed on a pre-mounted crate. For her, the thickness of the rails should be 5 cm.
