Renovation of an apartment for a long time was limited to the arrangement of the internal space, while the technical premises remained in their original (usually, far from the best) condition. Today, the main reason for the increased attention to the loggia or balcony was the desire to increase living space. And one of the first questions during the repair is the installation of the floor.
Features of finishing the balcony
What is better to make a floor on a loggia or on a balcony? The main condition is to take into account the features of this room. Balconies have less support, and loggias are more stable, but in any case, it is better to opt for lighter materials that slightly increase the overall mass of the structure. What kind of floors to make on the loggia depends on the operating conditions.
The temperature regime is of great importance. The most extreme operating conditions are typical for open models. In this case, it is recommended to use materials that are suitable for exterior decoration. They arecan withstand high humidity, ultraviolet radiation and temperature changes that are suitable for outdoor conditions.
Glazed structures are more protected from external influences. Temperature fluctuations will remain, but humidity may rise. The degree of influence of environmental factors on such loggias is less, and the operating conditions are milder. Then what to make the floor on the loggia from? For heated rooms, there are practically no restrictions on the choice of floor coverings. The conditions are the same as in living rooms.
Preparing the surface for finishing
Any type of floor covering involves the preliminary preparation of a concrete slab. Do not lay laminate, parquet, ceramic or paving slabs simply on the base. But first you need to free up space from everything superfluous so that nothing interferes with the work.
Old floor covering should be dismantled. As a result, a concrete slab should remain, on which a reinforcing mesh is laid for pouring the screed. You can also install thin fittings. There are no special requirements in this matter, but the design simply needs to be reinforced with additional elements. How to make a floor screed on the loggia? The alignment process will be discussed in more detail later.
If the loggia is open, then formwork must be placed around the perimeter. This is necessary for the correct filling of the floor. On closed structures, this part of the work does not need to be performed. You will need to install beacons on which the surface will be leveled. Usuallytwo elements are sufficient. The solution is poured over the beacons and leveled with a rail. The cement should dry for at least a week. Only after that you can continue to work and think about what to make the floor on the loggia from.
In an insulated room, work can begin immediately. Otherwise, it is better to deal with this issue more thoroughly. What floors are better to do on the loggia? Warm. But even here there are several options, which will be described in more detail below.
Insulation is especially important for balconies, which are planned to be made into a single space with the living room. How to make insulated floors on the loggia? The easiest way is to lay polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam. If the floor level on the balcony and in the room differs by 25-30 cm, then the surface can be insulated with a layer of expanded clay. The screed is poured over.
Is the loggia in good condition to immediately start finishing work, but there is no insulation? In this case, you can lay the bars on which the coating will be attached. Insulation is placed in between. The surface can be insulated with waterproofing material, and then covered with expanded clay of fine fraction.
The technology of traditional underfloor heating is somewhat different. First, insulation is laid, and a heating system is installed on top of it. These can be electrical modules or pipes for liquid heating. The screed is poured last. The minimum thickness of mortar above the pipe must be at least 2 cm.
Leveling the floor with cement screed
How to make the floor onloggias? Repair begins with preliminary preparation. The base for the screed must be dry and solid. It will be necessary to remove the places where the screed has friability. If necessary, you can use a hammer. Sometimes a whole layer is removed to the reinforcement. In this case, it is better to paint the metal with oil paint so that rust does not show through the screed.
All existing cracks must be repaired using one of the tile adhesives. For the same purpose, some craftsmen use a cement-sand mortar, but practice shows that this is ineffective. After completion of the preparatory work, you need to remove all construction debris. If the surface remains damp, then a special mastic or waterproofing mixture can be used.
How to make a floor on the loggia with your own hands? The screed can be done dry or wet. In the first case, the base is made of bulk material, gypsum-fiber sheets are placed on the leveled surface, and then the coating is laid. Wet screed is done with a mixture of sand and cement, which you can mix yourself or take ready-made.
Dry screed requires some experience in construction work, so many people who make repairs on their own decide to use the traditional method. For a conventional screed, you must first lay the waterproofing material so that the film protrudes at the edges by about 10 cm. After pouring, all residues can be cut with a knife.
Further, a reinforced mesh is laid on the surface. For a loggia, it is better not to use reinforcement, because this will significantly increase the load on the concretestove. The next stage is the setting of beacons. To level the floor, it is enough to raise the level by a maximum of 5 cm, usually only 3 cm. Less (2 cm) is not practical, because the mortar will crack after drying. As for the lighthouses, the optimal distance between them is no more than 0.5 m.
The mortar is prepared in the following proportion: one bucket of cement for three or four buckets of sand. The exact amount of material depends on the brand of dry composition. For best results, ready mixes are used. Additives are added to such manufacturers to make the finished surface frost-resistant or to increase elasticity.
The tie is pulled in one direction. Usually everything is done in such a way that the area near the door remains the last. For the solution to completely harden, it is better to leave it for a week. But after about a day, the screed is checked by the rule, and all the influxes are removed, squeezing with a sharp end. Further work depends on what kind of flooring will be used and on the need for surface insulation.
Options for floor insulation
From what to make a floor on a cold loggia? The best option is to lay the insulation, so that later you can safely choose from the whole variety of finishing materials. You can insulate the loggia with penofol, polystyrene, foamed polystyrene foam (foam), mineral wool. Liquid or electric floor heating can be laid up to the screed device.
Each material has its advantages and disadvantages. Penofol is made from foampolyethylene and aluminum foil. This is an excellent tool for thermal insulation, as well as sound and waterproofing. Styrofoam is often used because of its cheapness. It is enough to place the pieces between the floor joists and fill the gaps with mounting foam. Penoplex has the best thermal insulation properties, but it is a rather expensive material. Mineral wool also retains heat well, but is inconvenient to use.
How to make a floor on a loggia with insulation? The floor needs to be thoroughly cleaned first. A thin insulation (5 mm) is laid over the entire surface, after laying the entire loggia is foamed around the perimeter. The second layer is laid in the same way. Next, you need to install the transverse bars every 50 cm. The distance from the wall to the first or last one should be at least 5-10 cm. At this stage, the fixation may not be carried out according to the level.
After you need to fill in all the openings. Ideally, the insulation should be flush with the timber. In the openings, it is necessary to lay the heat-insulating material as tightly as possible so that there are no gaps. If gaps are still found, then they can be repaired with mounting foam. The main insulating coating is laid on such a base. How to make a floor on a loggia with foam insulation is now clear. Another coating is installed in the same way.
Installation of underfloor heating
An alternative to laying insulation is a floor heating device. Insulation boards are glued to the concrete base with a special adhesive. Before laying the structure, thin insulation is covered with a layer of the same adhesive or covered with weldedmetal mesh. For balconies and loggias, the power of the heating section is up to 150 W / m2. As for laying pipes for liquid heating, this issue is best left to professionals.
Choice of finishing materials
What floor to do on the loggia? After finishing the preparatory work, you can proceed to the final finishing. Here, the question of choosing a finishing material becomes an edge before the owners. What is better to make a floor on a loggia or on a balcony? The insulated and leveled base can be painted, sheathed with wood, linoleum, laminate or natural parquet, tile or carpet can be laid. The final choice depends on the characteristics of the room (temperature changes, humidity, etc.) and personal preferences.
Painting the floor on the loggia
The easiest and most appropriate way to finish both indoors and outdoors is painting. The workflow is simple, so you can handle it on your own, so as not to spend money on the services of professionals. You need to purchase a wear-resistant and weather-resistant paint. Epoxy, acrylic or polyurethane based materials work well.
How to make the floor on the loggia yourself? Before painting, the surface must be cleaned of dust and dirt, stains from bitumen or other compounds must be removed with solvents or other means. The paint is applied with a roller in an even layer over the entire surface. It is important to work well at each corner so that there are no open areas.
After the first layer has dried, you can apply the second one. This will achievemaximum resistance to temperature, if we are talking about an open loggia. In addition, the color will be more uniform and saturated than if you paint in one layer. A painted floor looks simple but lasts a long time.
Wooden floor on the balcony
This version of the floor arrangement on the loggia is very popular, because the idea is easy to implement with your own hands, and the cost of finishing materials is acceptable. To work, you will need a beam for the construction of the base, a board with a minimum thickness of 32 mm, fasteners, insulation and a paint and varnish composition.
It is necessary to cut the bars to the size of the loggia and lay them on the surface. A level is used to set a flat surface when working. On the walls, you can make marks to navigate, which will greatly simplify the work. The base of the wooden floor is insulated with any suitable material. The layer thickness is at least 5 mm if the balcony is already insulated, and at least 10 cm if the structure is open below.
Afterwards, all joints are filled with mounting foam to remove problem areas. The board is cut into pieces of the desired size and fixed to the screws. The extreme element must be placed with the spike forward and attached through the top. The aesthetic side of the issue here may not worry the owners, because then this area will still be closed with a plinth. Each next part of the floor should fit snugly with the previous one.
When the laying of the wooden floor on the loggia is completed, it remains to apply a protective layer to the surface. It can be varnish or paint that does not hide the structure of the wood. Surfacemust be resistant to negative influences, wear-resistant. Application should be done in two or three layers to achieve the best result. It is better to paint the floor before attaching the skirting boards, so as not to leave gaps later.
Linoleum finishes
Linoleum is the most budget solution. This material is easy to install and reliable. The basis for laying linoleum is different: a leveled screed with insulation, wooden flooring or sheet materials. To achieve the best result, it is desirable to close the entire space with one piece of linoleum without seams.
The material is spread on the loggia and straightened out. The canvas can be left for a while so that natural shrinkage occurs. Then you can cut the linoleum with a construction knife around the perimeter. The work is simple, but must be done carefully so as not to spoil the coating. Linoleum can be glued with double-sided tape or glue.
Laying laminate flooring
From what to make the floor on the loggia? From laminate. This material is suitable for fully enclosed (glazed) and well-insulated rooms. Under the laminate, you need to make a floor on the loggia with flooring. Plywood, chipboard or chipboard can be used for work. The thickness is chosen depending on the expected load, because the finished surface should not sag.
The most commonly used options are from 16 mm or more. How to make a floor on a loggia from plywood under a laminate? The flooring is fastened with self-tapping screws (at least twice as long as the thickness of the material). The underlayment is placed on top to allowcompensate for some imperfections. The substrate has good thermal insulation properties. Available in hard and soft versions.
The first row of laminate is laid along the wall. It is better to leave a gap (5-7 mm will be enough) to compensate for the deformation. The second row starts with half of the panel. In no case should the joints coincide, so you need to move the joints by at least 30 cm in adjacent rows. The rows are combined by assembling and snapping. The exact steps depend on the design of the laminate locks. After that, it remains only to attach the baseboard, which will close the gaps and give the room a finished look.
Laying tiles
From what to make the floor on the loggia? Photos of options allow you to make a choice, if it is important how the finished balcony or loggia will look like. Many owners prefer ordinary tiles in this matter. Ceramic tiles are suitable for unglazed loggias or open balconies. This floor is much more attractive than painted.
For work you will need any floor tiles if the loggia is insulated. For open balconies, it is better to choose porcelain stoneware with a non-slip surface. The amount of material is calculated depending on the floor area. Tile adhesive is better to choose one that is used for outdoor work. To make the seams even, crosses are useful, and to protect them you need to use a special compound. The color of the grout is selected depending on the color of the tile used.
In the process of laying tiles, a drill with a mixer for kneading will come in handysolution, empty container, notched trowel for glue. The plane can be controlled by the building level. It is better to cut tiles with a special tool, otherwise you can accidentally break the floor covering or do the job inaccurately.
How to make the floor on the loggia when it comes to laying tiles? The surface must be cleaned of dirt and dust, and then the adhesive composition must be prepared. Glue is applied to an area approximately equal to one square meter. In order for the layer to be even, it must be distributed with a notched trowel. The tooth size on the tool is 8-10 mm.
The tile is laid on the surface, after which the position of the slabs is controlled by the level. If necessary, you can correct the tile with a rubber mallet or even manually. On the desired area, you must first gently hit with the back of your hand, and then check the surface again. If necessary, the procedure is repeated.
Laying continues in the same way until the surface is fully tiled. In order for the seams to be even, as the work progresses, crosses must be placed at the joints. After finishing work, the surface should dry for at least a day. During this period, you can not walk on the floor. When everything is dry, you can start grouting the seams. This is done with a rubber spatula.
Carpet as flooring
From what to make the floor on the loggia? If you plan to spend a lot of time on the loggia, it makes sense to make this space comfortable and pleasant. In this case, you can use carpet as a floor covering. The floor will be very soft and warm. Laying processcarpet is very similar to working with linoleum, so it will be considered only in general terms.
How to make the floor on the loggia with your own hands, if you decide to lay the carpet? The material must be spread on the floor, leveled and positioned as it should lie in finished form. You need to wait a bit for the carpet to level out. It is best if it lies for about a day. Further along the perimeter, excess material is cut off.
It remains only to glue the carpet to the floor. For this, double-sided tape is used. You need to glue in increments of 50 cm over the entire surface. You can glue the material only around the perimeter, but it is better to follow the general rules. The main thing in this process is to be careful so that there are no distortions or folds.
Seamed floors on the loggia
From what to make the floor on the loggia? Bulk is durable and reliable, and it also looks pretty nice, so you can choose this option. First, the surface is cleaned and primed. The primer is applied in one layer. The type must be chosen the one recommended by the manufacturer of the self-leveling floor.
Along the perimeter of the loggia, you need to fix the curb tape, which will prevent damage to the floor when the structure shifts due to temperature changes. You can choose a self-adhesive tape or attach a regular one with self-tapping screws. The composition for the floor must be prepared strictly according to the instructions. It is very important to mix everything thoroughly.
After the solution is poured onto the floor and leveled. Usually the mixture spreads in an even layer, but in which case it is possible to distribute the solution usingneedle roller. The floor must be left to dry completely. As a rule, it takes about a day.
Cork coating
The cork coating looks attractive and the surface itself is very pleasant to the touch. The device of such a floor is quite simple. It is desirable to purchase the material in panels with self-latching locks. Adhesive tiles create difficulties in work and require accuracy. Do not forget about the substrate, which is laid in the first place.
Laying the cork surface starts from the corner. The first row must be set indented 5 mm from the walls. After the rows are joined to each other. To make the indentation even, panels of the required thickness can be placed along the wall. Subsequent rows are joined so that there is an offset of at least 30 cm. The panels can be knocked out with a hammer if necessary, but a stand is used to protect the ends (a wooden block will do). After laying, the plinth is attached.
