In most cases, balcony glazing is a necessity, regardless of whether it is an apartment or a private house on earth. A closed loggia retains heat well in the apartment, and thereby saves heating costs. On the other hand, a balcony can be combined with a room, thereby increasing its area, or making an additional recreation area, a workplace. The most suitable method of high-quality glazing is the installation of plastic windows on the balcony.
Advantages of plastic windows
Among all available materials, PVC windows are considered the best for insulating a balcony. Here are their main benefits:
- Affordability.
- Huge selection of designs.
- Dimensions, design and opening of sashes are custom made.
- Great choice of color and style.
- Quality protection against drafts, cold, and noise.
- Does not require constant care, such as incase with wooden windows.
- You can install windows yourself.
The right choice of windows for the balcony will allow you to qualitatively insulate the room for decades.
Choosing a plastic window
To save money, it is possible to install plastic windows on the balcony with your own hands, the main thing is to properly prepare for the process. First, we select the type of window, or rather, how the structure will open: vertically, horizontally, in both directions, or move apart to the sides. Sliding sashes are mainly installed on balconies, where there is catastrophically little space, or something interferes with the opening of the sash. But if you want to keep the heat in the apartment as much as possible, it is better not to install sliding windows, as they do not have good tightness.
When buying double-glazed windows, pay attention to the profile. Its width must be at least 1.2 millimeters, made of galvanized steel, not susceptible to corrosion. For maximum heat retention, we choose windows with a glass thickness of at least 4 millimeters. However, such double-glazed windows weigh a lot. It is worth initially considering the total mass of the structure, and whether the balcony can withstand such a load. Double-glazed windows filled with argon are in great demand.
Measuring the window opening
Before buying windows, you need to decide how the window blocks will be located and measure the opening. Most often, balconies are shaped like the letter "P". This means that you will need two side windows and one or more front windows, depending on the length of the balcony. Using a tape measure to measure the openingeach block in three places: on the sides and in the middle. The desired window height is the smallest measurement parameter. It is desirable that the height and width of the window be approximately 5 centimeters below the opening. Free space will be filled with mounting foam.
It's not worth dismantling the balcony railing. They will give rigidity and serve as a good support for the window structure. The main thing is that the railings are strong, otherwise the installation of plastic windows on the balcony can deform them. It may be necessary to reinforce the balcony with metal rods to the load-bearing walls.
Installation tools
Not everyone has the opportunity to spend money and call a master to glaze the balcony. You can do it yourself, since the installation technology is not complicated. In addition, self-installation of plastic windows and balcony glazing will allow timely tracking of installation errors and correcting them. You will need these tools:
- Level for measuring the horizontal plane of the window.
- Plummet with a good center of gravity to adjust the vertical of the frame.
- Dowel with spacer.
- Rubber hammer.
- Drill.
- Mounting foam.
- Construction tape.
- Wooden wedges.
- Pencil.
If more than one window is installed, sealant is applied to the edges of the frame joints, and a rail is installed on top.
Installation of double-glazed windows
Pre-dismantle the old windows from the balcony, very carefully. We clean the opening from dust and debris. We measure the places of future fastening along the perimeter of the balcony opening and drill holes, in increments of 70 centimeters. Fasteners are attached to the window frame with self-tapping screws.
If it is not possible to raise the entire window unit, you can remove the packages from the frame. Carefully remove plastic glazing beads and glass. We install the window frame and level it with a building level, if necessary, inserting several wooden pillows at the bottom and top of the window. We fasten the profile with dowels to the side walls. The lower part of the frame is anchored to the railing or masonry. And also the drain is attached. We mount the drain to the lower profile using self-tapping screws, and then the remaining space is sealed with mounting foam. Having installed plastic windows on the balcony, we fix the profile and check all the corners with the help of a level.
How to level a window?
Insert the frame into the window opening, substituting a few wooden wedges from below, lifting it up. Then we install the same wedges from above until the frame is firmly held. For a better stop, you can fix the double-glazed window with an anchor plate. Using the building level, we align the window from the bottom and top sides. Only after that we install the wedges on the sides. When installing windows on a balcony with your own hands, this is the main rule: the window is installed according to the level indicators, and not along the opening.
Mounting the visor
To protect the balcony from moisture, if possible, a metal visor is attached over the window. The installation of a visor on the balcony under plastic windows is carried out at the preparatory stage, forso that its design fits snugly between the plate and the profile of the double-glazed window. The visor frame with holes for anchor bolts is welded in advance. The pitch of the holes is approximately 40 centimeters. We attach the frame to the wall, leveling with a level, and mark the places for the bolts. We drill holes in the wall and fix the frame with anchors.
Slope blanks and crossbars are welded to the lower surface of the visor. When everything is ready, you can proceed with the installation of the roofing deck. It can be galvanized steel or other material. On the upper part of the frame, a strobe is made about 6 millimeters and up to 2 centimeters deep. We install the upper edge of the roofing in a strobe, and then we fasten the flooring to the frame with bolts or welding. Holes are sealed with mortar.
Internal glazing of the balcony
To replace the old window and doors, double-glazed windows can also be used between the room and the loggia. Installation of plastic windows and doors on the balcony is carried out according to the same principle described above. Only first you have to connect the window and door frames to each other. Some manufacturers immediately supply assembled double-glazed windows. We fix the frame with anchor plates around the entire perimeter of the opening with an interval of 50 centimeters.
The installed block is leveled and fixed with wooden pillows. The voids between the wall, window and door are foaming.
Window sill installation
As a rule, all window sills are standard in width and length, with a small marginfor correction. For non-standard window sizes, window sills are made to order. If the space of the loggia allows, we install a wide window sill. It will later be possible to put something on it, for example, flower pots or books. The space under the window sill can also be put to good use by installing built-in lockers, or to equip a workplace.
We think over in advance what the space under the window will be like. Or we install the frame of the locker, or we finish the balcony along the ledge of the window sill. We prepare the base, cleaning it of dust, filling all the voids with foam. We cut the countertop to fit the window so that it fits under the slopes by about one centimeter. Then the window sill is installed on the plastic windows on the balcony, if necessary, wooden wedges are placed. We level the surface with a level, with a slight slope of up to 10 millimeters. This will prevent moisture from getting under the base of the window.
The window sill can be fixed in several ways:
- Mounting foam.
- Cement mortar.
- L-shaped brackets.
- Spring clips. They are attached to the profile under the window, and the bracket firmly presses the window sill to the window.
- If you lean the window sill directly against the window frame, then an adhesive mixture is applied under the base of the board. And the joint with the window is sealed with sealant.
When all the work is done, the cracks are sealed with foam, we put a load of about 10 kilograms on the countertop, check the slope of the surface and leave to dry.
Eaves onwindows
If there is no possibility or desire to fix ceiling curtain rods, a curtain rod for plastic windows on the balcony is installed. You can do it yourself. The so-called mini-cornices are mounted on windows without drilling, on double-sided tape or special latches. You can choose any color of the cornice, model and material from which it will be made. The curtain is strung on a rod, in close proximity to the window. Looks nice and saves space.
There are also cornices that are attached over an open window sash, or metal tubes with a cable, but they are fixed with screws either to the sash or to the wall.
Final stage of work and tips
So, the work on installing plastic windows on the balcony has come to an end. Now we proceed to the final touches - we assemble the structure. We hang the sashes in their places, insert the glass and fasten the glazing beads back. Once again, we check all the windows with a level. If during the work you followed the alignment of the frame, then there will be no problems.
Check if the doors open and close well. It is impossible for the open sash to move spontaneously or open on its own. If after installing plastic windows everything is in order, we seal the joints between the wall and the window frame, around the entire perimeter of the balcony.
Finally, some useful tips that will come in handy when installing windows, doors and glazing balconies yourself:
- Beads should be removed starting from the vertical sides.
- You need to fill the spaces with foamonly after the final check of the installed frame with a level vertically and horizontally, and the good operation of all mechanisms.
- Cut off excess foam after 2-3 days, when it is completely dry.
Many years of practice has shown that the use of plastic windows is one of the best ways to glaze balconies.
