Each person tries to create the most comfortable and high-quality conditions for the whole family in their housing. I want to occupy and organize every square meter. If the balcony is not equipped, it is cold on it in winter. Therefore, many apartment owners have a desire to insulate this space, make it cozy.
Do-it-yourself underfloor heating on the balcony and loggia is the decision of every zealous owner. For its implementation, a wooden coating is most suitable. After all, it is able to retain heat, does not harm he alth, and is resistant to moisture.
How to insulate the floor on the balcony with your own hands? Many people have this question. By doing the work yourself, you can save money and do everything as you need. The whole process is carried out in stages. It all starts with the rough work of the concrete floor screed. If you follow simple rules, there will be no difficulties.
Preparatory work
Preparatory work is being carried out before the start. Since the concrete base is planned, the actions will be as follows:
- The screed is cleaned of any existing debris, dirt. It is convenient to do this with a vacuum cleaner.
- With the help of a cement mixture or mounting foam, chips or cracks, holes are removed. This is a must.
- After the products used have dried, the surface should be completely flat.
- A primer is applied to the surface of the base of the future floor.
Protection functions
It is not difficult to make a warm floor on the balcony with your own hands. To achieve the result, each step is performed sequentially.
Without waterproofing, it is impossible to make a balcony protected from various surprises. Repair masters say that there are many ways. Each is performed using the right tool and materials:
- Around the entire perimeter, the floor is covered with a film, on one side of which there is foil. The material must be airtight, the joints are strengthened with construction tape.
- Sometimes rolled roofing felt is used, it is combined with heated bituminous mastic.
- If coloring is required, quality products are used that can protect the surface from moisture.
- Some people use plaster for insulation. Not only sand-concrete mixtures are suitable, but also putty.
- Moisture-repellent agents are applied to the concrete. They penetrate deep and protect the entire structure for a long time, increasinglife time. When the tree is on top, it is already protected from the negative effects of moisture, the resulting condensate.
- There is always something new in construction. This includes liquid rubber. It is well breathable and waterproof. On a concrete base, it is applied in a small layer, like waterproofing. The rubber is elastic. Even a beginner can work with it. Such material can be found in any hardware stores.
Each master, making a warm floor on the balcony with his own hands, chooses a laying technique. It depends on how these squares are exploited. To form a space closed from external conditions, one material will be required, for an open one - another. You can also use garden parquet tiles with all its positive characteristics.
Stages of construction
How to make a floor on the balcony with your own hands? When a balcony space is unprotected in a house or apartment, then garden parquet tiles can be laid on the floor. For its positive qualities in operation in open spaces, it is often used for decoration. Pros:
- The material does not respond to sudden temperature changes.
- Tiles are treated with heat when they are created, which contributes to moisture resistance.
- The material is pleasant to the touch. This quality is conducive to walking barefoot on tiles.
- Excellent external performance. The material is not clogged with dust and dirt, it washes well. These performance qualities for many housewives on the firstlocation.
Before installation work with tiles, some homegrown craftsmen have doubts about the result. Will it be possible for a beginner to equip the floor on the balcony with his own hands in this way? Manufacturers have thought over the construction system, so the tile has special fixing locks. The dimensions are standard, so performing such work is simple and easy. Before buying, you should accurately measure the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe balcony, taking into account the presence of turns. The territory is open, so rain flows will accumulate. To avoid this, it is necessary to make an inclination towards the drainage system during installation. The cost of a tile is high, but with the right design of all components, it will justify the cost and last a long time.
Wooden flooring
When the space is closed, then the best option is a wooden cover. Do-it-yourself manipulations for floor insulation on the balcony are a simple process that requires special attention and time. Subsequently, it will be possible to lay linoleum on it or leave it in this form. The first stage is the construction of the crate, after which it is filled with any heaters. These could be:
- Styrofoam.
- Expanded clay.
- Mineral wool.
- Foam.
Depending on how the space will be used, this or that type of coverage is applied. Do not forget about financial opportunities, because each finishing material has its own price. Some products have recently appeared on the construction market, so their cost is high. Butperformance properties also affect the price.
If you plan to use the balcony or loggia area in the warm season, then serious insulation is not required. In addition, there is no need to raise the wooden floor high. When the logs are fixed, the selected insulation is laid out. The latter is slightly led to the walls - this is how the waterproofing properties increase. After that, a wooden coating of chipboard or plywood is lined. It is pre-measured and cut to the size of the balcony space. Everything is fixed with nails or screws.
Such options are not excluded, when additional squares become a way to expand an adjacent room. In this case, the amount of work will be more. The first thing to do is to compare the height of the floors. Logs of the appropriate size are mounted and purchased. If not, then brackets are added. They come in a variety of types and sizes, so finding the right one is easy.
The most affordable option for do-it-yourself floor insulation on the balcony is foam plastic. It is sold in sheets of various thicknesses, widths and lengths. For accuracy, the size of the area of \u200b\u200bthe balcony or loggia is measured and a calculation is made. The material is bought with a margin, because it is fragile. Everyone can make a floor on the balcony with their own hands using polystyrene foam. It's cheaper, but you need to follow certain rules.
Flooring technique
Before starting, the required material and tools are collected. It is not necessary to hire craftsmen. Here's what to prepare:
- Substrate. It must be resistant to moisture.
- Coating. These are chipboard, plywood, floorboard, laminate, lining, etc. Each material has its own cost, from this you need to make a choice.
- Metal screws, dowels and angles.
- Impregnation for wood. Their range is large, so you need to choose the right option with certain properties.
- Lag to create a frame. You can use simple bars of the required size.
- Insulation. The same foam will do.
When using chipboard or plywood as the main floor covering, you need to take moisture-resistant and thickened materials. Do not forget that the height of the floors has its limitations. Therefore, before purchasing a bar, everything is well calculated. You can level the threshold on the balcony or leave it by slightly raising the floor.
Lags are laid first. They are securely fastened. For this, nails or screws are used. What happens next? How do you lay the floor on the balcony with your own hands? Step by step instructions will be given below:
- The surface of the balcony is cleaned, waterproofing is applied. After the substrate is made.
- Crate is being formed. Cross bars are attached to the logs.
- As soon as everything is laid out, additional impregnation with special means is used. It will help prevent the formation of fungus and mold over time. Sometimes a simple wood varnish is used. The material is good to protect the surface from moisture, mechanical damage and other things.
- You need to wait until everything dries well and only after that the elementsstructures are interconnected. The building level should always be used in such work. If something is uneven, then with the help of bars the coating is leveled.
- A structure is attached to the concrete floor using dowels and iron corners.
- The next step is insulation. It is also measured and laid out in the crate. Mineral wool, expanded clay, polystyrene are suitable. There are also modern developments, so everyone decides for himself what choice to make.
- After the wood flooring is laid. Perpendicular to the lags, you need to correctly attach the guide half, and already from it the process will go neatly and correctly. If sheets of chipboard or plywood are selected, then they rest tightly against the wall. When fastening, the screws should go deeper.
These are simple procedures, so everyone will do the floor on the balcony with their own hands. If a beginner takes up the work, then it is worth taking the material with a margin so that in case of errors you do not buy it again. The selected actions are performed strictly in order. Do not skip any step. So the balcony will become warm, and you will get additional square meters of living space.
Besides wood, there are other options that can make an enclosed balcony space functional and cozy. This is done without building skills. Many design the floor on the balcony with their own hands from tiles. Under it is required to pour a concrete base. After that, a tile is laid out according to a simple scheme.
Self-leveling floor
This option can act asindependent floor, and the basis for any topcoat. For this, special solutions are prepared. First, you need to create a wooden structure over the entire area so that the composition does not spread. It turns out a box. For this, bars are used. The design is attached to the walls of the balcony. Only after that the entire area is filled with a solution. If gaps appear, they are additionally smeared. As soon as the solution is completely dry, the bars are removed.
This is the easiest way to create a DIY balcony floor. The cost of such flooring will be quite acceptable.
Using laminate flooring
This is quite a beautiful, but "capricious" finishing material, because it does not like moisture. If the balcony is glazed, then laminate boards are quite suitable. Its aesthetic appearance attracts everyone. You can make a wooden floor on the balcony with your own hands quickly and correctly. But in any case, you will have to pour a concrete screed, which will increase the reliability of the entire structure. The surface should be flat. Otherwise, the laminate will not look aesthetically pleasing. The work uses a building level. The board is chosen in any color, the size is mostly standard. It is worth making calculations in advance so as not to buy too much.
Linoleum
A fairly simple and affordable option for the floor on the balcony is the use of linoleum. Today, there are many different colors on sale, which allows you to create any design. The material washes well and looks good. Suitable for closed balconies and loggias. Suchmaterial does not tolerate low temperatures. Before laying it, it is necessary to level the surface and insulate it. This will increase functionality and service life.
Secrets of craftsmanship
Making a wooden floor on the balcony with your own hands is not difficult. Even without experience, everyone can handle this job. We offer expert advice. They will help make the whole process simple and fast:
- Before starting the arrangement of any balcony, you need to consider what load its structures will be able to withstand. Do not use too heavy building materials, increasing the concrete flooring. For the device of the lag, it is desirable to use dried bars, so they are easier and last longer.
- Before laying wood flooring, it is advisable to make a sketch or diagram. It helps to position the lags correctly and not to do extra work. The scheme helps a lot if a person without experience has taken up the matter. This is the only way to get a beautiful floor on the balcony. Both open and closed, it will look equally beautiful.
- If self-leveling screed compounds are used, then before starting work, you need to understand how they work, otherwise the material will be damaged.
- To make the floor even, wooden blocks are placed under the logs. At the stage of performing the screed, it is worth considering the data on the building level.
Conclusion
It is quite possible to make a wooden or any other floor on the balcony with your own hands. Knowing the main stages and methods of work, even a beginner can handle this matter.
