Often, homeowners use the balcony to store unnecessary old things. But this is wrong because this element of living space can be easily arranged, and made more comfortable and cozy. The main part of such alterations is the floor. This is the most difficult and difficult stage. However, it can be done on your own. Our specialists have prepared information that will help you do this.
Preparing the balcony slab
Before laying the floor on a closed or open balcony, it is important to properly prepare the protruding reinforced concrete slab. Before this, it is necessary to remove everything from the site. If there are cracks, it is important to fill them. The cracks are pre-filled with mounting foam.
Once all defects have been eliminated, the type of future floor should be selected. If this is an open-type balcony, preference is given to a cold covering. For a glazed area, it is better to insulate the floor.
Preparing the base of the balcony floor
Before laying the floors on the balcony, it is important to level the surface of the protruding reinforced concrete slab. You can get the result in a short time by making a self-leveling coating.
Typically, these works include the following stages:
- Careful priming of the surface.
- After complete drying, it is necessary to clean off dust and other small debris.
- The mixture for the self-leveling floor must be prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It is usually printed on the packaging.
- The floor is filled with the resulting solution, starting from the far corner. This is done slowly, heading towards the balcony door. During the process, it is necessary to ensure uniform distribution of the mixture on the base.
- After this, air bubbles should be removed from the mixture using a specialized needle roller. This should be done 2-3 times to remove the air completely.
The self-leveling floor mixture must be poured immediately after mixing. Otherwise, it will begin to harden after half an hour. You can walk on the hardened mixture 4 hours after the end of pouring. It takes several days for the mixture to dry completely.
Insulation of the floor on the balcony without changing the thickness of the base
For a closed balcony, it is preferable to choose a heated floor. This option involves the use of electrical energy. It is used to heat the surface.
This method is a warm floor, for the arrangement of which an infrared heater in the form of a film is used. It is laid without a screed. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the floor by 10-20 cm.
The installation work for the warm film floor is carried out in the following manner:
- Thermal insulation material is laid over the entire leveled surface. Penofol is used for insulation, but other materials can also be used;
- An electric floor heating film is laid on the insulation on the balcony;
- Copper contacts of the heated floor on the parapet side are insulated with bitumen, which prevents moisture from penetrating them;
- Next, an electrical cable is connected to the other side of the carbon thermal film;
- Electrical wires are soldered to the contacts of the heated floor;
- Contacts are insulated;
- Electricity is supplied to the thermostat;
- The temperature sensor is connected and mounted under the thermal film;
- The connections, sensor, and thermostat are checked;
- Laminate or other floor covering is laid on the surface.
Floors with carbon thermal film should be installed by specialists. After all, errors in work, including moisture, can cause a short circuit. This can lead to a breakdown of the heating element. Its repair will require dismantling the finishing coating and new installation of the thermal film.
Insulation of a balcony floor with thickening of the base
Before installing the floor on a closed balcony, it is important to choose the right insulation material. Window structures installed between the canopy and parapet provide an increase in temperature there by about 12 °C.
However, using insulation on a protruding reinforced concrete slab will increase the thickness of the floor. But at the same time, it allows to expand the range of finishing cladding.
When insulating a floor, the technician performs the work in the following steps:
- Marking of fastenings for longitudinal wooden joists is done. In this case, the standard for the distance from the wall to the sidebars is observed. It is 50 mm. In the case when the installation of three longitudinal joists is planned, the distance from the wall to the bars should be about 40-50 cm.
- The location of the plywood sheets and the location of the cross beams are calculated.
- The points of fixing the brackets to the bars are designated. As a rule, 50-60 cm are left between the longitudinal joists. The transverse bars are fixed with brackets. They are installed individually between the longitudinal joists.
- The brackets are secured with dowels into pre-drilled holes in the concrete base.
- The side and intermediate bars are installed. If required, they are joined in the middle of the bracket.
- The varnishes are fixed exclusively on a horizontal plane. The distance from the subfloor surface is 10 to 15 cm.
- The crossbars are installed and connected using longitudinal joists and metal corners.
- The insulation material is placed in the space between the joists. Mineral wool acts as a heat insulator. Penoplex is also used.
- Plywood installation is performed before laying the floor covering on the glazed balcony. The sheets are fixed 5 mm from the wall. The sheet is joined on a crossbar to ensure high-quality fixation and to prevent damage to the edges. When installing plywood on a joist, hardware is placed every 150 mm. In this case, the screws must be countersunk into the wood sheet.
Floor covering on an open balcony
Before making a final decision on the choice of flooring materials on the balcony, it is necessary to consider the presence or absence of glazing. The open area is exposed to various factors all year round: sunlight, rain, snow, and negative temperatures. Therefore, the finishing coating must be resistant to negative factors.
1. Coloring the base
Paints and varnishes are the simplest options for flooring on a loggia or balcony. This option will not require large financial expenses. But specialized paint is used for painting.
Enamel based on epoxy resin or self-leveling coating compositions can be used.
The paint in the selected color is applied as follows:
- The surface is carefully primed to reduce the amount of paint consumed. Primer is not required if enamel is used;
- The paint and varnish coating is applied from the far corner;
- The first layer must be completely dry and then the surface is painted again.
To complete the floor finishing, install a decorative skirting board. It is attached a day after painting. This allows the paint to dry completely.
2. Laying decking
The decking board is made of special composite lumber. This is not a durable raw material that can be destroyed in case of sudden temperature fluctuations.
Experienced qualified craftsmen install this type of flooring as follows:
- Before covering the concrete floor on an open balcony, it is necessary to lay and secure transverse joists. They are secured 50 cm apart. At the same time, a gap of 1 cm is left near the wall. This will compensate for the expansion of the wood during temperature fluctuations;
- Metal clips are mounted on the joists;
- The boards are inserted into the clips using a groove, thus creating a floor;
- Install the skirting board around the perimeter.
If necessary, the wood is treated with special protective agents. This will ensure their service life.
3. Laying floor tiles
Ceramic tiles are one of the most wear-resistant floor coverings. They are resistant to atmospheric precipitation. They are easy to clean. Experienced craftsmen can lay ceramic tiles of one or several types, and lay out an ornament.
Before installing the floor on an open balcony, it is important to select the appropriate tiles and prepare the surface.
Next, perform the following work:
- The floor is marked from the far corner. The first row of ceramics is laid from this place;
- Tile adhesive is applied to a leveled, clean surface. It is distributed over the base, allowing 3-4 tiles at once;
- The covering is laid down, pressing it tightly. It is necessary to do this so that the glue is distributed under it, without creating a void. Otherwise, over time, the edges of the tile may break under the load.
The tiles are laid using plastic crosses. This ensures the creation of even inter-tile seams. After drying, they are removed;
- Grout is placed into the seams.
All that remains is to clean the surface. Then install decorative skirting boards. It is important to understand that for a balcony it is better to choose ceramic tiles with a rough surface. This will reduce the risk of slipping on it. In this case, the coating can be laid not only on concrete but also on a plywood base.
Before you start installing the balcony floor, it is important to prepare the surface. To do this, you need to eliminate cracks and crevices and level the floor. This is done using a self-leveling floor. If the balcony is glazed, it is better to give preference to a heated floor or lay mineral wool or people.
Often, linoleum or laminate is chosen for a glazed balcony. For an open area, you can choose specialized paint, facing tiles, or decking. Regardless of what kind of finishing material is used, it must be waterproof.