Do-it-yourself balcony repair

The lucky ones who have a loggia at their disposal can boast of an additional living room. But, only if it is repaired properly. Let's look at how to repair a loggia with our own hands, in what order to carry out the work, and also what to focus on when installing insulation and finishing elements of the loggia.

The first step is to carry out preparatory work of the following nature:

• The scope of work is assessed and an expense estimate is drawn up. At the same stage, construction and finishing materials are selected and purchased;
• Old windows, balcony block are dismantled, old finishing material is removed;
• If necessary, the floor is removed from the slab, after which its condition is checked. If there are deep potholes, especially along the edges of the slab, they are cleaned, primed and sealed with cement mortar;
• The walls are leveled to facilitate the installation of finishing materials;
• If it is necessary to strengthen the parapet, then this is done with the help of foam concrete blocks. They are placed on a special glue.

Strengthening the parapet of the loggia with foam blocks will make it not only warmer, but also allow the installation of heavier windows, for example, plastic

Advice: Do not use aerated concrete blocks for the parapet due to the fact that they strongly absorb moisture, unlike foam blocks.

Next, we will analyze the repair of the loggia with our own hands in stages, dwelling on certain points in more detail.

The loggia must be glazed by choosing a certain type of window system for this purpose. If desired, you can install double-glazed windows that have an energy-saving effect. Choose windows according to your taste:

• Metal-plastic windows... The most practical and affordable type of glazing, characterized by durability and good thermal insulation properties;
• Aluminum windows - less warm structures with a weak degree of noise protection. They are used relatively rarely, in cases where insulation is not planned;
• Wooden windows... A very expensive pleasure. It should be borne in mind that even high-quality wooden windows are susceptible to moisture in the air.

In the photo is a loggia glazed with plastic windows

The procedure for installing glazing on a loggia should be as follows:

1. On the parapet, strictly according to the level, a window frame is installed, which is attached on each side with at least two self-tapping screws, anchors or dowels.
2. A window sill is installed inside the loggia at the bottom of the window.
3. An ebb is attached outside the window.
4. Double-glazed windows are installed in their places.
5. All gaps between the frame and the structural elements of the loggia are filled with polyurethane foam.
6. After the foam has hardened and trimmed, all gaps are closed with decorative overlays.

In the process of repairing a loggia with your own hands, do not forget to lay wires for lighting and power supply. To do this, lead the power cable to the loggia, having previously de-energized it. From the cable, wires are routed in the recesses of the wall or in its corners, going to the lamps, the outlet and the switch. If the walls are flat, then 2 options apply:

• channels for wires are grooved in the wall of the house;
• wires are pulled inside the crate.

Any sconces, pendant and spotlights, LED lighting can be used as light sources.

If you want to know how to make lighting on the balcony and how to choose the optimal lamp, then this information is in another material on the site.

And in more detail about how cold glazing of a balcony with an aluminum profile is carried out, we told in a separate article.

How to make repairs on the loggia so that when you enter it you feel the comfort, and not the coldness of the street? Of course, you need to insulate it with high quality. All cracks and voids must be sealed, and the structural elements of the loggia are protected from moisture.

It is very desirable to combine the formation of the floor with its insulation. For this, the following flooring options are used:

1. Wooden floor... To do this, a waterproofing film or foil foam is spread on the floor. Wooden logs are laid on top of this layer. They are aligned and fixed to the slab by means of dowels. Between the lags, 5 cm thick foam sheets are inserted, or the same or a thinner layer of extruded polystyrene foam. You can also lay a layer of mineral wool. On top of the insulation, you can lay another layer of foam foam. Grooved boards or OSB board are attached to the logs.

Insulation of the floor along the logs with mineral wool

Advice: It is not recommended to use chipboard for flooring, as the material, if moisture gets on it, can gradually deteriorate.

2. Cement strainer... First, the plate is leveled, after which plates of expanded polystyrene or extruded polystyrene foam are laid on it. They are carefully sized. A cement screed with a thickness of at least 4 cm is made on top of the insulation.

3. Warm floor system... It can include one of the following components:

Heating mats. They fit in ready-made sections. The advantage of mats is that it is not necessary to prepare a rough surface for their installation. Mats work from electricity, being laid directly in a layer of tile adhesive. Floor tiles are usually laid on top of the mats;

Warm floor from heating mats

Electrical cable. A heating cable powered from the mains is laid in the concrete floor screed. To provide heat, it is advisable to lay a layer of insulation from the bottom of the screed. It is recommended to use tiles as flooring;

Infrared film coating. The sub-floor is covered with a heat-reflecting material, after which an infrared coating is laid on it. The topcoat can be linoleum, tiles, carpet, etc.

Read also:  DIY repair of lever locks

Infrared floor heating on the balcony

If you decide to make a warm ceiling on the loggia, then you should know that all the cracks above the windows must be closed to prevent condensation from forming on top of the ceiling panels.

Ceiling insulation is performed in one of the following ways:

• A wooden frame is stuffed on the ceiling, between the strips of which insulation is inserted. On both sides of the insulation there should be a layer of vapor barrier such as penofol, although often penofol is used only on top of the insulation;
• Penoplex is nailed to the ceiling plate with dowels. Next comes the vapor barrier layer in the form of penofol again. Below the layer of insulation, on the frame, a suspended ceiling is formed.

Fastening the foam to the ceiling

The front and side walls are insulated on the loggia. For the wall of a house, such an operation is usually not performed.

Tip: The house wall is not insulated even if the loggia is being repaired with your own hands in a panel house.

For wall insulation, 2 options can be used:

Penoplex is attached to the walls with glue or dowels. Then penofol is attached as a vapor barrier. Next, a wooden crate is nailed on the dowels;

Insulation of the walls of the loggia with penoplex

The crate is stuffed onto the walls. A sheet of insulation is inserted into the gaps between the slats, after which the wall is closed with a vapor barrier film.

It is advisable at the design stage to choose the materials that will be used for the interior decoration of the loggia.After all, they all have different costs and installation features.

The following materials are the most practical for the interior decoration of the loggia:

PVC panels... They are simple and quick to assemble, easily processed to the desired size. Contrary to prejudice, PVC does not emit harmful components into the surrounding space. Plastic is durable and practical, easy to clean. The panels are fastened with self-tapping screws or clamps to a wooden crate.

Finishing the loggia with plastic panels
Wooden lining or block house... This is the most environmentally friendly cladding, but also the most expensive. Many people sheathe the loggia with wood precisely for its beautiful appearance and naturalness. For fastening the planks, a wooden lathing is required, to which the planks are attached using self-tapping screws, nails or cleats. It is desirable to cover wood with varnish or impregnation containing varnish.

The lining on the walls of the loggia will go well with the wooden floor and ceiling

MDF panels... It is a beautiful and durable material, albeit expensive. Using MDF panels, you can create an imitation of very expensive wood, marble or granite surface. MDF panels are installed on a wooden crate, like the lining.

Drywall moisture resistant... This material will allow you to create any structure of any complexity on the loggia. If the loggia is well protected from moisture, then nothing will threaten the drywall. Sheets are fastened using a special adhesive, as well as using self-tapping screws (on the crate) or dowels (to the wall).

Plasterboard walls on the loggia

Wall tiles... Its installation is fraught with difficulties in wall insulation, so it is rarely used when the loggia is not fully insulated.

Wallpaper or whitewash... These are outdated building materials that are gradually fading away due to their impracticality and the need for regular renewal.

In addition, you can finish the balcony with decorative stone. The technology of work is described on our website.

Instead of regular wallpaper, you can use liquid wallpaper. And we will show you how to glue liquid wallpaper. The work is not difficult, but it has its own nuances.

At the final stage of the renovation, you can think about curtains. We recommend paying attention to the Day-Night curtains, which we talked about here.

We figured out how to repair a loggia with our own hands. The final touch remains - heating this small room during the cold season of the year. If the "Warm floor" system was not installed on the loggia, then the following heating devices can be used as a heating system:

• Infrared heater... This is ideal for a loggia, as it warms up quickly, but the air does not dry out on it;
• Electric radiator... The most economical is an oil cooler, and the most energy-intensive is a heater with open spirals;
• Convector... Quite an economical and low-noise option, but it can lower air humidity;
• Fan heater... It is advisable to use an appliance with a ceramic heater that does not dry out the air.

Note: There is also an option to move the heating radiator to the loggia, but it requires a permit, which is not possible for houses with centralized heating.

Here you can see how the repair of the loggia is carried out with your own hands in stages in the video.

The presence of a balcony or loggia allows you to increase the area of ​​the apartment with their competent arrangement.

In order to translate into reality various ideas aimed at achieving the desired result, you will have to carry out repair work.

What should be done and in what order? Consider in this article.