Do-it-yourself warming the balcony: popular options and technologies for warming the balcony from the inside

In order to protect the apartment as much as possible from winter cold and wind, as well as create an additional living area, measures are taken to insulate the balcony. Do it yourself or attract finishers. The first solution allows you to save money, the second - quickly get a professionally equipped turnkey balcony.

We will tell you how to conduct a warming of the balcony with your own hands so that you spend a minimum of money and achieve a high-quality result. The article describes the technology of insulation and finishing. Information provided by experienced builders and home improvement enthusiasts.

Turn a cold balcony into a warm one

Any construction work on thermal insulation of the premises is preceded by planning, which includes the selection of the basic concept of the conversion, the degree of insulation, the most suitable materials, the procedure.

Organizations offering services for insulating and decorating the balcony from the inside usually have several options in stock: from Standard, which fully protects but does not make the living space, to Lux or Premiere, after which you can arrange a workshop on the balcony, game room or lounge.

If the supporting structures and footage allow, on additional territory you can realize any plans and dreams for the realization of which there was not enough room in the apartment. Example - a corner for children's creativity

Thanks to planning, you can calculate costs and make an estimate that would suit the homeowners themselves. In addition to insulation and finishing materials, it is necessary to take into account the presence or absence of double-glazed windows. If they are still not installed, then the insulation must begin with the installation of window frames.

Overview of materials for thermal insulation

The market of heat insulation annually replenishes with new types of high-quality products with low thermal conductivity, but new options are more advanced modifications of traditional materials for thermal insulation.

Technoplex is the best development of the TechnoNIKOL company. This has already become a popular extruded polystyrene foam for general use, improved by the inclusion of technological additives and a steam generator

There are universal heaters that are equally well suited for facing the floor, ceiling and walls (plates of extruded polystyrene, for example, Penoplex), but there are materials suitable only for finishing any one zone of the balcony. Suppose, expanded clay is covered with flooring, and for walls and ceilings it is not used because of flowability.

Overview of modern heaters, affordable and safe:

To decide what is better and faster to warm the balcony, you need to analyze the installation conditions. Suppose it is better to use thin materials - penofol, polyethylene - on balconies with a space deficit.

If the area allows or you need to raise the floor to the height of the flooring in the room, then any thick insulation in the crate is suitable - mineral wool, glass wool, polystyrene.

Step-by-step instructions for warming the balcony

There are many options for thermal insulation, since the level of initial insulation is different. Elite homes often for rent with balconies equipped with triple glazing and underfloor heating. Budget housing is a minimum of arrangement.

In order to make a comfortable room out of a standard balcony in a "panel" or "stalin" built in the last century, it is necessary to completely sew up all surfaces except glazed, heat and waterproofing. Consider the solutions available to homeowners.

Stage 1 - arrangement of the parapet and floor

If the concrete base is partially destroyed, then it is necessary to make a cement screed - without a solid and solid foundation, the insulation measures are useless.

Filling is done in the traditional way:

1. Determination of the "zero point" fill.
2. Lapping waterproofing - films, membranes, roofing material.
3. For old balconies - reinforcement with metal or plastic mesh.
4. Setting lighthouses.
5. Fill and align from the far corner.

Attention! Screed maturing takes at least 28 days - this must be taken into account when planning further insulation work.

Alignment of the not yet hardened cement layer is carried out simultaneously with pouring, and not at the end. If there is no special tool at hand - the rules, you can use the board

A smooth and even floor is one of the conditions for installing thermal insulation and, if necessary, the “warm floor” system.

Photo instruction on lagging and alignment with chipboard plates:

Chipboard slabs were chosen for good reason. Unlike wooden boards and plywood, after a while they do not begin to creak and deform. At high humidity, they expand only slightly, but then return to their original borders.

So that when expanding the sheets do not rub against each other and do not make strange sounds, 1-2 mm gaps are left between them, which absolutely do not affect the quality of installation of the floor covering. For proper insulation of the balcony floor, all the details are important - from the thickness of the materials to the choice of fasteners.

The highest result in turning the balcony into a living area will help to achieve the installation floor heating system, the device of which will be introduced by our recommended article.

Stage 2 - the process of wall insulation

If the dimensions of the balcony allow, then one of the best options for wall insulation is Rocklite stone wool made by TechnoNICOL. But you can use products that are suitable for the characteristics of other manufacturers.

A double layer will create the most warm “pillow” for all walls - installed together with double-glazed windows, side walls and adjacent to the room.

A thick layer of insulation is also an excellent sound insulation, which is necessary to create a cozy, residential atmosphere on the balcony. Thin materials are not able to create a protective barrier against street noise as good as mineral wool

Work execution order:

The width of the insulating layer is 100 mm (2 layers of mineral wool of 50 mm each).This should be taken into account when planning the finishing of walls, especially if it also "takes away" a few cm of free space. You have to choose one thing - either quality insulation and silence, or a more spacious room, but coolness and noise.

It is not worth saving on vapor barrier - it protects the insulation from moisture, thereby preserving its properties. High humidity is not immediate, but over time can degrade the performance of even expensive and high-quality thermal insulation.

Stage 3 - thermal insulation of the ceiling

It is not worth ignoring the ceiling insulation, since there is no guarantee that the neighbors from above also take care of the balcony insulation. Efficiency can be achieved in only one way - by protecting the balcony as much as possible from all sides.

Unlike the floor, the ceiling does not require the creation of multi-layer pies. Usually, a lightweight material with low thermal conductivity is chosen for installation, which can be installed both on the crate, and on glue or special dowels

Most often, smooth plastic panels or an easy-to-mount wooden lining are used as the finish. The installation method of both types of cladding allows you to fix any material on the ceiling: and extruded polystyrene foam, and thick mineral wool, and thin foil penofol.

Some good solutions:

Thermal insulation of the ceiling is usually carried out together with wall insulation. Each method is different nuances. For example, when using mineral wool, glass wool and ecowool, it is strongly recommended that a vapor barrier be installed on top of the insulation layer. To fix polystyrene foam plates, even if they are glued, glue plugs are used - “fungi” - 4 pieces for each plate.

Finishing Interior

Not always decorative or finishing is just a finishing coating or decoration of the interior. Some materials also perform the function of insulation.

The difference is easy to understand if you compare two materials for wall decoration: acrylic paint and cork panels. The first simply changes the color of the wall covering and, possibly, protects it from moisture, corrosion, mold. Cork is a good heat and noise insulation.

Consider the most popular options for a balcony, which perfectly hide the insulation and themselves, albeit partially, isolate the room from the cold.

In addition to the listed facing materials, cork panels are used that are easily and simply mounted on acrylic adhesive.

A laminate is suitable for the floor, also creating a thin, but insulating layer. And ceramic tile, on the contrary, cools the surface, if it is not heated from below by an electric cable of “warm floor”.

With the features of the work on thermal insulation of the loggia will acquaint next article, which we highly recommend reading.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Video # 1. The procedure for laying stone wool:

Video # 2. Penoplex + Penofol - thermal insulation of the entire balcony:

Video # 3. Ceiling insulation tips:

Competent advice on how to properly and without errors insulate a balcony can be obtained from manufacturers of thermal insulation materials. In addition to advertising information about products, they publish detailed installation instructions for the insulation, the implementation of which guarantees high work efficiency.

Thanks to the description of technical characteristics, which can also be found on the official websites of enterprises, it is possible to choose the most suitable materials.

Want to talk about how to equip and insulate a balcony with your own hands? Does your technological “arsenal” have methods that can optimize the process of thermal insulation and the result of work? Please write comments in the block below, post photos, ask questions about the topic of the article.