DIY Balcony insulation

You can use the balcony space in different ways: for storing something, for example, vegetables and blanks for the winter, as a greenhouse or winter garden, as a separate warm room, which can be used as an office or a recreation area. In any case, in order to carry out their plans, you will need to warm the balcony from the inside. Even if you are not going to make an absolutely warm room out of the balcony, but you want to store winter blanks on it so that the temperature does not drop below zero on the balcony, it is necessary to insulate it.

1. The scheme of insulation of the balcony
2. Ways to insulate the balcony
   • Warming the balcony with a foam
   • Insulation of the balcony with polystyrene foam (polystyrene)
   • Warming the balcony with lining
   • Insulation of the balcony of mineral wool

By the way, there are two concepts in everyday life: the balcony and loggia, which are fundamentally different from each other.

Balcony It is a completely remote design, which is located outside the building. Paul is a plate protruding from the building. The space is fenced with a light parapet made of a metal structure. The parapet can be sheathed with some simple material: plywood or plastic panels.

Loggia It is a premises built into the building, one of the sides of which is open and can be fenced with a metal or concrete/brick parapet. From two, and more often three sides of the wall, adjacent either with the premises of the apartment, or with neighbors.

Of course, the loggia is more suitable for equipping a separate room than a balcony, for several reasons. Firstly, it is always larger in size. Secondly, the loggia is part of the building, which means that its floor is able to withstand heavy loads. Thirdly, two or three walls of the loggia lead to warm rooms, which significantly reduces insulation costs.

Most often, both the balcony and the loggia are called in one word the balcony. We will also use this concept, but with reservations, if the constructive differences in these objects require clarifications.

The scheme of insulation of the balcony

It is better to start with glazing, and use a minimum of two -chamber double -glazed windows. And if you live in a region where the temperature drops below 40 s in winter, then you should think about three -chamber.

Important! If you have old wooden windows with a single glass, and you think: now I’ll get it here, I will warm it up, and everything will be fine, you have to upset you. You will not get off with half measures. Such insulation will not change the situation, the temperature on the balcony will not rise. The money spent on insulation will blow into the pipe, or rather through the windows, the very wooden ones.

The casing and insulation of the balcony should create the effect of thermos. To do this, you must first install high -quality glazing through which it would not be lost heat, and then insulate the walls, ceiling, parapet and floor of the balcony.

The technology of insulation of the balcony can be divided into such stages:

1. We close up all the cracks that remained after glazing. For this purpose, you can use the mounting foam or other sealants. If the cracks are large, we first close them with improvised materials, for example, pieces of polystyrene or plywood. We darken, wait until the foam dries, and cut off the excess.
2. We waterproof all the inner surfaces of the balcony. You can use various materials. The flooring material roofing material is laid, glued to the base, and the joints are glued with a gas burner. Liquid penetrating, for example, penetron, is applied to concrete surfaces with a roller or brush. As an alternative, coating, paint materials, polyurethane mastics and others are suitable.
3. We fasten the material for insulation of the balcony. About what materials can be used and how they are attached, we will tell you a little later.

4. We lay vapor barrier. You can use ordinary foamed polyethylene. But the most successful option would be the material of the foam foil on the one hand. It is imperative to fix it only in the end (overlapping is impossible!), We glue the joints with aluminum tape. We have a metallized side must be inside the room, so warm, coming from heated rooms, will be repelled back.
5. We carry out the decoration of the walls and ceiling of the balcony.
6. We make the floor (wooden on the lags, concrete or bulk).

The pattern of insulation of the balcony is unified. So if you want to work out efficiently, do all the stages and do not save on trifles, so as not to regret it.

Important! Steamed is necessarily laid from the side of the room. Because its task is to prevent the penetration of household steam from the room into the insulation. Whether to equip vapor barrier from the street, everyone decides for himself, but the waterproofing layer is required.

Ways to insulate the balcony

Depending on how exactly you want to use the balcony in the end, you can insulate it in various ways.

If you have a loggia that you plan to use to store vegetables and drying of linen, then it should be insulated only in one layer, and then only a parapet.

If you have a balcony that you are going to turn into a separate room, then it is necessary to insulate in two layers with different materials, paying maximum attention to all surfaces of the walls, parapet, floor and ceiling.

If you plan to attach the loggia to the room, it should be insulated from the parapet in two layers, and the walls, floor and ceiling in one layer.

Repair and insulation of balconies is performed by various materials using technologies inherent in them. Thermal insulation materials (insulation) have various coefficients of thermal conductivity, structure and shape. Next, we will consider only a few of them and clarify some of the nuances of their use and fasteners.

Warming the balcony with a foam

Foam The material is called from the group of extruded polystyrene foam. It has thermal conductivity of 0.030 W/(MS), does not absorb moisture, has high compression and bending strength. The foam is available in plates of different sizes with a thickness of 20 mm to 100 mm. Plates can be smooth, and can have recesses and protrusions that perform the spike and groove system, which greatly facilitates their styling and fastening.

In regions with a harsh climate, a foam with a thickness of 50 to 70 mm should be used. If the temperature in your region rarely drops below 25 s, there will be enough plates with 40 mm thick.

The method of fastening the insulation of the foam is selected taking into account what the finish will be.

If you plan to sheathe the balcony with plastic, drywall sheets or other material, then it is enough to fix the slabs using special plastic dowelsresembling a mushroom.

The plastic legs of the dowel have a thickness of 8 10 mm, the lattice hats act as a fastener. We recommend using a dowel 80 100 mm long. In the case when plaster is the finish coating, the plates should be fixed with a combined way. First glue it to the surface, then additionally fix it with mushrooms.

The technology of insulation by Penoplex is as follows:

• On a pre -waterproofing surface, we fasten the foam plate.
• Be sure to assemble them in the end or using the spike and groove system.
• We fix it with dowels-gibs, 5 7 pieces for each plate.

Important! In no case should you perform a wooden crate on the wall, into the space of which then insert the stoves of the foam. In this case, the tree will be a bridge of the cold and quickly release heat from the room. If you plan to mount the sheets of drywall on top of the insulation, then fix the foam according to the technology described above, then put the vapor barrier and already puff the crate on top. The empty space between the insulation and the sheets of the finish will be additional thermal insulation.

To date, the foam is considered the most popular and successful solution for insulation of the balcony. This is due to its strength characteristics. If the strength is not so important, foam can be used for insulation.

Insulation of the balcony with polystyrene foam (polystyrene)

The foam is less durable than extruded polystyrene foam, but it has less thermal conductivity due to large air bubbles. It is produced in plates with a thickness of 5 cm to 15 cm. For insulation of the balcony, 5 10 cm of plates will be enough.

Foam is hygroscopic and does not lose its properties under the influence of moisture.

The technology of insulation by polystyrene foam looks like this:

• We cover the waterproofed surface of the balcony with a primer penetration.
• After drying the primer, glue the foam plate to the surface with special glue.
• In addition to the adhesive compound, we fix the slabs using the same mushrooms as the foam.
• On top of the foam you can fix vapor barrier, but you can do without it.
• Next, on the surface, we fix the fiberglass reinforcing mesh with a solution with adhesive properties.

On top of the grid you can apply plaster, putty, paint or perform another finish.

Warming the balcony with lining

A wooden lining is used to warm the balconies only as the material of the second layer of insulation. The exception is only one option: if the loggia is insulated, the walls of which are adjacent to heated rooms. In this case, the walls, floor and ceiling are finished with lining, which in this case acts both as a heater and as a finish. The parapet requires more thorough insulation at first with polystyrene, only then lining.

Technology for insulation of the balcony with lining:

• On a pre -primed surface, we stuff a wooden crate, which will serve as a fastener support for the lining.
• In the intervals between the crate, glue the sheets of foam.
• We blow all the cracks with foam or treat with another sealant.
• We also warm the floor, laying wooden lags.
• We fasten the lining to the crate on the walls and lags on the floor.

On top, the lining can be treated with varnish.

Important! Keep in mind that such insulation on a frail balcony is impossible to arrange a lining too heavy. Therefore, be sure to make preliminary strength calculations.

Insulation of the balcony of mineral wool

Experts recommend refusing the venture to insulate the balcony using mineral wool, due to its fragile structure and the inability to tightly join the material without leaving cracks. It is more advisable to use polystyrene foam or the same foam, but if you decide accurately and irrevocably that you want to insulate it with the mineral wool, what will we share the technology.

Mineral wool balcony insulation technology:

• On a waterproofed surface, glue the sheets/canvases of mineral wool. We use special glue for this, we monitor the correct consistency: it should be homogeneous and thick.
• We work carefully with the canvases so that they are not a little to damage their minvat as a strongest material.
• After applying the glue on the canvas, we press it to the surface, but not too much - our task is to glue, and not to sell the material.
• We try to join the canvases as thoroughly as possible, leaving a minimum gap.
• If you can fix it with dowels, use mushrooms. But only after the glue dries.
• We lay vapor barrier on top.
• We mount a reinforcing grid or crate for further finishing.

On the floor we install the lags, in the space between which we lay the canvases of the mineral wool.

All work on insulation of the balcony from the inside can be performed independently, regardless of what material you choose. No specific skills or knowledge are required, only tools and skill in handling it. But the glazing of the balcony should still be entrusted to professionals, this is not an easy thing.