DIY wooden floor on the balcony

When laying the floor on the balcony, the owners are faced with a difficult task: choosing the type of flooring. There are many of them, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The editors of the StroyGuru website drew attention to this problem and decided to publish a series of articles about the most popular types of flooring on the balcony. Today we’ll look at how to make a wooden floor on a balcony with your own hands: which logs to choose, how to prepare the base, how to waterproof and insulate a balcony slab, how to lay boards.

Pros and cons of wooden floors on the balcony

Wood is a traditional flooring material. It has been used for hundreds of years. But there is one thing: when it comes to the balcony, a crowd of opponents immediately appears. They have two arguments:

plank floors are inappropriate in a modern apartment, because... they look poor, associated with village houses from the times of the Soviet Union and Khrushchev;
difficult operating conditions reduce the service life of wood to 7-10 years.

It is difficult to agree with the above arguments. Firstly, hardwood looks presentable and rich. Secondly, the development of technologies for the production of building materials has made it possible to obtain flooring with a rich texture from ordinary pine boards. This can be aging the board (brushing), treatment with acrylic-based stain or tinted oil, firing with a hair dryer or gas burner, etc.

At the same time, you can change the decorative properties of a wooden floor yourself, without involving craftsmen. Thirdly, by treating the plank floor with special compounds and regular maintenance, even on an open balcony, you can get a floor that will be inherited by your children and grandchildren. And all this is about a simple edged board, and not about deck and terrace boards, whose performance characteristics and decorative properties are much higher.

I like the wooden floor on the balcony because:

the ability to obtain a perfectly flat surface on a balcony slab with different surface levels;
simple processing - planed and sawed by hand without much physical effort;
light weight - does not create excessive load on the slab;
strength - withstands mechanical loads exceeding the permissible weight on the balcony;
aesthetic appeal - can fit into any interior style;
environmentally friendly - it is not an allergen and does not emit harmful substances into the air when heated or burned;
durability - service life, subject to operating technology, is over 25 years;
good thermal insulation properties - minimal heat loss even in the absence of insulation;
warm, pleasant to the touch surface;
compatibility with “warm floors” (boards of less thickness are laid on the screed than on the joists, which allows heat to pass upward).

In addition to the pros, there are also cons. Many of them are completely eliminated or minimized by modern impregnations.

The full list of shortcomings is as follows:

wood burns well - impregnation with fire retardants is needed;
damaged by insects - bioimpregnations help;
rots and becomes moldy - antiseptics are required;
absorbs moisture well - treatment with liquid waterproofing agents, painting with varnish or drying oil helps;
installation is labor-intensive;
the floor is difficult to clean - dirt tends to accumulate in the cracks;
requires regular maintenance, which consists of treating the surface with various protective compounds every 5-6 years.

In addition, it should be noted that there are significant financial costs for this type of floor.

Materials and tools

To lay a wooden floor on a loggia/balcony, you first need to determine the dimensions of the floor (width and length) and find out the height of the threshold. This data is enough to decide on the method of leveling the floor and calculate the required amount of materials:

lag - well-dried softwood timber;
planed floorboard with tongue and groove, also dried;
coating or film waterproofing (mastic, roofing felt, polyethylene film);
insulation (foam plastic, basalt wool, extruded polystyrene foam, ecowool, etc.);
varnish, stain or waterproof acrylic-latex paint to protect the floor from precipitation when installing the floor on an open balcony;
fasteners (metal corners or U-shaped racks, screws and nails).

U-shaped racks.
To work you will need the following tools:

wood saw or jigsaw;
screwdriver;
roulette;
level;
knife with removable blade;
paint brush;
roller with handle;
construction pencil (marker).

Preparing the concrete base of the balcony

There are several recommendations that will help you quickly and efficiently prepare the foundation for further work, namely:

cleaning the floor from all kinds of debris and cement dust;
Precise filling of cracks, cracks and chips. For this purpose, it is worth using a cement or polymer-sand repair mortar for the cement slab, and a sealant or polyurethane foam for the joints;
after drying, all protruding excess must be cleaned or cut off;
the concrete surface is covered with a layer of impregnating primer;
The presented manipulations are recommended to be carried out even when installing an open balcony, since they are aimed at preserving the concrete coating from deformation and destruction and ensure a long service life.

Preparatory work

High-quality installation of a wooden floor on a balcony is carried out in several successive stages:

cleaning the premises;
inspection of the condition of the balcony slab;
concrete surface repair;
waterproofing the base of the floor;
installation of logs;
floor insulation.

Experts classify these technological operations as auxiliary or preparatory work. Among the main ones:

assembly of a plank floor on joists or flooring;
finishing coating of boards.

Let us immediately note that we will figure out how to make a floor on a wooden balcony using the example of a glazed balcony, the walls and ceiling of which are already insulated.

Cleaning the premises

Construction waste remaining after glazing and insulating walls and ceilings, as well as materials and tools that will not be required in further work, are removed from the balcony/loggia. Ideally, the balcony slab should be left bare.

If the old screed or ceramic tile floor was not removed before glazing, then they are knocked down with a hammer drill, the garbage is placed in bags and taken out, the slab is swept and then vacuumed.

Inspection of the state of the slab

A thorough inspection of the balcony slab should answer the following questions:

what additional load can the balcony slab withstand in order to determine the method of raising the floor level. To do this, you need to calculate the approximate weight of double-glazed windows and wall material, and then divide the result by the area of the slab. From the standard load of 200 kg/m2 (brick walls) or 250 kg/m2 (panel walls), subtract the existing (actual) load. The result will show how many kilograms of timber and boards can be placed on the balcony without the risk of destruction;
what is the difference between the floor level on the balcony and in the apartment;
in what places does concrete need to be restored? To do this, problem areas are marked with a marker or chalk.

Base repair

Repairs begin with removing traces of paint and grease. This can be done with a rag soaked in white spirit, acetone or any other solvent. If the method does not work, then the paint can be removed with a metal brush, and the grease with special removers. In extreme cases, the stain is knocked off with a puncher. But here it is important not to overdo it and not damage the reinforcement. Cement stone can be restored, but if the reinforcement is damaged, the further operation of the balcony becomes questionable. We need expertise.

Identified defects in the balcony slab are repaired with repair mortar. Step by step it looks like this:

microcracks increase to 3-5 mm in width with a chisel and hammer. You can use a grinder with a circle on concrete. The operation is necessary so that the solution can be pushed into small cracks;
grooves are cut across wide cracks with a depth of 15-20 mm and a width of about 10-12 mm using a grinder. The step between them is 40-50 mm;
areas to be restored with a repair solution are saturated with water. To do this, they are moistened several times with cement laitance or a deep penetration primer. The process of applying “milk” is carried out until the concrete stops absorbing it;

Attention: professional builders prefer to saturate the concrete with moisture before applying the repair composition with commercial primers. Many years of experience of the editorial staff shows that it is much cheaper to use cement laitance with the same effect. When doing the work yourself, it will not be difficult to dilute Portland cement with water in a 1:1 ratio.

The repair composition is mixed. Self-tapping screws are placed in the grooves for the reinforcement;
The solution is applied to the slab with a spatula. It is pushed into narrow cracks with the corner of a spatula.

After this, the joints of the slab with the wall and between the panels are sealed if the house is P series (panel). The easiest way to cover the joints with the wall is with polyurethane foam. After its polymerization, the excess is cut off with a knife. On the reverse side, a plaster solution is applied to the seam so that the sun does not destroy the polymer.

The joints between the panels can be sealed with foam rollers. They are either recessed into the applied mounting foam, or driven into the seam and then covered with plaster mortar. Regardless of whether a wet screed will be laid, the surface of the slab and the bottom of the walls are primed twice with cement laitance.

Detailed instructions for repairing a concrete base can be found here.

Waterproofing

Carrying out waterproofing work on the balcony when laying a wooden floor is considered mandatory. For these purposes, you can use roll materials or coating materials. The technology for protecting floors from moisture using roll insulation is simple:

the polyethylene film is cut in length and width 40-50 cm larger than the size of the balcony. If it is not possible to cover the entire floor with one sheet, a second sheet is cut, taking into account the fact that the laying must overlap by 15-20 cm;
you need to lay the film over the walls by 15-20 cm;
at the joints between the floor and the walls, a margin of 1-2 cm is placed on the film so that it does not tear when pulled;
Along the perimeter of the balcony, polyethylene is attached to the wall with tape.

When using coating waterproofing, work is performed in the following sequence:

The mastic is applied with a brush to the corners and joints of the slab with the walls of the balcony. 15-20 cm in height, 10-15 cm on the slab;
a waterproofing tape is applied to the wet mastic, 1/3 of its width should be on the floor, 2/3 on the wall;

1 more layer of mastic is applied over the laid tape;

2-3 layers of mastic are applied to the concrete slab with a roller perpendicular to each other. In this case, the next layer is applied to the dried previous one.

Continuation of work is possible in a day.

Installation of logs

Joists can be installed directly onto slab, studs, U-studs, wood studs and sheathing. All fixation options are discussed in detail here.

We will consider in detail the option of fixing the logs to U-shaped racks. For this:

we determine the installation height of the logs: subtract the thickness of the floor covering from the floor level in the apartment and draw a solid line along the perimeter of the walls, along which the beam will be attached;
We draw a diagram of the location of the logs. The timber under them (item 1 in Fig.) is laid along the load-bearing wall with an indentation of 50 mm. In this case, the log should be 60-80 mm shorter than the distance between the end walls (3-4 cm at each end). For a typical balcony, there are three parallel beams: 2 near the walls, 1 in the middle. Jumpers are installed between the logs (position 2 in the diagram). The distance between them is 50-60 cm. The installation locations of the racks are marked (in Fig. 3): one for each jumper and in increments of 50 cm for the log. The distance from the ends of the beam is 70-80 mm (the amount of space is equal to the sum of the width of the lintel and the length of the side of the metal corner);

the length of the balcony is measured;
timber (50x50 or 60x40) is cut to size: balcony length minus 6-8 cm;

Attention: before installation, the timber under the joists must be treated with antiseptics, bio-impregnation and fire retardants.

Logs are laid on the slab along the load-bearing wall at a distance of 5 cm;
draw the outline of the laid timber with a pencil;

the operation is repeated at the outer wall;
there is a middle point between two laid lags;
the position of the middle beam is marked on the slab;
the jumpers are laid out (there is no need to cut them exactly to size yet);
The places where the racks are attached are marked along the joists and lintels;
the racks are laid with the crossbar down in the marked places;
Use a pencil or drill to mark the places for the dowels in the concrete;
using an electric drill and a drill with pobedit tips, drill holes for dowels along the marks;

dowels are driven into the holes with a hammer;
The racks are attached to the floor with self-tapping screws;

The logs are placed in the racks and, with the help of pads and a level, are brought out horizontally flush with the mark on the wall;

using a screwdriver or drill, holes are drilled in the joist through the plates of the rack for mounting bolts (the middle beam can be secured with self-tapping screws);
the joists are bolted to the racks;

a similar operation is carried out with the rest of the timber;
the distance between the logs is measured;
jumpers are cut to size;
Each lintel block is first fastened with self-tapping screws to the rack, and then with the help of 4 corners (2 at each end) to the joist.

Floor insulation

Insulation is laid between the joists. Basalt wool is best suited for a balcony. But you can use polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, ecowool, and rigid polyurethane foam. Each of them has its own installation technology, which can be seen in the material “How to insulate the floor on a balcony with your own hands?”

Attention: the open balcony is not insulated.

Wood flooring technology

There are two sections in the teaching materials on how to make a wooden floor on a balcony. One considers installing a floor on a flooring made of plywood, MDF, OSB (the technology is used for floorboards with a thickness of 20-35 mm) and the second considers fastening the boards directly to the joists (thickness 40-50 mm).

Laying a wooden floor on a deck

The step-by-step algorithm of the method includes the following work:

A damper tape is attached around the perimeter of the walls. Many owners ignore this operation, explaining that it is not a screed. Practice shows that when the humidity changes, the flooring sometimes begins to creak when rubbing against the wall (there is not enough technological clearance). Therefore, it is better to play it safe, especially since the costs are insignificant;
a slab of plywood or OSB is cut to size. In this case, there should be a technological gap of about 5-8 mm on the sides and back, and the front edge should lie in the middle of the cross member;
The plywood is attached to the joists and cross members with self-tapping screws. Step - 200 mm. The heads are sunk into the flooring by 1-1.5 mm. The next sheet also needs to be laid on the crossbar, but with a distance of 3-5 mm from the first;

the entire space above the joists is closed;
the gaps between the sheets are foamed, and after polymerization of the foam they are cut with a knife flush with the flooring;
The first board is cut to size. Her thorn is removed;
the board is laid against the wall with a gap of 1-1.5 mm;
3-4 self-tapping screws are screwed into the groove at an angle of 45o;

the second board is cut, inserted with a tenon into the groove of the first board, hammered with a hammer for a tight fixation, and secured with self-tapping screws.

Fastening the board to the joists

The technology for assembling a wooden floor using joists has slight differences:

Unplaned timber 50x70 mm is taken. You only need two of them;
are attached to the balcony slab in two rows. Between each other at a distance of 1 m, from the walls at an equal distance;
to give rigidity to the system at the edges and in the middle, the logs are connected to jumpers;
boards 40-50 mm thick and 130-150 mm wide are laid using the same technology as plywood.

Installation of floorboards

Work should begin from the load-bearing wall. To do this, take measurements using a tape measure and cut off the first piece of floorboard to the required length with a hacksaw. After this, check its location using a level and a square. The angle between the wall and the board must be strictly 90 degrees.

They also maintain gaps on all sides of the walls within 10–15 mm (the side connecting to the next board is not taken into account). The screws are screwed in at an angle of 45 degrees, thus fixing the board to the beam.

Then they cut out the second piece and fasten it to the first at the end connection, after which they are adjusted tightly using a wooden strip and a hammer

It is important that the boards touch each other as much as possible. After this, fix the second board with screws at an angle of 45 degrees in the place of the free end connection

This is how all the boards are laid. The first and last of them are additionally fixed to the logs.

Finally, a plinth must be installed around the perimeter of the balcony.

What is the best way to process the finishing wood coating?

Pine is a fairly soft material: it wears out quickly, absorbs water well, and is prone to rotting. Therefore, the floor surface must be painted with acrylic paints for exterior use or a deep penetration tinting varnish must be applied, which will highlight the structure of the wood. Well-sanded boards can be varnished. Different sizes - paint.

After all the above operations have been completed, the plinth is attached to the walls.

In conclusion, the use of boards for flooring on a balcony is justified from all sides. If everything is done correctly, the result is a beautiful, durable, practical and durable floor covering.

Collector system

The collector is a stainless steel comb with thermostats and flow meters.
Designed to distribute water through pipes and maintain a certain temperature of the coolant. The temperature of the water floor heat source should be no more than 40 degrees. The set temperature is maintained by thermostats.

Electronic thermostats are programmed to maintain the desired water temperature throughout the entire system. Using mechanical devices, you can manually change the temperature of the heat source.

The water collector is installed in a special niche hollowed out in the wall or in a collector cabinet.