Many people, when starting a balcony renovation, first of all think about the convenience and aesthetics of the finished option. To achieve the desired result, you need to choose the right wall cladding material. More often, experts advise choosing panels for the balcony, since this option has many advantages compared to painting or wallpapering.
Covering a balcony or loggia with wooden clapboard
Lining or folding, as it is also called, is perhaps the most traditional material for these purposes. It can be made from different types of wood, such as pine, alder, oak and others. The most common is, of course, pine lining in terms of price and quality ratio. Oak looks noble, but the price cannot be called affordable.
Pine lining is sold in second, first and highest grades.
The first grade allows the presence of a certain number of knots. High-quality lining must be free of knots, which release resin under the influence of heat.
The advantages of lining are as follows:
- It is quite practical, as it has good strength and is not too damaged by mechanical stress.
- The lining can be painted in various colors using stains and varnishes.
- It is quite affordable.
- It is not a scarce material.
- Allows cosmetic repairs, refreshing appearance.
- Gives the room a warm, homely feel.
- The lining has good heat and sound insulation properties.
- Easy to install even without special professional skills.
I have listed the positive properties of this material.
A not very attractive property of this material can be called a certain old-fashionedness. After all, the balconies and loggias of Khrushchev’s and subsequent high-rise buildings were sheathed with this very material.
But there are more modern coatings for wooden lining that give it a very attractive look. This is a matte colorless varnish that looks more original than glossy and white varnish.
Do not confuse white varnish with white enamel.
Varnish, unlike enamel, does not hide the texture of the wood, so such a balcony or loggia looks quite noble.
In addition, you can use gray or wenge varnish.
The lining in the form of a beam, located horizontally, looks quite interesting.
The conclusion is this : if you are going to use wooden lining, then you should treat it with more modern means or use a more original lining.
Advantages of MDF panels
Previously, the “destiny” of these dense fibreboards were office interiors, corridors and glazed balconies. Now they are being used much more widely and are respected by designers.
Photo: Instagram ais_design_studio_
One of their main advantages of the panels is the price. They are cheaper than other natural finishing materials. In addition, they can imitate any texture: wood, plastic, decorative plaster, tile or brick. MDF panels have plasticity, so they can be given any shape, achieving curved lines if the design task requires it.
The second most important advantage is environmental friendliness. The panels can be used in the interior of a children's room, since their production uses natural materials - fine shavings and wood resins. True, it is desirable that the young inhabitants of the house have already reached the age when walls seem like a tempting field for creativity and experimentation. Unfortunately, a scratched and damaged surface cannot be restored.
Photo: Instagram kuhnibelarusibelgorod
With the correct selection of thickness and dimensions, the panels can withstand quite heavy loads; decorative elements and furniture can be attached to them.
Photo: Instagram woodfloors_siberia
MDF panels have good heat and sound insulation properties.
Contrary to popular belief, modern MDF panels are not afraid of moisture. Thanks to repeated impregnation with water-repellent ingredients, they are resistant to fungus and do not require additional treatment. In addition, they tolerate temperature changes well.
Photo: Instagram tdwall_com_ua
MDF panels are easy to install and fit together. You can hide communications under them and use them to disguise not very attractive sections of the wall.
Photo: Instagram shopitaliarimini
Durability of use: a carefully processed panel with a high-quality coating does not lose its shape, color and other characteristics for many years. Another plus: light wet cleaning is not contraindicated for MDFs, although it should be done using soft fabrics and without the use of abrasive cleaning agents.
A nuance that owners of small apartments will like: it is not necessary to make a sheathing that eats up free space for these panels. But in order to do without a wooden or metal frame and simply place the slabs on glue, you need smooth walls.
By the way, it is for compact rooms that craftsmen advise choosing slatted panels (they are oblong slats), because they visually expand the room.
Photo: Instagram dveri_geona_vlg
MDF panels can also be used for zoning. They are not only solid, but also “openwork”, allowing light to pass through, so you don’t have to be afraid of overly darkening the room.
Covering a balcony or loggia with plastic panels
As mentioned above, the material for cladding balconies and loggias must be resistant to changes in temperature and humidity, as well as solar radiation. For this indicator, PVC panels are a completely suitable material. But in this case, too, not everything is clear and requires clarification.
The most common are plastic panels made in China.
Their advantage is a huge selection and affordable price. This is where the benefits end.
There are more disadvantages than advantages:
- A very thin coating on the front side of the panel, which can literally be damaged with a fingernail. You will have to handle it very carefully in the future, since in order to replace one damaged panel, you will have to dismantle the floor of the wall.
- When heated in the summer, such panels can emit unpleasant odors.
- Not everyone likes the glossy surface of such panels on a balcony or loggia.
There is another type of plastic panels. These are panels laminated with a film that imitates the structure of wood. For this reason, it is not glossy or smooth, but has small raised protrusions like natural wood. In addition, the laminating film can imitate a pattern similar to good wallpaper.
Such panels are not only more attractive in appearance, but also more durable, since they have a significantly greater thickness of the front covering and longitudinal stiffeners.
In addition, panels with laminating film do not fade in the sun and do not emit harmful odors.
It is not surprising that the price of such panels is about a third higher than that of Chinese panels and the choice is not so large in small towns.
Conclusion from the above : if you have already decided to cover a balcony or loggia with plastic panels, then you should choose only high-quality material, that is, laminated panels.
Plastic
Plastic panels are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This is a lightweight, practical and relatively durable material.
A decorative pattern is applied to the outside of the panels - fantasy or repeating natural materials. There are options “stone-like”, “wood-like”, “brick-like”.
To protect against sunlight and scratches, a layer of glossy or matte varnish is applied to the panels.
- Plastic carriages are narrow panels that are connected end to end. Inside, such panels are hollow and hold their shape due to stiffening ribs.
- Sectional wall panels. Similar to lining, but 2-3 times wider.
- Sheet panels. They look like relief plates with a thickness of 0.4 mm. They look impressive, but are not suitable for finishing a balcony - they are too soft.
PVC is the most popular and most inexpensive finishing option.
Expert opinion
Strebizh Viktor Fedorovich, leading construction foreman
According to the classics, it also has the name English, usually the finishing occurs on the lower part of the walls in relation to the doorways, with the design of the stairs, fireplace and other elements that are in the house. If you want to clarify something, please contact me!
Covering the balcony with plasterboard followed by putty
If your balcony or loggia is not heated, then the specified finishing option will not be the best option. The fact is that with large changes in humidity, the putty seams will darken and fall off. As a result, this finishing option will be labor-intensive and short-lived. So I wouldn't recommend using it if there are other options. The use of drywall for finishing can be justified only if your balcony or loggia is like a continuation of the apartment and you need to decorate them in the same style.
Finishing the walls of a balcony or loggia with laminate
It is clear that we are accustomed to perceive laminate as a modern floor covering.
But recently, this material has been successfully used for cladding the walls of balconies and loggias.
This is explained by the properties of the laminate, which fully meet the requirements.
- Laminate has sufficient moisture resistance.
- It is environmentally friendly and does not emit foreign odors.
- A balcony or loggia covered with laminate looks very attractive and modern.
- There is a sufficient selection of laminate in imitation wood species.
- You can choose a laminate of the desired strength class.
- Laminate flooring is installed quite easily and quickly.
Of course, the price of laminate is slightly higher than that of plastic panels, but such costs are completely justified. The resulting result makes a very good impression.
It should be noted that all of the above applies to truly high-quality laminate. For example, produced in Germany or using German technologies in Russia.
It is up to you to decide whether to use Chinese laminate for these purposes. Of course, you can use it, but without a guarantee of quality. It is known that the locks of such laminate are worse and the environmental friendliness of the material is not guaranteed. But it's still better than cheap plastic.
You can read in great detail about how to choose the right laminate in the article “How to lay laminate correctly.”
Decorating the balcony with decorative stone
Another material for finishing balconies and loggias is decorative stone.
This work looks very good and stylish. But on one condition: you can afford it. The fact is that finishing with decorative stone also has certain disadvantages that make it not so widespread and affordable.
Firstly, wall preparation is required. This is leveling the walls with either plaster or plasterboard, which complicates and takes time to repair.
Secondly, decorative stone is more difficult to work with and requires some skill if you plan to do this work yourself.
Thirdly, the cost of decorative stone is quite high compared to other finishing materials.
However, a combined finishing option is possible, when one of the walls of the balcony or loggia is sheathed with decorative stone, and the rest with plastic panels or laminate.
Ceiling finishing
However, finishing work on the balcony is not limited to wall decoration. In addition to the walls, there is also a ceiling?
Most often, the ceiling is finished using the same materials as the walls, and insulated in the same way.
However, when finishing the ceiling you need to take into account some nuances:
- The space between the ceiling slab and the ceiling sheathing should be large enough to accommodate lighting fixtures.
- If the height of the balcony is small, then for finishing the ceiling it is better to use a material several tones lighter than the finishing of the walls. This technique visually increases the height of the balcony, and you will feel more comfortable in this room.
As you can see, there are several finishing options, and here we have mentioned the most common ones. So before you decorate the inside of the balcony with your own hands, spend some time studying the whole variety of materials - and you will definitely find what you need.
Main conclusions
We talked to you about the best way to cover the inside of a loggia or balcony, as well as what materials should be given preference.
In the list of materials for sheathing, I did not mention laminated MDF panels. The material is affordable and of good quality, but does not like high humidity. This can cause it to swell and bulge. But this is the case when the panels actually become damp for some reason. Well, for example, when the window frames are not installed very well and when it rains, water gets inside.
If this is unlikely to happen, then it is quite possible to use such material.
I wish you the right choice and excellent results!
Best regards, Alexander Tkachenko.
Plaster
This is a timeless classic. But plaster is different:
- Regular - you will get regular smooth walls.
- Decorative. Structural creates a spectacular relief. Natural quartz, marble, granite are added to the mineral one. This plaster imitates a stone surface. Venetian gives the same effect, but without mineral additives.
Water-based plaster provides a durable, reliable coating - it is what is usually used for wall finishing. But if you want something more durable, look into non-water based mixtures. They are more durable, resistant to aggressive chemicals and adhere well to the surface.
Such mixtures include polyurethane or epoxy resin.
Epoxy based plaster is used only in enclosed spaces.
Expert opinion
Strebizh Viktor Fedorovich, leading construction foreman
The tongue-and-groove technology allows experienced people to carry out installation quickly, but in the absence of experience, it may take a lot of time to install a stacked structure. If you want to clarify something, please contact me!
