Sealing and thermal insulation of balconies
Covering the entire inner surface of the balcony with thermal insulation materials is an important condition that ensures not only comfort, but also the safety of the cladding. After cleaning the surfaces of the old finish and installing double-glazed windows, you need to inspect the walls on the balcony, checking the seams and joints.
If possible, the old fill is removed and the holes are filled with professional foam; after hardening, the excess is removed and a primer is applied. Narrow cracks are closed with putty.
At the second stage, lathing and upholstery with shields or cotton wool insulators are done. The cheapest option is polystyrene foam, which is highly flammable, so it is worth considering other, safer materials (for example, penoplex), which will also provide sound insulation.
Depending on the configuration and quality of the building, the insulating layer is placed only on the parapet and side walls protruding from the facade.
On smooth walls, lathing is not necessary; the panels can be secured with glue and self-tapping screws.
Solid thick walls and partitions adjacent to the room may not require additional protection.
Why do you need insulation?
Glazing and finishing of the room with insulation is aimed at:
- reducing heat loss inside the apartment;
- maintaining a constant temperature;
- interior improvement.
Often, insulating a balcony from the inside is used to transform its appearance.
It is difficult to decorate the walls with wallpaper or other materials, so an additional layer of polystyrene foam, plasterboard or polystyrene foam is created.
Drywall - a universal choice
Plasterboard cladding is the easiest and most economical method, which involves further painting or wallpapering. To decorate the walls on the balcony, it is better to choose a moisture-resistant variety of this material - the surface of such panels is impregnated, protecting against fungi and mold.
Easy installation and the ability to cut out shaped elements will make it easier to create bright spots and align corners. Water-based paint will adhere perfectly to the flat surface of drywall.
Snow-white or light diluted tones of gray, beige, blue, light green on the walls of small (narrow or square) balconies expand the space and give some freedom in choosing furniture.
Loggia as a continuation of the apartment
If the size of the balcony allows, you can make it a separate room or remove the partition and combine the space with the adjacent territory.
Kitchens with a combined loggia
Ideas for combining a kitchen and loggia for small apartments - here you will find ideas for creating a bright, functional, comfortable and modern interior design in small spaces.
You can choose dark and light, rich and muted colors. It all depends on your preferences and design style. The main condition is a harmonious combination of colors.
Cozy bedrooms with a combined loggia
The combination of a bedroom with a loggia requires calm, peaceful, light and neutral colors. Soft whites and light grays, pale greens and blues are ideal. Warm yellow, orange, peach, pink and red colors can be used as bright accents.
Wardrobe
To save space in your apartment, you can turn your balcony into a dressing room instead of installing a large closet.
Remember that if you constantly expose your clothes to the sun, they will fade over time. Therefore, the shelves and lintels on which your clothes will be placed must be covered with a door or screen.
Cabinet
For those who work on a computer at home, the loggia can be turned into an office. You don't need a lot of space to place a table and other equipment. In addition, thanks to the large number of windows, it is always bright here.
You can order a ready-made table or install a custom-made tabletop with the required dimensions.
If the balcony is connected to a room, you can set up a work area in a recess on the side.
Living rooms with a combined loggia
Living rooms in light colors combined with a balcony look more spacious and elegant. Natural decor and finishing, portable bio-fireplaces, small fountains, cozy lamps and pots with flowering and green plants create a wonderful space for entertaining guests.
Compact furniture, ergonomic layout and creative division of rooms combined with bright lighting are great ideas for modern room design with a built-in loggia and for decorating small apartments and houses.
Plastic and vinyl for balconies
When purchasing plastic cladding panels or siding for cladding a balcony, you must take into account the frost resistance parameter; most are deformed at temperatures below +5°C.
With a wide choice of colors, plastic fades in the sun, you need to choose special PVC series for external walls. If the balcony is not on the sunny side, this economical option will be a good insurance against dampness.
Fashionable vinyl siding with a wide range of colors and textures imitating wood ensures quick assembly and durability.
The aesthetic minus is the external resemblance to the facade decoration of garages and kiosks, which can be removed with an original design solution.
Wooden clapboards
The elegance and comfort that wood cladding with a textured pattern provides cannot be overestimated. A classic and expensive option can be realized using ready-made decorative linings of class “A” or “Extra”, made of noble wood.
Do-it-yourselfers with carpentry experience can achieve the same results at a lower cost.
A selection of photos with such wall cladding on a balcony presents options for accent and fragmentary covering, as well as original ideas for a solid wooden balcony with transitions from walls to cabinets, cabinets and benches with soft seats.
This camouflage of furniture creates an original effect of an expanded and “blurred” space.
Ceramic tile
Durability, resistance to external influences, ease of keeping clean and a wide choice of colors, sizes and laying methods allow us to consider ceramic tiles as a convenient material for the design of walls and floors on the balcony. Mosaic bright and multi-colored compositions look especially impressive, which can be combined with a monochrome floor covering made of the same material.
Floor work
Before you start laying the flooring, it is necessary to make thermal and waterproofing. Penofol is ideal for this - just cut it to fit the area of the balcony and lay it with the foil down.
- Logs are placed on it, in half-meter increments, and thick plywood or chipboard is stuffed onto them.
- After this, you can lay any floor covering that suits the interior.
A warm floor would be useful, but it is better to entrust its installation to specialists.
MDF - neat and stylish
The development of technology has significantly improved the quality of fiberboards, which successfully imitate the texture of wood, stone, brick and textured plaster.
A variety of impregnations provide durability, moisture resistance and resistance to temperature changes.
The panels are attached to the sheathing; there is the option of using tongue-and-groove boards along the edges of which decorative slats are installed; there are slabs for butt installation.
Selection of materials
First, you need to determine exactly what the final result should be, and how it will all fit in with the interior of the entire apartment. Based on your final goals, it’s worth sketching out at least a simple sketch by hand, which will help you more accurately decide on the design.
Quite often, a good example can be any finished interior of a balcony, a photo of which is posted on the Internet.
Balcony finishing with clapboard
This is the most popular material for interior decoration of balconies. It consists of high-quality processed wooden slats or planks.
In this case, elements in the form of planks are made for ease of installation with a ledge or tongue-and-groove connection, while the slats are simply laid end-to-end.
- Varieties of this finishing material include plastic products that resemble PVC panels.
- In size, profile and lock, they are very similar to classic wooden lining, but have a variety of colors, and are often produced with a “wood-like” texture.
There is also “eurolining”. These are boards of a certain size, with a tongue-and-groove lock and two grooves on the back side, designed to remove moisture or condensation. The profile can be rectangular or with rounded chamfers.
Balcony finishing with MDF panels
The second most popular material for decorating a balcony. The option is not the worst, and the products are inexpensive and easy to install.
Medium-density fiberboard (can also be translated as finely dispersed fraction) is resistant to temperature changes, durable, but may contain highly toxic components.
Therefore, the use of such panels is strictly regulated, which can create some problems.
Finishing the balcony with siding
Not bad for interior decoration. The material is quite strong, practical, durable and resistant to temperature changes. The only drawback can be considered susceptibility to direct sunlight - under their influence it can fade, so for the interior decoration of the balcony, it is advisable to choose white products.
Decorating the balcony with decorative stone
It has different colors and textures, is lightweight, and is made on the basis of cement with the addition of various mixtures. Their composition is close to natural material.
There are no problems in working with decorative stone, since it is laid in exactly the same way as ordinary tiles.
Concrete and paint
This option saves not only finances, but also precious square centimeters of small balconies. This type of finishing can be done with your own hands, if you are willing to work patiently and step by step.
After cleaning the walls, the painstaking work of leveling and filling defects begins. In some cases, it is impossible to do without a layer of plaster on the reinforcing mesh, which eliminates distortions.
Before painting the walls, you need to protect yourself from high humidity by applying a layer of sealant to the entire surface of the concrete.
At the last stage, acrylic or oil paint is applied using rollers and brushes. You can use a pneumatic sprayer.
The only disadvantage of this finish is the absence of an additional thermal insulation layer, which is neutralized by the thoughtful arrangement of heating devices.
Design techniques for organizing space
When creating a complete and functional environment on a few square meters, you will have to combine different techniques. For example, the use of light colors and the presence of mirror, glass and glossy surfaces will help to visually expand the space. To free up the floor as much as possible, you will have to take care of installing compact (preferably folding or transformable) furniture, attaching shelving and consoles to the walls.
Compact and comfortable furniture
It is also necessary to take into account that each application has its own techniques:
1If this is going to be a dining room or a place for drinking tea, you definitely need to find a place for a table. The width of some loggias allows the installation of compact models. If this is not possible, expand the window sill with a console, install a bar counter or a folding table, complementing the interior with high chairs.
Finding a place for the table
2When creating a design for a reading corner, you can select one wall for a full-fledged bookcase. Choose a soft chair or a compact sofa with large pillows, and also take care of several sources of additional lighting.
3When you plan to organize a study or workshop on a closed balcony, a small console can become a working surface. Arrange several hanging shelves or niches, and place a comfortable adjustable chair.
Setting up a cozy corner
4Even the smallest balcony can be turned into a corner for sports activities if you install a wall bars and a treadmill or orbitrack there.
Features of choice
The desired color scheme can be obtained using any materials and finishing methods, but the answer to the question of how to decorate the walls on the balcony largely depends on the inclusion of this area in the living space.
A balcony fenced off from the room by a low barrier wall can merge with it, but it is necessary to ensure uniformity by making simultaneous cosmetic repairs.
Zoning while maintaining the general style may also be an acceptable solution. When designing balconies with doors or walls that block the view, you can enjoy greater freedom.
A secluded corner, even with a small area, can be designed autonomously, especially in cases where it has a separate function as a bedroom, office, place for coffee, etc.
Fashion trends
Eclecticism wins the battle with the principle of consistent style, so the balcony can be a good arena for experimentation.
Large double-glazed windows providing maximum transparency and stylish bins with a small window: any configuration is acceptable.
In the first case, access to daylight, originally included in the layout, increases; in the second, spatial gain will be obtained for the placement of furniture.
An enclosed balcony intended for relaxation, which is usually equipped with non-bulky upholstered furniture and a table, can carry any style – from strict minimalism to a corner decorated in an exotic ethnic style. It can also become a separate eco-style greenhouse.
Built-in wardrobes are well installed in niches and mezzanines, the ends of which become a fragmented part of the fragmentary cladding of the balcony.
Eclecticism allows you to use up to 3 types of finishes on its small footage, which allows you to differentiate the level of insulation of the parapet under the window, external walls and internal partition.
Photo of the walls on the balcony
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