Many people believe that corrugated sheet metal is a purely industrial material, which is optimal for cladding hangars, workshops, etc. But its scope of application is much wider. Corrugated sheeting is one of the most popular materials for covering balconies. It looks no worse than metal siding.
Let's tell you more about covering loggias and balconies with corrugated sheets. Let's answer the questions:
- why corrugated sheeting is often used to decorate balconies;
- what profile, steel thickness and color to choose;
- how to cover a balcony with corrugated sheets with your own hands.
Why corrugated sheets?
Let's figure out why corrugated sheets are often chosen for cladding balconies.
Its advantages:
- Variety of colors and textures. We offer corrugated sheets in RAL, RR shades, in our own palette of colors - metallics (Purman®), shades of stone, wood or brick (Ecosteel®), copper (Agneta®), ceramic (Cloudy®), in original rich colors with the effect of morning frost (Valori®). We offer matte, glossy and textured finishes.
- Fade resistant. Metal Profile polymer coatings retain their original rich color for a long time. Their pigments are UV resistant.
- Corrosion resistance. Corrugated sheeting does not rust, because the steel is covered with several protective layers (see picture).
- Ease of installation. You don’t have to hire specialists to tidy up your balcony; you can do it yourself and save money. By the way, corrugated sheeting can be mounted horizontally and vertically - as you like.
- Affordable price. Sheathing a balcony with corrugated sheets is an economical and practical solution. It is, as a rule, cheaper than metal siding (if we are talking about corrugated sheeting up to 21 mm high, higher profiles cost about the same as siding).
- Durability. We provide a guarantee of up to 40 years* for profiled sheets produced by Metal Profile.
- Frost resistance. Corrugated sheeting does not react to sudden temperature changes and does not deform.
- Economical. During operation, corrugated sheeting does not need to be painted or treated with protective compounds.
- Unpretentiousness. Cladding made of corrugated sheets does not require special care; you just need to clean it from settling dust.
- Fire resistance. You don’t have to worry about safety - corrugated sheeting does not burn (unlike wood, for example).
- Production according to individual sizes. In order not to waste time cutting the profiled sheet, immediately order the required size. We produce corrugated sheets with lengths from 0.5 to 12 m.
Rules for fastening siding
Covering a balcony with siding with your own hands will be done successfully if you follow the basic rules for fastening the panels:
Pay special attention to the installation of the first panel; if it is skewed, the defect will be repeated in all rows.
To compensate for the coefficient of thermal expansion of the siding, only the center of the profile should be firmly fixed; for this, a self-tapping screw with a head diameter of at least 8 mm is screwed in with a screwdriver, and then loosened half a turn with a screwdriver to create a gap of approximately 1 mm.
Attaching siding to wood sheathing
We cut the siding to such a size that there are gaps of 3-5 mm in each direction in the joining profile and corner connector.
If the mounting hole does not coincide with the frame beam, you cannot screw the screws directly through the profile. Use a hammer drill to widen the hole and then attach the siding.
When installing, do not press on the panel; direct the force from bottom to top until the locks are completely connected to the lower parts. Excessive upward pull puts too much tension on the locks, which prevents thermal expansion of the panels.
External finishing of the balcony with siding, video
Thus, finishing the balcony with horizontal siding should start from the middle and move towards the edges. Vertical sheets are fixed at the top and then lowered down.
Correctly installed horizontal panels should move freely to the sides, and vertical panels should move down and up. At the end, we leave a reserve of the upper profile; it is trimmed to fit the ebb, after installing the frame, and closes the installation seam.
Balcony lined with siding, photo
Also on our website, see photo and video materials that describe in detail how to upholster a balcony with wooden paneling and plastic panels, and how to make repairs if you need to replace part of the cladding.
Non-standard balcony cladding with siding
What kind of corrugated sheet is used for cladding balconies?
The cladding of a balcony or loggia serves, by and large, a decorative function. Therefore, choose any profile you like.
If you want to make the cladding as expressive as possible, choose corrugated sheeting NS-35, MP-35, S-44. High relief corrugations look interesting.
If you like less industrial options, use fence and facade corrugated sheeting - from C-8 to C-21. It looks neat and elegant. This profiled sheet looks especially impressive when coated with wood, stone or brick.
A question of cost
At the moment, the cost of 1 m² of the thinnest 0.4 mm profiled sheet starts at about 150 rubles. A more or less durable product, that is, with a thickness of 0.7 mm, will already cost about 250 rubles.
Attaching the outer corner.
If you like a “smart” polymer coating, then be prepared for the price to increase by about a third. Here, a sheet with a thickness of 0.4 mm will cost no less than 200 rubles, and the price for a thick profiled sheet starts from 300 rubles per 1 m².
Corrugated sheeting is approximately in the same price niche as corrugated sheets. As for metal tiles, they can be 20% or 120% more expensive than corrugated sheets. In this case, everything depends on the ambitions and appetites of the producers.
As for hiring a team, classically it has always been assumed that the labor of a hired worker costs the same as the material. But this principle is not always respected. The appetites of the craftsmen mainly depend on the region.
The difference between a self-tapping screw for wood and for metal.
More precisely, at first they may agree with you and tell you the approximate cost of the material. But then it turns out that you will need to pay extra for cleaning and preparing the balcony, garbage removal and other things that you did not think about, but the deposit has already been received, and you will still have to pay for the work. So when you draw up a contract, take these nuances into account.
So in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the cost of 1 m² of cladding based on galvanized profiles reaches 1,200 rubles. And in the vastness of our great homeland, the average price fluctuates around 500 - 700 rubles per 1 m².
As an example, I have compiled a small table for you with average prices for one of the popular brands.
| Marking | Sheet thickness | Weight of 1 linear meter of sheet | Cost of 1m/p including VAT |
| S10-1100 | 0.4 mm | 4.4 kg | 220 RUR |
| 0.5 mm | 5.4 kg | 248 RUR | |
| 0.7 mm | 7.4 kg | RUR 343 |
Original design of a balcony covered with corrugated sheets.
Which color should I choose?
If you have a private house, you can do contrasting cladding or finishing to match the facade. Both options look attractive.
Cities often have restrictions on the design of facades; you should adhere to them. We offer a wide range of coatings and colors; you are sure to choose an option for decorating your balcony in accordance with the overall style of the house.
The finish looks good, as in the photo below. Corrugated corrugated sheeting in RAL 1014 Ivory color is used here. It practically repeats the shade of brick.
The light color makes the facade visually “light” - the tall house in the photo does not look bulky.
What is the material
Since we are talking about how to sheathe a balcony with corrugated sheets from the outside with your own hands, it would not hurt to clearly define what we call corrugated sheets. Don’t rush to throw stones at me; from experience I can say for sure that most people call any wavy surface a corrugated sheet.
However, all such material is divided into 3 main areas. This is actually the corrugated sheet itself, corrugated sheeting and some types of metal tiles. What all these materials have in common is that they all have a wavy or, as professionals say, corrugated surface.
Metal tiles on the balcony canopy.
Any of these materials, in addition to zinc plating, can now be covered with a polymer film made of polyester or plastisol. This is, of course, beautiful, reliable and durable, but the price of such a sheet will be much higher.
The structure of a modern profiled sheet.
How to cover a balcony with corrugated sheeting?
As a rule, the existing rough base of the balcony is sheathed with corrugated sheets (usually it is concrete, brick or metal). Depending on the type of base, the technology may vary, but, in general, the installation looks something like this: everything unnecessary is removed from the load-bearing base (old paint, dirt, etc.) and lined with corrugated sheeting.
To make the joint of the cladding at the corners of the balcony aesthetically pleasing, use external corner strips. To cover the joint of profiled sheets on a plane, joint strips are used.
Done - the balcony is tiled.
Installation stages
The process of external cladding of a balcony room is carried out in several successive stages, the features of which must be familiarized in advance.
Before tiling the balcony must be plastered
Preparatory work
Before you start finishing, you need to prepare all the tools and materials in advance. To complete the work you will need the following:
- finishing material that will be used for cladding;
- wooden blocks or metal profile to create sheathing;
- polyurethane foam for insulating cracks;
- screws and other fasteners.
When all materials and tools are prepared, you need to carefully inspect the balcony and assess its condition. Then, if necessary, you need to carefully clean its concrete surface to get rid of accumulated debris and dust. If there are cracks on the surface, they will have to be plastered.
You also need to draw up an estimate and calculate all the cash costs for the work.
Installation of sheathing
To ensure that the profiled sheet holds securely, it is mounted on a special sheathing. However, before you do it, you need to figure out what material to use for this. The structure can be made of a metal profile or wooden beam. The most reliable is a metal profile, as it copes well with high humidity and temperature changes.
Making the sheathing yourself is quite simple. To do this, you need to install the metal profile at a distance of about 40-50 centimeters from each other. The structure is attached using self-tapping screws. In this case, fastenings must be made in the upper, lower and central parts of the metal profile. In this way, it will be possible to create a reliable and strong sheathing that can cope with any load.
Metal profile is an ideal material for creating sheathing
Fastening the corrugated sheet
After the installation of the sheathing is completely completed, you can begin cladding the balcony room. It is necessary to begin the installation of profiled sheets from one of the corners.
Most often, work starts from the bottom left. The material is attached to the sheathing using self-tapping screws with special rubberized gaskets. If the sheet protrudes slightly beyond the corner, it can be carefully wrapped and secured with two self-tapping screws.
At the junctions of the profiled sheet and the wall, it is necessary to install wooden planks. To prevent them from rotting due to high humidity, they must be immediately painted or treated with special water-repellent compounds.
Result
Bottom line
We told you why corrugated sheets are often chosen for finishing balconies. This material is fire-resistant, durable, resistant to deformation, fading and corrosion, durable, unpretentious. There are coatings of different colors and textures to choose from. A balcony or loggia, decorated with professional sheets with your own hands, looks well-groomed and neat.
We also told you how to choose the thickness, color of the material and how to cover the balcony with corrugated sheeting. It's not as difficult as it seems at first glance.
Follow our step-by-step instructions and everything will work out.
* Detailed information about warranty periods for products can be obtained on the website metallprofil.ru in the “Documents” section.
** Presented at Metal Profile sales offices in the cities of Abakan, Barnaul, Belovo, Biysk, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, Mayma, Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tomsk, Ulan-Ude, Shelekhov and in the village of Keramkombinat.
The categories mentioned in the article are:
Profiled sheets
Profiled sheets
Preparatory work
Finishing balconies with metal profiles involves carrying out preparatory work. It is important to take into account that the outer side of the loggia is in most cases lined with asbestos slabs. Over time, such a surface becomes very fragile and loose, so the removal of these slabs must be carried out extremely carefully.
During the work, you need to make sure that there are no people passing by below; here you cannot do without an assistant who will monitor the situation below. In most cases, asbestos slabs are secured using four hooks. If the house is not new, then the metal of the hooks may be corroded, which will lead to large pieces of the coating being torn off.
It is recommended to cut the hooks with a grinder equipped with a metal disc. First you need to cut off the two top hooks that are closest to the railing. It is best to hold the slab securely, as the asbestos trim may not be supported by the lower hooks and may collapse.
After cutting off the top fasteners, the casing is carefully lifted and pulled onto the balcony. Here the old decoration can be broken into pieces and then removed from the apartment. Next, you will need to cut off the lower hooks and begin dismantling the next slab.
Manufacturing of sheathing
The sheathing is attached to the metal part of the balcony structure; for this, a number of holes are drilled into it. Two holes are made in each rod and rack with a step of 1 m. The diameter of each individual hole should not be more than 4 mm, otherwise the structure may weaken. The sheathing beams are secured not with screws, but with self-tapping screws.
It is quite difficult to work with fasteners in weight, therefore, before screwing them into the holes, it is recommended to insert a thread. Then you can screw the fasteners into it.
The lathing, on which the sheathing will subsequently be attached, can be constructed from wooden beams measuring 20x45 mm; if the logs are more massive, they will significantly increase the weight of the structure, which is unacceptable.
Before the sheathing is installed, holes will need to be made in it for the screws. Their depth should be 10 mm. After securing the beams, two wooden belts will appear around the perimeter of the balcony, and the metal profile will subsequently be attached to them. It is recommended to treat the beams with a special impregnation or paint them to avoid rotting and the formation of mold.
