Insulation of the balcony and loggia for the winter. How to insulate a balcony with your own hands: from a refrigerator to a warm island Insulating a balcony in winter with your own hands
The main difference between a loggia and a balcony is that it is a continuation of the area of the apartment. Therefore, it is not surprising that some homeowners want to equip this additional space. The loggia can become a relaxation area, a personal office or even a green corner. It is perfect for insulation, because it consists of two walls fixed with a ceiling. For those who decide to insulate the loggia - this is certainly a plus. But how to insulate the loggia with your own hands so that it is cozy and warm there in winter? Step-by-step instructions with photos and videos will help you with this.
Choosing a heater: popular materials
Among the variety of thermal insulation materials, there are several of the most common. Which one is better? It's hard to answer right away. To give an accurate answer, you will need to analyze the characteristics of each material.
Mineral wool- the most common thermal insulation material. It consists of glass and slag. Its thickness can reach 0.2 m. Main positive characteristics:
- hygroscopicity;
- moisture resistance;
- noise resistance;
- resistance to fire;
- resistance to chemical agents.
Mineral wool is produced in the form of rolls and plates. Often one of its sides is foil. This is done in order to improve the performance of thermal insulation.
Advice. When working with mineral wool, use personal protective equipment (goggles, gloves and a respirator).
Styrofoam- gas-filled material formed from derivatives of polystyrene and styrene copolymers. Another name for it is hard foam. In polystyrene foam, the air is sealed inside the bubbles. The positive characteristics of the material include:
- good thermal insulation;
- resistance to water, soda and detergents.
But the sun's rays, as well as precipitation, negatively affect the material. With a long reaction, its thermal insulation properties deteriorate. Nevertheless, expanded polystyrene has good sound insulation and is not affected by bacteria and other microorganisms.
Extruded polystyrene foam. He's penoplex. It is produced in the form of plates. Not much different from polystyrene foam. The main difference is in the improved thermal insulation characteristics. Also, the material is more durable than polystyrene foam. The thickness of the material plates is about 20 mm. Therefore, when interior decoration, a significant reduction in the area of \u200b\u200bthe room does not occur.
Do-it-yourself loggia insulation: step by step instructions
Warming of the loggia begins with its glazing. It is unlikely that it will be possible to do this on your own, so it is better to contact a specialized company for the installation of plastic windows.
Advice. Choose products from trusted manufacturers, do not save on fittings.
After the loggia is glazed, you can begin to warm it. The most popular materials are mineral wool and polystyrene foam. But if we take into account the material in terms of ease of use, then, of course, expanded polystyrene occupies a leading position.
The preparatory stage is preceded by installation work. It includes:
- Preparation of material and tools.
- Covering window frames and glass with foil to avoid scratching them.
- Protective cover of window mechanisms so that building dust does not get into them.
When all conditions are met, proceed to the insulation of the loggia.
- Start from the ceiling. It is necessary to cut off the building foam and remove the remaining mortar.
- Clean the surface of dirt and peeling layers of paint.
- Treat the surface of the walls and ceiling with a deep penetration primer.
- If the wall of the loggia is made of concrete, then use a puncher to drill holes at a slope towards the street. This is done to create ventilation under the surface of the Styrofoam.
Attention! If the walls are brick, then you do not need to drill such holes.
- Make holes and strobes for the cable. A socket and a lighting device are mounted on the balcony. Thus, you can connect a heating device or underfloor heating.
- The electrical cable must be laid inside PVC pipes, which are used for installation in wooden structures.
- As a heat-insulating material, it is best to use expanded polystyrene.
Advice. Purchase material exclusively of facade grades with a density of more than 15 kg per cubic meter.
- Using a level, measure the base in order to reveal errors from an ideal surface.
- Attach a sheet of insulation and make marks with a pen that interfere with the installation of the plate (pipe entry points). Cut out the marks with a cutter.
- Knead the adhesive solution. Follow the instructions on the package. After that, let the solution stand for about 5 minutes and knead it again. It should be of the right consistency - moderately liquid and thick.
- The solution is applied by means of a trowel to the insulation. After that, the expanded polystyrene sheet is tried on and pressed against the ceiling surface.
- Next, drill holes, insert studs into the ceiling, but do not hammer them all the way.
- Attach the rest of the sheets to the ceiling and measure the surface with a spirit level.
Advice. To adjust the level between the sheets, graters are used, they erase the difference in differences. And the gaps between the insulation plates are sealed with polyurethane foam.
- After insulating the ceiling, start working on the walls. Warming should begin with the coolest wall.
- Expanded polystyrene sheets are glued with a special adhesive. It is applied with a mounting gun.
Attention! If you apply too much glue on the sheet, then after drying it will be almost impossible to remove it.
- Before gluing the sheet, the foam is applied not only to it, but also to the wall. It is important that the glue does not get into the drilled holes.
- Glue the insulation in a checkerboard pattern. This is done in order to prevent the appearance of vertical seams.
- Drill and hammer the remaining umbrellas on the ceiling. Use at the rate of 5 or 7 pieces per square meter.
- In the corners of windows and doors, the plates are installed with an L-shaped cutout. The edges can be finished with a grater if necessary.
- Those slopes that already exist, glue with strips of the appropriate size. The control of the right angle is carried out by means of a square.
- Tape all received seams.
- Glue profiles with reinforcing mesh to the corners of the slopes.
- Then you can start reinforcing the rest of the surface. Mesh connections must be made with an overlap of at least 0.1 m.
- After reinforcing the walls, when the top layer hardens, apply a leveling layer. Repeat again.
- Then you can proceed to puttying and painting the walls. And if the loggia is heated, then you can paste over the walls with wallpaper.
- The final stage is floor insulation. To do this, use a screed of cement and sand.
- The screed is laid on sheets of insulation, on top of which a metal mesh is laid. The screed solution must be mixed well and leveled on the floor.
- Raise the net a couple of centimeters. The floor should be very even. After it dries, it will be ready for use with any floor covering.
- The main work has been completed. It remains to paint or paste over the walls, mount sockets and lighting fixtures, remove the protective film from the glass and frames and clean up.
Insulating a loggia with your own hands is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. The main thing is to choose the right heat-insulating material and carry out work on insulation in stages. What insulation is better to choose for a loggia? There are plenty of options. It all depends on financial capabilities, the area of \u200b\u200bthe room and its purpose. The end result matters. The loggia should be not only warm, but also cozy.
Insulation of the loggia with polystyrene foam with trim: video
Loggia insulation: photo
The presence of a loggia gives the owner of a city apartment a lot of significant advantages. And the most important of them is the opportunity to expand your possessions with additional square meters. True, for this it will be necessary to work - but in any case, a considerable gain is achieved, especially considering how much one "square" of usable area costs in our time.
Let's take a closer look at such issues as: warming the loggia after the end of winter, because it is in the warm period of time that it is more expedient to carry out all the work. The most important task will be the minimum heat transfer of the loggia, this will be an indicator of quality. We will consider all stages, from glazing to laying mineral wool in the warping of our structure.
Warming is a complex task! Through our insulation, we can make an additional room out of the loggia, save the apartment from the cold.
Loggia insulation methods
The loggia is insulated for various reasons. Many people want to increase the area of \u200b\u200btheir housing, while making a separate room out of the loggia, and some simply want to insulate their housing for a harsh winter. Since in many houses, most often in Khrushchevs, it is cool in the apartments in the winter, because it is through the cold wind that passes.
For many exterior decorating jobs, summer is the best time. It's no secret that there is never a lot of living space in an apartment. It is this fact that makes many apartment owners expand their apartment property with the help of balcony open spaces. Some achieve this effect by removing the partition under the window that separates the balcony from the kitchen, and forget about the legal registration of the alteration. There are also residents who simply make a separate room out of the loggia, in which batteries are installed illegally. In this article, it will be described below how it is legal to make a warm and cozy room out of an ordinary balcony.
It is customary for people to understand the word "balcony" as two spaces.
- The first meaning of this word, in fact, is the balcony itself, that is, it is a platform that has a fence and protrudes from the plane of the wall of a residential building.
- The second meaning is the name "loggia" - this is a built-in room that is open to the outer space, and limited on several sides by walls. In this article, one more accustomed word "balcony" will be used, but sometimes it will be understood as the concept of "loggia".
Where should warming begin?
Where should you start? Since the work plan takes a lot of time, in order for the prepared materials not to freeze or get wet, the best option would be to glaze.
There are many factors that affect how much heat is retained in a dwelling. This is:
- the material from which the house is built;
- the side that the windows face;
- Direction of the wind.
Sometimes the only chance to save an apartment from the cold winter cold is to insulate the loggia. The process of warming this room can be carried out at any time of the year, but professionals insist that this happens in dry weather at positive temperatures.
The first step is glazing.
Before choosing, you first need to decide on what they will be installed on. In the event that the base of the loggia is a solid reinforced concrete structure, then there should be no additional work. If the basis of the parapet will be made of metal rods, then in this case it is impossible to avoid laying a new parapet. This process is the usual laying of lightweight ceramic bricks, or of a foam block, the width of which is approximately 10 centimeters. The positive side of the brick is that it has high strength and beautiful appearance.
True, recently the metal work of blacksmiths is less and less common, so it is better to use foam blocks. The advantage of this masonry is less weight, and it also has a lower thermal conductivity. The downside of the foam block is only the fact that they are quite susceptible to moisture, so in this case, the exterior finish is required. It can easily serve as corrugated galvanized iron or, for example, modern plastic siding.
Masonry work may also be required if the wall, which is located next to the balcony, is made of asbestos-cement sheet, and also if the parapet made of concrete has poor fastening strength. In order to avoid any subsequent problems, before starting to build a parapet, you should consult with specialists who will produce glazing. In addition, many old loggias are not able to bear a heavy load, and that is why professional advice is indispensable.
When choosing the design of the window, as well as the material of the profile, I would like to briefly note that if the buyer wants to purchase practical and reliable windows with good heat saving, then he should opt for PVC profiles with double-glazed windows with conventional hinged sashes.
When insulating a loggia, in addition to windows and additional components, you should also order additional expansion profiles that are installed on top of the frame, as well as on its sides - these are the places where a layer of insulation will be added to the frame. Since the insulation and the entire structure, which is intended for finishing, occupy a sufficiently large width, it is precisely in connection with this that additional distance will be required, and if this fact is not taken into account, then part of the glazing will simply be in the closed state. Therefore, the dimensions of the expansion profiles will depend on the thickness of the insulation used, as well as the interior decoration of the room.
Pictured above: extension profiles
Even after the glazing process, there are often still numerous gaps between the parapet, the floor and the walls that connect the loggia with the outside space. In this case, polyurethane-based sealants and mastics from various manufacturers will be good helpers. To avoid such a moment at which the sealant did not slip to the level of the floor below during drying, it is necessary to seal the seams in advance with pieces of foam or foamed polyethylene and others. After the waterproofing process, the remaining cavity of the seam is filled with mounting foam.
Thermal insulation - the next stage of insulation
Thermal insulation of the loggia. After the completion of the work on sealing the seams, the process of warming begins. In general, there are many different ways of warming, but we will consider only two options:
- the first option provides for better thermal insulation, which occupies a fairly large space,
- and a less modest second option, which accordingly takes up a little less space.
So let's take a closer look at the first option. Before you begin to describe the process itself, first you need to figure out what exactly needs to be insulated. If the living area is located in cold latitudes, and the owner of the apartment wants to get good results from the insulation process, then in this case the thermal insulation material must be installed on the parapet, floor, as well as the ceiling and all walls, and even those walls that adjoin the main rooms .
Material for warming loggias
It is determined by the main characteristic - thermal conductivity, which shows how well one or another material can retain heat. Its unit of measurement is - W / (m * C). Thermal conductivity determines only the properties of materials, and in the end the result always depends on the thickness of the selected insulation. In the modern competitive market, the thermal conductivity coefficient of all materials is almost the same and fluctuates at the level of 0.03-0.04 W / (m * C). It follows from this that the lower the thermal conductivity and the greater the thickness of the material, the better options can be obtained as a result of room insulation.
Everyone knows that no matter how low the thermal conductivity of clothing is, it changes to the cold side when wet in the rain. The same result occurs with thermal insulation materials. So where does the water come from? To do this, consider an example when moist air from the kitchen penetrates through the heat-insulating material. When approaching a wall, the temperature begins to drop gradually, and as a result, the air can become so cold that the vapor it contains begins to condense. In physics, this process is called the "dew point", but in real life it causes water to flow. Given the fact that the temperature behind the wall does not stand still, but constantly changes, the final decoration of the balcony room begins to freeze or thaw, as a result of which a fungus can form on it, and, therefore, alteration and repair of the room is not excluded.
In construction, to combat this phenomenon, there are quite a few ways:
- For example, on the walls, you can apply thermal insulation material in a more massive layer, which will help to shift the dew point from the borders of the final finish.
- It is also possible to use materials that do not accumulate moisture, as well as high-quality waterproofing and vapor barrier.
In the modern building materials market, you can find a huge number of different heat insulators. There is such a material for insulation, which: perfectly saves heat, has low hydroscopicity and high strength - this is extruded polystyrene foam.
Other types are also common, but unlike the above, they are not so durable in their operation, and also have more modest thermal insulation properties, however, due to their low cost, this material is affordable for most people.
There is another insulating material for loggias on the sales market - this. But one should take into account the elasticity of this material and it will be necessary to lay it in the space between the wooden bars, since the use of various building plasters on some balconies due to their rather large weight is not always possible.
Expanded polystyrene can be cut with an ordinary hacksaw, or with a sharp knife, the individual sheets are laid in a checkerboard pattern. All formed joints between the wall and the heat-insulating material are closed with mounting foam.
Pictured above: Styrofoam.
In conventional cylinders, dosage is quite problematic, so it would be better to purchase a special gun, which is much more convenient to use, it allows you to use the right amount of material more economically. When choosing foam, you should not purchase models that contain toluene, as it tends to destroy extruded polystyrene foam. Often this component is contained in winter foams, as well as in universal ones, so you need to pay attention to summer models.
In the same way, heat-insulating material is laid along the entire ceiling and walls, while all the formed seams are sealed with the same foam.
After doing work with the heat-insulating material, the next layer of foil-foamed polyethylene is laid, the thickness of which should be from three to ten mm, this layer will serve as a vapor barrier, as well as additional insulation. This material is produced by many manufacturers and is sold in rolls, the width of which is 90-120 centimeters.
Attach this layer with a polyurethane adhesive, which must be compatible with the two thermal insulation materials. This material is laid "end-to-end", and sealed with a special adhesive tape. In order to prevent cold bridges from appearing in the corners, adjacent sheets should be joined on the walls, while retreating from the corners a small distance.
Do not forget that the vapor barrier of the insulation will depend on how well the work is done.
The next step in warming the loggia with your own hands
After the work with the insulation is ready, the finishing comes, which must be started again from the floor. Wood is considered one of the heat-saving material, which is why 2 or 3 fifty-millimeter pine bars can be installed on the insulation layer, on top of which a tongue-and-groove board with a thickness of 30-50 mm is nailed.
For wall decoration, the best option would be materials with high thermal insulation properties, therefore:
- lining made of wood will be a great helper;
- drywall, which has high moisture resistance, can also be suitable;
- or for example, high quality PVC panels.
In order to strengthen the finish, wooden blocks are used, which are fixed on a layer of thermal insulation.
With the help of screws and dowels, the crate is fixed on the walls, and the screws and dowels, in turn, are installed in a base made of concrete or brick. In the process of work, it is necessary to constantly monitor the horizontal or vertical bar with the help of a building level. If the owner plans to make a wide window sill, then again a skeleton made of wooden bars will come to the rescue.
Mounting of this type occupies some part of the area, but despite this, it also has positive aspects. A layer of air, which is located behind the finish coat, significantly reduces heat loss. In addition, an additional heat-insulating layer can also be laid here.
After installing the bars, then drywall or wooden lining is attached to them. At this stage, the wiring is connected. If the tenants want to have any electricity, then the wires must be placed under the finish coating. This issue must be resolved in advance, since in the process of laying wires, wooden bars can interfere with it.
The second insulation option
The second option for warming the loggia. The method that was described above allows you to get high results, but it also has its drawbacks.
- The first of which is the significant financial cost of purchasing a large amount of building materials.
- The second disadvantage is that with this type of insulation a large space is occupied. Given these comments, many people go for a simpler and more modest version of insulation.
But how is it carried out? Since it is impossible to do without glazing, sealing joints in the process of work and leveling the floor, these processes remain unchanged. But in this case, insulating materials on the market can be found at more reasonable prices, which can be mineral wool, various types of foam, as well as foamed polyethylene and many others.
Let's say that this time mineral wool was chosen as a heater, the thickness of which is 5-10 cm. It is quite exposed to moisture. That is why the first layer that needs to be placed on a concrete base is a waterproofing layer. You can use a hot hair dryer to stick roofing material on the walls, or you can use a waterproofing plastic film.
- On top of the waterproofing layer, a crate made of wooden bars is strengthened, on which the finishing will be strengthened in the future. For example, when using a lining made of wood, these will be horizontal bars that have the same thickness as the heat-insulating material.
- Further, the thermal insulation material is laid in the frame of wooden bars.
We must not forget such a moment that the applied low-density mineral wool, after a certain period of time, can shrink, because of this, the cut sheets should be slightly larger than the dimensions of the wooden frame.
- After everything is laid, a vapor barrier film is attached to the bars using a special stapler. Then the finish is nailed, made of lining or PVC panels.
Of course, this method of insulation will cost much less than the previous one, and will also occupy a smaller area. But this method has its drawbacks:
- The first of which is the fact that the bars and the material for thermal insulation will have different properties, so the obligatory appearance of cold bridges is inevitable.
- The second disadvantage is that mineral wool, in its properties, is an elastic material, which is why sealing the seams with foam will not be a very effective job.
In the case of such insulation, at a very low external temperature, it is possible that condensation forms, which means that all bars made of wood must be treated with an antiseptic that will prevent rotting or the formation of fungus. Drawing conclusions, it can be noted that the second method of warming will cause many problems in the future, and this method is not suitable for every owner. And it is he who will have to decide whether it is worth saving on such an important process as insulation. But on the other hand, old balconies cannot bear a heavy load, so this method of insulation is more suitable than the first.
Loggia heating
Since the thermal insulation layer only saves heat, and does not produce it, in order to maintain a certain temperature, it is necessary to install a heat source on the balcony room. Such a source can serve as a heater powered by electricity, as well as air conditioning, or underfloor heating.
In winter, even a well-insulated balcony will let the cold through. The double-glazed window installed by us is not a wall, but the insulation cannot be increased too much, because. it consumes the area of our balcony. In this case, we need special insulation of the balcony. At first glance, it seems that it is easiest to bring a central heating radiator to the balcony, unfortunately this method of heating causes many problems.
There are many options for heating balconies. The most common are:
- heating the balcony with an electric convector,
- oil heater.
It is forbidden to heat the balcony with gas or solid fuel stoves.
The best heating and heating method
The most interesting and effective way of heating, the site writes, is a warm floor. For an apartment, this is the best option, because. it is not advisable to carry out water heating equipment for heating a small balcony area. While electric floor heating is the best option for a balcony, it is not expensive, does not waste space, and evenly heats the balcony. The main condition is that the material that will be on top of the heater must be heat-conducting, for example, ceramic tiles on a cement screed. In the event that you put carpet, the percentage of heating drops. The negative factor of electric floor heating is that it cannot be moved to another room.
If you heat the balcony with electric converters or oil radiators, then this is also a good method. Their advantages include: they do not burn air, they have heat sensors, which allows you to maintain the temperature on the balcony, the disadvantages include high energy consumption.
What you need to demand from the organization for the insulation of loggias
When glazing a balcony, it is necessary to demand from the executor of the order that he use high-quality expansion profiles around the perimeter of the balcony, because. they are important when installing the insulation and finishing material of the balcony. Additionally, you need to make sure that there are no gaps and cracks throughout the entire frame. Sometimes even the usual blowing with mounting foam on the part of the company making the order. Together with the installation of a double-glazed window, you can also use a heat-saving film that adheres to the glass and does not allow the heat that has accumulated on our balcony to leave it, because. the sun warms the air a little in winter, so it is so important to keep the heat inside the balcony, then we will insulate the balcony from the inside with the help of a wooden-frame structure. It is superimposed on the walls, ceiling and floors of the balcony. also at the same time polyfoam, penofol and penoplex as heat insulators. We will fill all the voids of our wooden internal structure with foam plastic, we will fix the foam plastic there with the help of dowels and adhesive, after which all this is covered with foam, turning all the seams and joints of the foam foam into the room with glue using aluminum tape.
Further, this design is sewn up with plastic or wooden clapboard, but you must first seal it with mounting foam, the floor of the balcony is also covered, but the difference is that the floor will not be covered with clapboard, but with thick plywood. this material is able to withstand the load. Further, you can lay insulated linoleum or tiles on top of this plywood. In most cases, drywall is used instead of lining for balcony cladding, but this is not the best solution due to the fact that it requires processing, it needs to be putty, primed, corners aligned, etc. Also, do not forget to bring lighting and sockets to the balcony so that electric heaters can be brought to the balcony.
High-quality insulation of a balcony for the winter is not an easy task, but it is quite feasible. To do this, you will need patience and adherence to the following instructions.
A few secrets of how to insulate a balcony so that it is warm there in winter - step by step + photo
1. Warm windows.
The best option is double glazing. But when installing it, it is necessary to take into account the strength of the balcony parapet. If this is necessary, it is better to strengthen it before installing the window.
2. No gaps.
After installing the window, small gaps or holes may remain. They definitely need to be closed. To do this, you can use any sealants, mounting foams or polyurethane mastics. 
3. The right insulation.
Give preference to heaters with low thermal conductivity. One of the most popular and well-established is extruded polystyrene foam. But if there is not much money, a regular 5-centimeter foam will do. When insulating a balcony, all walls, as well as the floor and ceiling, should be insulated. All this leads to the loss of part of the internal volume of the balcony, but nothing can be done about it. 
4. Laying insulation.
Do not naively rely on your own intuition or the advice of a neighbor from above when laying heat-insulating material. The only thing you can determine for yourself is the way the insulation is installed. To do this, you will need resistant mounting glue or dowels.
Option number 1
The easiest way is to glue it. To do this, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the surfaces of the walls and insulating material from dust and small particles, smear them with glue and connect them together. That's all! The only thing that must be taken into account is to choose an adhesive without toluene. 
Option number 2
Installation of insulation with dowels does not require special skill and special knowledge. Dowels should be fixed at the rate of 10 pieces per square meter. 
Warming should start from the floor. First, we lay the waterproofing, blocking part of the parapet and the walls below. We put a heater on top. Joints should be blown out with foam. Cover the walls and ceiling with vapor barrier, and you can immediately close it with insulation. On top of the insulation we mount moisture-resistant drywall. 
5. Finishing and decoration of the balcony.
You can’t handle the exterior decoration yourself; here it’s better to enlist professional help. As for the internal work, it remains for you to do the final manipulations. Walls can be painted, finished with plastic clapboard or paneled. 
6. Additional heating.
After all, a heat source should be installed on the balcony. Will it be an electric convector, a radiator or a "warm" floor - it's up to you. 