Design of balconies outside and inside: TOP-100 photos of original ideas

Timely covering of the balcony simultaneously solves a number of problems. Firstly, the old almost collapsed bricks are no longer visible from the outside. Secondly, after the work is completed, the structure becomes protected from collapses. This measure helps to retain heat inside the living space, as well as to protect it from the influence of the external environment. Therefore, to give a beautiful appearance to the facade of the house, you need to sheathe the outside of the balcony.

Exterior decoration - positive aspects

Decorating the outside of a balcony is done not only for decorative purposes. The main task of using finishing materials for a balcony is to protect the entire structure from external influences. Rain, snow, wind, ultraviolet rays - all this can harm the structure of the balcony. With finishing materials it is reduced to zero. In addition, some materials have heat-saving properties.

The exterior finishing of the balcony with siding serves as an additional level of protection for the base, which consists of slabs made of concrete. The material protects concrete from the harmful effects of moisture, preventing destruction and corrosion of reinforcement. And this is a big plus, since the period of use has already been increased and there will be no need to make major repairs.

A loggia, which is built as an external type, cannot do without finishing materials on the outside.

No. 5. Wooden lining

Natural wood is not the most popular material for cladding balconies, which is due to its low resistance to numerous negative natural factors. This fact is the main disadvantage of wood , but modern technologies make it possible to use special impregnations in the production of wooden lining that protect the wood from moisture, rotting, pest damage and make it more resistant to fire. However, owners of balconies with such cladding will have to regularly care for the material so that it remains in its original form for as long as possible.

Among the main advantages of wooden lining:

• beautiful appearance that can enhance any balcony;
• environmental friendliness;
• heat and sound insulation properties.

Such cladding is unlikely to be appropriate when arranging a balcony in a typical apartment building, but for a small private house it is very suitable.

Safety of work on the balcony

If we take into account the fact that almost all work on balcony cladding is carried out at height, you need to have equipment to carry out this work safely. This includes steeplejack equipment and devices that will help you work in hard-to-reach places, eliminating risk and threat to life. Following this, it is recommended to hire workers who have this equipment and experience. Typically, this question is addressed to specialized companies involved in balcony finishing.

If your decision is to act on your own, due to various circumstances, then it is strongly recommended to follow all safety rules, especially if the work takes place on a high floor of the building. Be careful, wrong actions can lead to dire consequences. Prudence and attentiveness are needed when using devices such as a platform or stepladder. It is best to have an assistant who can help and insure you during finishing.

Following safety precautions, the entire area of ​​the work site must be fenced off. This can be done in different ways. For example, warning tape, twine to which flasks or red rags are tied. They are used to protect the place from other people for their own safety. It is possible to do the exterior decoration of the loggia without using all the equipment when there is a sheathed parapet available, without being outside the balcony.

Block house

In fact, a block house is a type of wooden lining. In appearance, it resembles a rounded beam, which is why builders are so fond of it for exterior decoration. The block house is made from a solid array of deciduous and coniferous wood. Like lining, it is made in four classes: “Extra”, “A”, “B” and “C”. The front side is rounded, the inner side is flat, with grooves for installation, ventilation and stress reduction from loads.

Decorating a balcony with a block house is an excellent opportunity to get a corner of natural comfort in the apartment. You can even fry shish kebab, the main thing is to use a special electric grill for the balcony - it does not give off an open fire.

Advantages of the material:

• environmental cleanliness;
• ease;
• aesthetics;
• strength;
• resistance to temperature changes;
• durability - does not dry out, does not crack;
• ease of installation;
• does not require preliminary preparation of the base; it is mounted on a frame.

Flaws:

• price;
• requires antiseptic treatment and painting;
• flammable;
• Condensation may collect between the sheathing and the wall.

When cladding a balcony with a block house, the following rules are recommended:

• use a narrow section;
• class “Extra” or “A”;
• use material made from coniferous species - the high resin content will ensure its durability and moisture resistance.
• provide ventilation for the sheathing to avoid rot and mold;
• lay additional waterproofing between the block house and the insulation.

However, there are no strict requirements for installation and maintenance of the coating. Therefore, finishing a balcony with a block house is an opportunity to have a beautiful and durable coating, as well as to implement non-standard design ideas.

Materials and their properties

You can decorate a balcony or loggia on your own using different types of materials. When the question of choosing a material arises, you need to take into account the shape and external factors. These are, of course, temperature fluctuations, varying degrees of precipitation, wind intensity and the influence of the sun, that is, ultraviolet radiation. When choosing a finishing color, the design of the building is taken into account.

What materials can be used to decorate a loggia or balcony? We would like to note the following:

• plastic, PVC panels;
• siding of two compositions: vinyl, aluminum;
• corrugated sheeting.

Plastic panels for balconies

Plastic lining is an inexpensive and economical option for cladding a balcony. Advantages of this material:

1. The price of cladding is affordable for everyone.
2. Exterior design reaches a high level.
3. Simple installation technique that allows you to work at different heights.
4. The finishing time is minimal.

Anyone who does not have the proper work experience can cladding a loggia with plastic panels. But you need to take into account some basic steps:

1. Dismantle the old balcony trim.
2. A frame made of metal or wood must be fixed to the surface of the balcony. At the same time, you can carry out insulation work on the outside of the loggia and install protection against wind and water.
3. Plastic lining fastenings.

Glazing

The exterior of the balcony can be finished with glazing. In this case we are talking about full glazing without the use of a parapet. For these purposes, it will be necessary to completely dismantle all elements of the balcony, except for the main slab. It is better to entrust measurements and installation to professionals. The number of cameras in a profile must be 5 or more. In this case, it will be possible to achieve good thermal insulation. The number of cameras in double-glazed windows should be more than two. But you shouldn’t expect perfect thermal insulation from this type of finish. This will require the construction of a foam block parapet and insulation of the floor.

Vinyl balcony siding

Many experts believe that this material has an advantage in finishing balconies in multi-storey buildings. Here are some reasons to prove this:

Vinyl siding in various colors - photo.

• the external shape and attractiveness remains for a long time. The material does not corrode and cannot be deformed during finishing;
• there is no need to carry out repair work - if you perform high-quality initial installation, maintenance will consist of a banal annual wash with water and detergents;
• is an environmentally friendly product;
• low percentage of flammability;
• the material does not crack, delaminate or peel.
• heat-resistant material that can withstand from +50 to -50 ˚C;
• there is no electrical conductivity.

If we talk about vinyl siding, then you need to have certain skills and knowledge. The main thing now is to act in accordance with the following instructions:

1. We install the sheathing. The sheathing should be positioned perpendicular to the direction of the siding. It can be wooden or metal.
2. Siding equipment. The first thing you need to start with is to install the first strip, which will be located at the very bottom of the trim. Because siding is attached from the bottom up. This strip can be fixed to the sheathing using self-tapping screws.
3. We insert the next strip with the bottom and connect it to the locking hole of the original panel. And we attach the upper part to the sheathing using the same screws. The tightness of the fastening should not be strong. Carry out the fastening process similarly with other panels.

It must also be said that each self-tapping screw should be screwed exactly in the center of the perforated hole. The distance between the panel joints should be approximately 0.5 mm. This is important because improper installation will cause the material to warp as it naturally expands and contracts due to weather conditions.

Upper belt

If the balcony slab is not skewed and the lower belt is not needed immediately, we now make it from timber onto the sheathing, as described above.
Again, the height of the lower belt is at least 80 mm, i.e. it needs to be made from two or three rows of timber. We measure how many WHOLE strips of siding will fit along the height of the fence, from the top edge of the bottom chord. Siding, unlike lining, cannot be cut lengthwise to size. THE TOP EDGE OF THE TOP SIDING MUST APPLY EXACTLY TO THE TOP EDGE OF THE FENCE. Please note that to install the casing you will need at least 20 mm of board.

Therefore, along the upper connection of the balcony railing, you need to make an upper belt from boards 60-100 mm wide. Its outer edge should protrude outward by the thickness of the sheathing, and the inner edge will support the window sill. The upper chord is fastened through the existing holes (through which the railings were attached) with self-tapping screws 6 mm long, 3/4 of the thickness of the upper beam, or, if the upper chord comes out thin, with bolts with heads flush through. It is better to take bolts with wide thin heads (press washers).

But what to do if the edge of the top strip of siding ends up protruding only 10-15 mm, or “falls short” by the same amount? If you don’t fence 200-250 mm of the upper belt, it’s a monkey’s work, and it will be inconvenient later.

In this case, you need to lay another beam below on top of the one already laid. The small space between the lower edge of the starting belt and the bottom of the wooden belt will then be painted over along with the balcony slab, but it will not be visible from below.

Metal balcony siding

Metal siding is considered one of the most used materials to finish balconies and loggias in a multi-story building. Pay attention to the advantages of this material:

• the material is durable, with normal use it will last up to 50 years;
• non-flammable;
• thermal expansion is minimized;
• not subject to corrosion, resistant to precipitation, solar radiation, alkali, acid, solvents;
• heat-resistant to temperatures from - 50 to + 80 ˚C;
• environmentally friendly;
• wide range of colors and profile shapes;
• affordable price.

To install metal siding, refer to the vinyl siding installation information described above.

Major renovation? Yes!

Unfortunately, attention is not paid so often to balconies and their aesthetic condition. Well, he is, and that’s good. At best, the area will be decorated with a box of flowers; at worst, it will turn into a storage room for trash. However, having decided to use the loggia area more functionally, one cannot do without radical restoration, or even reconstruction of the object. Moreover, the balcony will have to be improved not only from the inside. The outside will also need to be put in order. Thus, the balcony will be suitable for year-round use in its new form.

Balcony finishing for year-round use

Using corrugated sheeting for a balcony

This is another good material with which to decorate an open balcony. It is made of galvanized corrugated steel. The profiled sheet has different colors, any size, wavy, uneven structure, thanks to which the material is quite rigid.

Here are the advantages of the material:

• easy installation. If you use profiled sheets when finishing a facade or roof, then various uneven parts of the surface are compensated. The length of the profile sheet can even reach 12 m. This simplifies installation, since the material is universal;
• protected from corrosion. The galvanized steel from which the profile sheet is made has a polymer coating that reliably protects the material from chemical and physical phenomena. Due to this, corrugated sheeting has a long service life;
• wide range of color solutions. Since the protective coating is made of polymers, the material can have almost any color;
• light weight. If you use roofing corrugated sheets, then for installation you can use slats with a small cross-section, making the walls not so thick. The total weight of the balcony, and, as a result, the costs of finishing it, is significantly lower.

Remember!
A grinder with an abrasive wheel can burn out and destroy all layers of material. Therefore, use metal scissors to cut it. This also applies to removing steel siding. It is important to finish the balcony by following the instructions below:

1. On the balcony we make a frame of metal or wood, which can be filled with a sheet of insulation. The profiles need to be fastened parallel to the wall of the house. Next we attach the corrugated sheet. Additional protection against corrosion of the material is a primer and special protective paint. We use an antiseptic to treat the wooden sheathing.
2. To fix the sheet, special self-tapping screws with a rubber gasket are used.
3. You need to fasten the screws in a wave that is parallel to the slab. We install a special strip at the junction of the material. Special profiles are placed at the installation corners.

Insulation

Having finished the glazing, they begin to insulate the balcony from the inside. If necessary, Penoplex thermal insulating slabs can be used to insulate the floor, ceiling, side walls and parapet.

You can insulate the balcony with penoplex

Extruded polystyrene foam Penoplex with a thickness of about 40 mm is used to insulate an uncombined loggia, and about 60 cm thick for a combined loggia. Penoplex polystyrene foam insulation is very easy to cut and therefore very easy to adjust to the desired size or configuration. Methods of attaching Penoplex to the surface may be different. You can attach Penoplex to the wall using special plastic mushrooms or glue Penoplex to the wall using special glue or foam, or you can attach the insulation to a wooden frame that is pre-attached to the surface. Typically, a wooden frame is made from timber with a cross-section of 40 x 20 mm. Wooden beams must be treated with an antiseptic before use. The timber is secured to the walls using screws and screws. Penoplex must be laid very tightly on the walls so that they are pressed tightly against each other and there are no cracks or gaps between them. Penoplex joints can be sealed with summer polystyrene foam, but winter and universal ones are not recommended since they contain toluene, which dissolves polystyrene foam.

Insulating the loggia with penofol over penoplex

You need to lay a reflective penofol vapor barrier on top of the insulation, and tape the joints between the sheets with tape. Rolled waterproofing Penofol is made of foamed polyethylene and aluminum foil. Instead of Penofol, you can also use foiled polyethylene film. Penofol can be attached using polyurethane glue or double-sided tape. The loggia is insulated with penoplex and covered with penofol on top so that air vapors do not penetrate into the insulation and do not come into contact with the cold wall, since as a result condensation will appear which will be absorbed by both the insulation and the wall, and as a result mold, mildew will appear and everything will begin to collapse. Therefore, a vapor barrier cannot be installed on the cold side of the insulation, that is, between the insulation and the wall. Also, vapor barrier is an additional thermal insulation and waterproofing. If your balcony is on the top floor or your neighbor’s balcony above is not insulated, then it is necessary to insulate the ceiling.

Step-by-step insulation of the loggia with polystyrene foam

Typically, a U-shaped ceiling CD profile or wooden blocks are attached along the ceiling. Then the balcony is insulated with polystyrene foam, which is placed between the plates or bars. The loggia is also insulated with polystyrene foam, which can be attached to construction silicone.

The process of finishing a balcony with corrugated sheets

So, let's look at what tools are needed for finishing and the main stages of the process.

To start finishing the balcony, you should keep in your inventory the necessary tools with which you will perform the finishing process. You need to use:

• tape measure and building level;
• fine-toothed wood hacksaw;
• a hacksaw and scissors to cut metal;
• hammer drill, screwdriver (drills for wood, metal, concrete);
• hammer;
• construction stapler;
• Bulgarian