The balcony floor is an ordinary concrete slab without any finishing. Consequently, ennobling the balcony, most of the money and time will be spent on leveling and preparing the floor for finishing. Consider how to level the floor on the balcony with your own hands.
The choice of material for the balcony
The choice of materials depends on the type of balcony:
- glazed with heating;
- glazed without heating;
- open.
If the balcony is well glazed, insulated and has radiator heating or underfloor heating, then materials for living quarters are used for leveling and finishing.
The unheated closed balcony is not exposed to rain and snow. But due to a sharp change in temperature, condensation may form. For this reason, moisture resistant materials should be used in such rooms. For example, plywood, gypsum fiber sheets, moisture resistant gypsum board, cement particle board, oriented strand board, screeds. For final finishing, you can use tiles, linoleum, moisture-resistant laminate, carpet.
The open balcony is a challenge. Its concrete floor is exposed to precipitation and frost. In this case, the leveling of the floor on the balcony can be done with a screed, cement-bonded or oriented strand boards. You can decorate the floor with porcelain stoneware, ceramic tiles, terrace boards.
Do not forget that the balcony is a slab with no support on three sides. Do not overload it. This means that the floor structure should be as light as possible. A cement screed is not used in cases where the floor rises by 20 cm during leveling. It is better to choose floors on logs. They make the slab as heavy as possible. When the floor is leveled no more than 3-5 cm, then a cement screed is a good option.
Determination of the level of the finished floor
After choosing the material, you need to determine the floor level. This is done using different kinds of levels:
- water level;
- laser level;
- bubble level.
If a water level is used, in a different way a spirit level, then proceed as follows. A mark is placed anywhere on the wall of the loggia. Using a spirit level, a mark is made on all walls at the same level. A line is drawn through the obtained points (the so-called horizon). The highest places of the floor are visually located, and the distance to the drawn line is measured.
The thickness of the floor is subtracted from the resulting smallest value. The resulting length is measured from the horizon to the floor. Using a spirit level, a line is drawn from the marked point, which determines the level of the future floor.
The easiest way to determine the level of a clean floor is to use a laser level. It is installed on the highest point of the floor and switched on. The laser points or lines will show an even horizontal line, which will be the level of the floor.
To adjust the floor level with the bubble level, you need to visually determine the highest angle of the balcony and make a mark. Then the floor height is measured upwards. Next, using a level, a line is drawn along the elevation along the entire perimeter of the balcony. This method is not used for high-quality alignment, since it gives a significant error.
On open balconies, floors should be made with a slope towards the street. This is necessary so that atmospheric moisture does not accumulate. A centimeter of slope will be enough per meter of width.
Leveling with cement screed
You can get a flat and solid floor if you make a cement screed. This option is one of the best. Is it possible to do a screed on the balcony? After all, the balcony is in limbo, and the screed will make it heavier. This method can be used if the leveling height is no more than 3-5 cm.If the screed on the loggia is less than 3 cm, then it will crack quite quickly, but if it is more than 5 cm, it will overload the balcony slab.
For work, you will need the following building materials:
- waterproofing primer for concrete;
- cement mortar;
- formwork boards;
- lighthouses.
And also tools:
- foam or wooden float;
- level;
- rule;
- Master OK;
- mixer;
- roller or brush.
Do-it-yourself screed on the balcony using the following technology. First, all existing debris is removed, dust, oil stains, chipped pieces of concrete are removed. Next, you need to seal the cracks with cement or plaster. Then the surface is primed. This is necessary to improve the adhesion of the screed to the balcony slab, and also serves as a waterproofing agent. And it does not matter what to make the floor on the balcony from in the future, it will be fully justified.
When the floor is leveled on an open balcony with a lattice fence, then, so that the screed does not spread, formwork is made along the edge of the slab, which can be made of plywood or thin boards. If there is a solid fence on the balcony, the formwork is not built.
The leveling mixture is poured with water and mixed well with a mixer to a liquid consistency. The floor is poured with the mixture as evenly as possible, then leveled with a spatula. It is necessary to walk on the liquid floor with a needle roller to remove all air bubbles.
It will be possible to walk on such a screed in a few days, however, manufacturers of various mixtures recommend finishing in 1-2 weeks.
Dry screed on the balcony
A great option for a dry screed on the balcony. It performs two functions: it levels and insulates the floor. It is done in just a few hours and you can immediately proceed with the subsequent finishing.
To make a dry screed, you must:
- dry backfill;
- sub-floor material;
- U-shaped profile;
- polyethylene film;
- edge tape;
- self-tapping screws;
- Scotch;
- grater;
- rule.
Consider how a dry floor screed on the balcony is performed with your own hands.
As in the previous cases, it is necessary to get rid of dust and all kinds of debris. Get rid of cracks with cement mortar. The joints between the slab and the walls are made of polyurethane foam. Around the entire perimeter of the balcony, an edge tape is laid, which will serve as sound insulation. If this is not done, then when the slabs of the base of the wall are touched, a rather loud noise will be created.
U-shaped profiles are used as beacons. They are laid with their wide side down, without fixing them. The rule is to reconcile horizontality. The planned level of the expanded clay layer (coarse sand, slag) and the upper edges of the profiles must match. Expanded clay is filled in, the surface is leveled according to the lighthouses. The last irregularities are eliminated with a grater. To be able to walk on a layer of expanded clay, paths of plywood or gypsum fiber sheets are laid out.
Coating slabs with grooves are placed on the expanded clay layer for their connection to each other. It can be gypsum, cement-bonded or oriented strand board, gypsum-fiber sheet. They need to be laid as tightly as possible by moving them to the wall. Then such a structure will withstand the same loads as a concrete screed. The joints in the grooves should be glued with special glue, and then fastened with self-tapping screws. The distance between the screws should be about 5-10 cm.
The protruding edges of the edging tape and foil are cut to the level of the covering boards.
Lags for leveling the floor
This method almost does not load the concrete slab, and also allows you to raise and insulate the floor. The execution scheme consists in creating a lathing, which is closed from above with plates or boards. Insulation and waterproofing are optionally placed in the space between the floor and the slab.
The following materials will be required:
- wooden beam;
- insulation;
- waterproofing film;
- self-tapping screws;
- dowels;
- cladding material.
The floor is cleaned of various debris and dust. Waterproofing is done if the adjacent balcony is open from below or there is an empty space under the balcony. The film is spread on the floor in such a way that its edges go over the walls. There are materials that perform two functions at once: hydro and thermal insulation. Penofol belongs to such materials.
On top of the waterproofing, wooden logs are laid, the size of which is 50x50 mm, and are fixed with dowels. The distance between the dowels should be approximately 40-50 cm. The size of the lags can vary in accordance with the planned floor height. If it is required to increase it, then the logs are stacked on top of each other and fastened with self-tapping screws. The extreme bars should be at a distance of 5-10 cm from the wall.
Further, insulation is laid between the lags. For an open balcony, the best material will be polystyrene or expanded clay. Basalt wool, extruded polystyrene foam and other insulation are laid on the glazed balcony. The insulation should be laid so that no gaps remain.
The logs are closed with one of the following finishing materials: boards, plywood, oriented strand board, gypsum chipboard or cement chipboard, gypsum fiber sheet (read: ""). Finishing with laminate, tiles, linoleum, carpet or decking can now be done.
So, it was described how to make a floor screed on a balcony using cement mortar, self-leveling mortar, dry screed and logs.
Balconies in apartments are often insulated, glazed, used as a small utility room or attached to a living room. One of the first tasks when decorating a balcony is to level and strengthen the floor. The technology for leveling the subfloor on the balcony is, in general terms, the same as for leveling any concrete base, but there are a number of nuances.
Features of leveling the floor on the balcony
The base of the floor on the balcony is a concrete slab, sometimes it is covered with a screed. Often, the base has significant irregularities, and over time, the concrete or screed begins to crack and exfoliate. When leveling the floor on the balcony, you must remember the following points:
- The base must not be overloaded, therefore it is unacceptable to apply the screed in a thick layer or run a new one over the old
- The floor on an open, unglazed balcony should have a slight (3-5 °, or 1 cm per 1 m width) slope from the wall to ensure water drainage
- If leveling is carried out with a wet method, care must be taken that the solution does not flow down
- If the balcony is open or glazed, but not heated, it is necessary to use frost-resistant and moisture-resistant materials, if glazed and heated, materials for interior work are suitable
There are several ways to level the floor on the balcony:
- Cement-sand screed (DSP)
- Self-leveling screed (cement screed)
- Dry sheet screed
- Floor on adjustable joists
Wet floor leveling
Usually, this method is resorted to when there is no need to raise the finished floor and insulate the balcony, the only task is to level the base and give it the necessary slope (on an open balcony).
To eliminate significant irregularities and form a slope, DSP is used (the thickness of its layer on the balcony should not exceed 5 cm). If the base has the desired slope, but not completely flat (height differences within 3 cm), a mixture for a self-leveling floor is suitable.
Cement-sand screed
Preparation for the implementation of a cement-sand screed on the balcony begins with a revision of the base, cleaning of exfoliated areas, knocking down concrete flows, sealing cracks. The procedure for preparing a concrete base for leveling is described in more detail. If the slab was covered with a screed, but it has many defects, it must be carefully dismantled using a hammer drill. Then oil stains are removed, dust and debris are removed.
The next stage of the preparatory work:
- Marking with a laser or water level, determining the level of the subfloor and finishing floor
- Substrate treatment with concrete primer
- On a closed balcony, it is advisable to waterproof the base with plastic wrap or roofing felt with an approach to the walls
- Laying and fixing the reinforcing mesh
- Installation of removable formwork along the edge of the slab (if the balcony is closed, with blind joints of the floor and walls, the formwork is not needed, but the cracks at the joints must be sealed with foam or sealant)
- Installation of beacons - in this capacity, you can use profile trim for drywall
The first row of beacons is installed near the wall, the second, parallel to it, closer to the fence. If the screed is performed on an open balcony, the beacons in the second row should be shorter to ensure the required floor slope.
After the solution grabs, fixing the beacons to the base, you can start mixing the basic solution and laying the screed. You can use a ready-made mixture or take cement and sand in a ratio of 1: 3, for 10 kg of dry mixture you need about 2 liters of water... The solution is stretched along the beacons using the rule, the surface of the laid screed is rubbed with a special float.
DSP on the balcony dries for 1-3 weeks, the formwork can be removed after 1-2 days, it is not necessary to remove the beacons. If you want to get a smoother surface, after final maturation and hardening of the screed, a thin layer of self-leveling mixture can be applied on top.
Leveling with self-leveling mixture
For leveling the floors on the balcony, a self-leveling cement mixture that is resistant to moisture is best suited. The base is prepared in the same way as for DSP (hardening, cleaning, priming). If there is an old screed, strong, without chips and cracks, but with minor irregularities, the composition can be poured over it.
If work is carried out on an open balcony, you need to close all the cracks with boards. The rest of the technology is the same as when pouring a self-leveling floor in other rooms - the dry mixture is closed with water, poured in small portions onto the floor, leveled with a notched trowel with teeth of the required height and rolled with a needle roller.
Dry leveling
If a closed balcony or loggia is planned to be insulated and made heated, sheet materials are used to level the base, and insulation is poured between them and the concrete base. If the finished floor needs to be raised significantly without loading the base, a rough floor is made on adjustable logs, and a slab or roll insulation is laid between them.
When determining the level of the finished floor, you need to focus on the following parameters:
- The floor on the balcony can be lower and higher than in the room, but the difference should not exceed 20 cm
- The minimum height of the balcony railing above the floor level is 95 cm, and if the family has small children - 110 cm
- The minimum height from floor to ceiling is 245 cm
Dry floor screed
After the standard preparation of the base, the following steps are performed: 
- A damper tape is attached around the perimeter for sound insulation
- The base is waterproofed with a thick (from 80 microns) polyethylene film with a 6-10 cm approach to the walls and fixing the edges with tape
- U-shaped beacons are installed along the long walls with the support side down to set the level of the insulation backfill
- Expanded clay is filled in and leveled along the lighthouses, the horizontality of the backfill is controlled by the level. For preliminary alignment, a rule is used, to eliminate errors after removing the beacons - a construction float
- OSB, DSP or GSP slabs are laid on expanded clay, forming a subfloor
- The protruding edges of the waterproofing and damper tape are cut off
On the balcony, it is carried out by a floating method, sheet (slab) material is not attached either to the base or to the walls. It is necessary to use slabs with a tongue-and-groove connection. The plates are pressed as tightly as possible to the walls, in the places where they adjoin, the ridges are cut off so that the edge is not thin. The joints of the plates are glued with construction glue, in addition, the joints are fixed with self-tapping screws, which are screwed in with a step of 5-10 cm.
Floor on logs
The height of the logs on which it is laid subfloor, can be adjusted with threaded uprights or U-brackets... The racks are mounted on a hardened and cleaned base in places where there are no bumps and sagging. First, you need to perform waterproofing, as under a dry screed. Instead of a film, you can use penofol, which is also a heater.
It is better to make logs from a bar 50 mm wide, the height is selected depending on the required floor height. If necessary, the logs are attached in several tiers, first transverse, in increments of 40-60 cm, then longitudinal on them. The lower tier is attached to the base with anchor bolts, which should go into the base by 3 cm. The tiers are connected between themselves with self-tapping screws, the length of which should be equal to the thickness of the timber.
If you need to level the base, it is more convenient to mount the longitudinal logs on adjustable supports. The extreme logs are mounted at a distance of 8-10 cm from the walls, the space between them is usually divided in half. If the laying step exceeds 45 cm, the extreme logs must be moved a little further away from the walls.
Work order:
- The places for attaching the racks to the base and the logs are outlined (the recommended distance between the racks of one log is 40-50 cm)
- The lags are attached to the adjustable stands with self-tapping screws
- The uprights are fixed with dowels to the base on top of the waterproofing
- With the help of the level, the horizontal laying of the lags is controlled, if necessary, the height of the racks is adjusted. First, the logs closest to the walls are aligned in the longitudinal direction and among themselves, along them - the median
- Expanded clay is poured between the logs or expanded polystyrene, mineral wool is laid
- Plywood sheets, OSB boards and similar materials, or grooved boards are screwed to the lags with a pitch of 15-20 cm with self-tapping screws
- Joints of slabs and walls along the perimeter are filled with polyurethane foam
Tips for arranging the floor on the logs
- If there is also a glazed balcony below, waterproofing of the base is unnecessary
- The insulation must be laid so that cracks (cold bridges) do not form. If several layers of slab insulation are laid, the seams should be staggered
- The best material for the subfloor on the balcony is chipboard or OSB, these slabs are least susceptible to deformation due to fluctuations in temperature and humidity
- Plates must be laid with a gap of 3-5 mm from the walls and from each other
- In the process of fixing the plates with self-tapping screws, you need to rest your feet on the areas where the logs are laid
Video
Installation of dry screed on the balcony, loggia
Floor installation on adjustable joists
Cement-sand floor screed on an open balcony
Insulation of balconies and loggias
Outcome
On the balcony, you can lay a beautiful finished floor, but first you need to level the base. There are a number of differences in the technique of leveling the floor on an open and closed balcony - the need to form a slope for water drainage, the use of formwork when working with a wet screed.
Height differences up to 5 cm can be smoothed out with a cement-sand screed, and up to 3 cm with a self-leveling screed. If, during the leveling process, it is necessary to raise the floor by more than 5 cm, it is necessary to use a dry screed or lay the sub-floor on adjustable joists. This solution allows the floor to be insulated at the same time.
Balcony overhaul is often associated with the need to raise the floor. Most often, during construction, the balcony base is below the level of the rooms in the apartment, and the resulting threshold interferes with movement between rooms. Of course, going out to a balcony or loggia is much more convenient on a flat surface than jumping over ledges or rapids and stumbling over them. But not everyone knows how to raise the floor on the balcony. Let's see how you can do this.
The balcony and loggia are undoubtedly part of the apartment, and therefore require a good and high-quality repair. Not only the fences of this place are finished, but also the rough foundations, which are often represented by cold concrete slabs. By the way, this type of foundation, if the balcony is open, is constantly being tested by atmospheric phenomena. Usually, to protect the floors, the balcony is glazed, but the base still remains cold. And in the process of raising the floor, it can be thoroughly insulated. And, by removing the difference in floor levels between living quarters and those located on the street, you can protect residents from falls, as a result of which you can get injured.
Also, raising the level of the balcony floor is sometimes necessary to level the rough base. Indeed, in the case of its finishing, sometimes materials are used that are quite demanding on the evenness of the sheathed surfaces.
In general, raising the floor level on the balcony is not so difficult, and therefore you can cope with the task on your own, without the involvement of masters. In this case, it will also turn out to save a lot of money, which can be useful for the purchase of various materials for finishing.
On a note! The average height of raising the floor on the balcony is about 10-12 cm. Thus, under the final floor, there will be a niche sufficient for laying the insulation.
4 ways to raise your balcony floor
You can raise the floors on a loggia or balcony using different methods. All of them differ in the methods of creation, the materials used, as well as the speed and specifics of the work. Among them there are those that exert a significant load on concrete slabs and cannot be used in the case of unreliable structures, and there are those that are suitable for use in any case. Let's look at 4 main ways to change the floor level.
On a note! If the loggia or balcony is a separate room, then a small - up to 5 cm - height difference between the floor in them and the rooms is allowed. If the balcony is a continuation of the room, then there should be no drops.
Cement screed
A screed based on sand and cement is highly durable, reliable, and if it is poured according to all the rules, it turns out to be very even and ready for laying any type of finishing coating.
On a note! When arranging a cement screed, you can also think about organizing an additional floor heating system on the balcony. We are talking about the use of warm floors. They will not harm this type of screed, but they will allow you to stand on the balcony with comfort - your feet will not freeze even in winter.
The main disadvantage is its considerable weight. All the components that make up the mixture used are quite heavy and the screed will have a strong effect on the subfloor. Thus, it cannot be used in all cases, especially when it comes to significant thickness in the case of a large difference between the floor level and the required height. A cement screed can only be used when there is confidence that the floor will accurately support the mass of the cement mixture, or if the screed layer is small. In general, the thickness of the screed should not be more than 10 cm, if you need to raise the floors to a greater height, then it is recommended to choose another method.
Attention! Pouring cement screed can only be done in the warm season. In winter, it cannot be equipped due to low temperatures - remember that the mixture contains water.
Also, a feature of the screed is that its drying time is long - walking on such a floor and performing further work is possible only 28 days after the screed is arranged.
Screed with expanded clay
This is a dry version of the screed that does not need long-term drying. Floors using this method can be leveled and raised fairly quickly. The basis in this case is expanded clay, which is poured onto the waterproofing layer. Sheets of any leveling material are laid on top of it. It can be drywall, gypsum fiber, plywood, chipboard and other materials. The sheets are fixed to each other at the required floor level, resting on a layer of expanded clay.
The advantage of such a screed is ease of installation, lightness (can be used for floors of any strength), speed of work - you do not have to wait until the screed grabs and dries to continue other finishing work. This option is also suitable if you need to raise the floors to a significant height - up to 20 cm.
For backfilling the base, it is recommended to use small or medium expanded clay, large is undesirable. Sometimes this material can be replaced with fine-grained slag. Before laying the top leveling layer, it is recommended to compact the bulk material well so that it does not shrink.
On a note! If expanded clay is used as a dumping material, then it is not necessary to lay an additional layer of insulation, since this material itself is capable of retaining heat in the room.
From the author: hello dear reader. Not long ago, I had the opportunity to move into a new apartment in a standard nine-story building built in the late 1980s neon. So this apartment was new only for me, and not as a whole. And, apparently, repairs in it have been done only once since the time of construction. So, as a full-fledged owner of the apartment, I had to start the renovation work on my own.
The balcony deserved special attention, as its condition was far from ideal. And since it was big enough, my plans were to turn it into a full-fledged living space in order to organize a workplace with a PC there. This article is not able to accommodate the whole complex of work on the reconstruction of the balcony, therefore today we will analyze only one topic: how to level the floor on the balcony with our own hands.
All procedures for leveling the floor on the balcony / loggia are reduced to two ways:
- leveling with a cement screed;
- alignment with wooden logs.
We will analyze in detail these two options for the development of events, point out the specific points in the work, and also find out which floor covering should be chosen for the loggia or balcony. In addition, you will find out what kind of leveling work should be done if you decide to leave your balcony unglazed. So let's get started.
Leveling the floor with a screed
If you decide to level the floor with a screed, you first need to "deal" with the old coating. There can be located both old tiles, and just an uncoated screed, which has already in places (or completely) deteriorated. If so, then the old tile / screed should be disposed of. To do this, use a rotary hammer or a jackhammer. You just need to work carefully so as not to damage the stove itself. Anything can happen, and the collapse of the balcony is not part of our plans, is it?
If the screed on the balcony is in relatively good condition, and not particularly crooked, then perhaps you can do without filling. Although, if you want to achieve a perfectly flat surface, a self-leveling floor is at your service. But now we are not talking about self-leveling floors, but about a full-fledged cement-sand screed.
So, we got rid of the old screed. Now, using a brush, apply a coat of primer to the work surface. The penetrating primer provides reliable adhesion of the solution to the surface, and in addition has an antiseptic effect. Simply put, it protects against mold.
Since we need to achieve a perfectly flat base, we should use a building level. You can bubble, but laser is better. Firstly, it is more convenient to work with it, and secondly, it will give a more accurate result. If you do not have such specific equipment (as, incidentally, happened in my case), it is not necessary to clean it up, since such a device is not cheap. You can borrow it for temporary use in a construction supermarket, where there is a "Tool rental" service. Or ask friends / neighbors.
So, let's say you already have a laser level. Now we need to set the zero mark. Here's what to do:
- set the level at the highest corner or at the highest point in the center;
- turn on the laser;
- use a pencil to mark the points on the wall that the laser has "drawn". By the way, some laser levels cast not points onto the surface, but lines, which is much more convenient;
- rotate the level while holding the tripod to transfer the contours to all walls.
If you have never used such a tool before, be sure to read the instructions, since due to one seemingly insignificant error, the entire floor may turn out to be crooked after completion of work. And this is certainly not part of our plans.
After the level of the screed height is determined, you can proceed to the installation of beacons, along which the surface leveling will be performed. The step between them should, as a rule, be from 30 to 50 cm. By the way, I would like to remind you of the existence of warm floors. Although, if you decide to thoroughly insulate yourself, you probably know about this technology. But in fairness, I would like to note that the warm floor is laid at this stage, before (!) The screed is poured.
Also, in some cases, reinforcement is performed before pouring. But most often, fittings are laid in cases where the balcony will not be glazed in the future. And more about the lighthouses: before starting the pouring, you should wait until the solution that fixes them grabs. At a temperature of 20–25 ° C, a few hours are sufficient. If the work is performed at a temperature lower, it may take 12 hours, or even a day. In general, look at the circumstances.
Preparation of mortar for pouring the floor
Be prepared for the fact that pouring the floor is quite messy and hard work. Even if we are talking about such a seemingly small area like the area of the loggia / balcony. The proportions of the preparation of the floor screed can be expressed by a simple formula: 1: 2: 1.2. That is:
- 1 - cement;
- 2 - sand;
- 1.2 - water.
Of course, these proportions can be adjusted at your discretion. For example, it is difficult to determine exactly how much water is needed. H2O should be added in such an amount that the consistency of the mixture resembles thick sour cream in its structure. That is, it should not be neither too liquid nor too dry. For greater strength, the amount of sand is also increased. This usually happens in cases where the floor will be exposed to heavy loads during operation.
For additional thermal insulation, expanded clay can be added to the screed. It is a versatile, reliable insulation that has been successfully used in construction for over a hundred years. It can be added in arbitrary proportions, but, as a rule, it is added in proportions from four to eight for reliable thermal insulation. Therefore, the formula for preparing a screed with the addition of expanded clay will look like this: 1: 2: 1.2: 4–8, where 4–8 is expanded clay.
In addition to expanded clay, reinforcing fiber can also be contained in the screed solution. As a rule, this component is added in proportions of 0.6–0.9 kg per 1 m³.
Special gypsum screeds are also used to fill the floor. They are used to eliminate minor flaws in the work surface. But the use of plaster screed has its limitations: it is not suitable for rooms with high humidity. The main advantage of this leveling method is the relatively quick drying (up to three days) and relative ease of use.
You can purchase both gypsum and cement mixtures at a hardware store. All the necessary components have already been added to such compositions, so you do not have to think about in what proportions to prepare the screed. It is logical that a ready-made mixture will cost you more than purchasing all the components separately.
Important! When purchasing cement (or ready-made composition), pay attention to the brand. The higher this indicator, the better your screed will be.
The calculation of the required amount of mortar usually proceeds as follows: multiply the floor area by the thickness of the fill layer. For example, the surface area of the floor is 5 m², and the assumed thickness of the screed is 7 cm. Therefore, 5 × 0.07 = 0.35 m³.
After you have completed the necessary calculations and purchased the necessary building materials, it's time to start preparing the composition. Here's how to proceed:
- mix the cement and sand thoroughly according to the proportions we have chosen. For mixing, it is better to use a drill mixer, since mixing the solution by hand is a difficult and ineffective task;
- mix the plasticizer with water - in another container. The proportions in which this material is added are indicated in the instructions on the package. But, as a rule, 380–400 g is used per 100 kg of cement. In addition, reinforcing fiber can be added;
- gradually add dry ingredients to a container with water. But (!) Not the other way around, otherwise the solution will turn out to be inhomogeneous;
- mix the resulting composition thoroughly.
Ready. Now you can start filling. The mixture should be poured between the beacons, and then leveled with a rule. Here, as in preparing the mixture, skill is needed, so if you have not done this before, you may not get quite what you expected. So it is better to carry out these works not alone, but with a friend who is more enlightened in the repair and construction issue. In addition, doing the pouring job alone is quite problematic. Either way, you need an assistant.
After the screed is completely dry (and it dries for a long time - up to several weeks), you can start laying the floor covering. We will talk about how to choose a floor covering on a balcony / loggia in the following sections of the article. But keep in mind that laying should be done only (!) After complete drying.
To check if the screed is dry, just take a small piece of oilcloth, put it on the screed, fix it with tape around the perimeter and leave it for about 12 hours. If during this time a damp area has formed under the oilcloth, it means that the screed is damp and it is too early to lay the floor covering. If it is dry under the oilcloth, it's time to start laying.
So we learned how to pour a screed on a balcony or loggia. Keep in mind that this section of the article is intended for people who already know about shading. So, if you are already completely new to this business, you should seek advice not from Yandex or Google, but from a more experienced master than you.
Lag alignment
We have dealt with the screed successfully. Now we level the floor on the loggia or balcony using wooden logs. Physically, this type of alignment is easier to accomplish, so you may not need the help of third parties. But this is only if you have a concrete understanding of this process. From building materials we need:
- plywood or OSB (preferably at least 20 mm thick);
- dry timber (preferably pine) with a section of 60 × 40 mm. But, in principle, 40 × 40 mm or 30 × 40 mm will do.
In addition, we need to prepare the following set of tools:
- hacksaw for wood;
- electric jigsaw;
- electric circular saw;
- drill perforator;
- screwdriver;
- building level (preferably laser);
- roulette;
- dowels / screws.
Now it's time to start installing the lag. First of all, you should remove all small debris from the surface, and then mark the floor level. In order to further protect the base from negative influences, a primer can be applied to it. Usually the floor in the room is higher than the floor of the loggia or balcony. It goes without saying that the topcoat and frame should not exceed the floor level of the room. Use a laser or water level to mark the horizontal plane of the floor. Laser is preferable, of course. In this case, the procedure for marking work surfaces using a level is completely identical to how we marked surfaces in the case of pouring a screed. To install wooden logs, measure the distance from the balcony floor to the zero level, while marking the lowest and highest points.
Before laying the frame, roofing material should be laid as waterproofing. As a rule, it is laid with an overlap of 15 cm.The overlap on the walls should be at least 5 cm.However, special mastic can be used as waterproofing, which is evenly applied to the surface, and ordinary oilcloth, which is fastened with ordinary wide adhesive tape.
Then install the wooden battens / joists on the waterproofing layer. For this purpose, I recommend using a dry pine bar with parameters of exactly 60 × 40 mm. Trims of the same timber can be used as supports for transverse logs, which should be placed at intervals of approximately 50 cm. hammer drill, and screwdriver. The step between the screws can be arbitrary. 15–20 cm will be enough.
In turn, the pitch between the beams is usually 50 cm. In low places, wooden blocks should be placed under the beams. During work, you need to constantly monitor the process with a building level, so as not to make mistakes. Otherwise, the floor may become uneven.
The distance of the first log from the balcony wall should be approximately 10–15 cm, and the gap between the walls and the ends of the log should be from 5 cm. In construction, this distance is called the expansion gap. It is needed in order to give the lags a place for deformation during use. For example, if there is high humidity in the air, as is often the case in spring and autumn, the logs will inevitably swell and stretch. If you put them back to back, they will most likely bend and ruin the floor covering, such as laminate. In addition, each timber that is part of the sheathing should be treated with an antiseptic or, at least, a primer.
We will assume that the crate is ready. Now it will be useful to place insulation in the frame section, for example, mineral wool or foam. In the cold season, there is always a cold floor on the balcony or loggia, so insulation will be very useful here. This, of course, is not a technology for underfloor heating, but be sure that a properly installed insulation will also cope with its mission.
There is nothing particularly difficult when laying insulation. The main thing is to check that the edges of the foam or mineral wool pieces fit tightly to the frame elements, so that in the future so-called "cold islands" do not form on the floor. Mineral wool should not be tamped or exposed to moisture. For this reason, after laying it on top, a layer of waterproofing in the form of an oilcloth should be laid, which is fixed to the logs using a construction stapler in increments of 15–20 cm.
It will be advisable to fill the distance between the walls of the balcony and the frame elements with polyurethane foam. It also has thermal insulation properties.
Now that all the necessary actions have been completed, you can proceed to the installation of plywood or OSB. As we understand, the cover is attached to the wooden frame with self-tapping screws, and cut according to measurements using a jigsaw or an electric saw. Both between the sheets and the wall, and directly between the sheets, a gap should also be left, so as not to prevent the material from freely deforming under the influence of changes in humidity and temperature. This distance should be 3-5 mm.
Laying the floor covering
After fixing the sheets, you can theoretically start laying the flooring. But you can go to this stage of work only if you have already done all the other work on the repair of the premises. That is, they insulated the walls, the parapet, completed the finishing of the walls and ceiling, and installed double-glazed windows.
On a flat and hard floor of a glazed balcony (it does not matter, concrete or plywood / OSB), you can lay absolutely any floor covering: even parquet, even laminate, even linoleum. Naturally, the choice is yours, but I would recommend using semi-commercial or household linoleum on a foam base. The protective layer of a semi-commercial coating ranges from 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm. Accordingly, for household - from 0.1 to 0.3 mm. I suppose that the floor on the balcony will not be exposed to frequent and intense mechanical stress, so that a coating with a protective layer of 0.2–0.3 mm will be quite sufficient.
On our site there are separate articles on the topics of how to lay linoleum on a wooden floor and how to lay linoleum on a concrete floor. I recommend that you familiarize yourself with these materials in order to avoid mistakes when laying. And now we will find out how to level the floor if you decide not to install double-glazed windows on the balcony.
How to level the base on an unglazed balcony?
This topic is quite extensive and worthy of coverage in a separate article. But here we will briefly go over the order of the required steps so that you can get an idea of the process.
Most often, balconies in country houses are left unglazed. Why? Everything is very simple. The owners mainly come to the dacha in the summer, when nothing interferes with the comfortable use of the balcony space. In addition, a vine can often be seen around it. And picking bunches of grapes from a glazed balcony is not very convenient. When building a summer cottage or just a private house, the owner, as a rule, expects that there is enough space in the house and there is no need to expand the living space, as is the case in city apartments.
Although I personally have noticed unglazed balconies in apartment buildings. Moreover, these were renovated balconies with a metal fence. In addition, deliberately unglazed balconies are often found, say, in hotels and hostels.
So, here's what work should be done to level the floor on an open balcony (which, presumably, will remain open):
- dismantling the old tile / old screed with a hammer drill or chipper. Again, dismantling work should be done carefully so as not to overdo it and damage the stove itself. It is impossible to pour a new screed directly onto the old one, without dismantling. The structure will become very heavy, so it is not a fact that the balcony will withstand;
- applying a primer;
- formwork construction. At the same time, make sure that the solution does not flow down through the cracks onto the neighbors;
- laying a reinforcing mesh and fixing with self-tapping screws;
- installation of guide beacons. You cannot do without them, since it is necessary to create a slope on an unglazed balcony so that snow and water do not linger on the floor. Typically this slope is 3-5 °. These beacons should be installed along the length of the wall so that they can immediately determine the slope (the one that is closer to the wall, of course, should be higher);
- preparation and filling of the solution;
- leveling using a rule.
Ready. Now you need to wait for the mortar to dry and then lay the floor covering. For an open balcony, as you yourself understand, linoleum or laminate is not suitable. Here, floor tiles or garden parquet will be used. But for durability reasons, I would still recommend quality tiles.
Naturally, when buying a tile, pay attention to its grade. And, of course, choose the first one. The second and third are, shall we say, not of the highest quality. Tiles should be purchased with a margin, since anything is possible during the installation process. Maybe a few of your tiles will break after all.
If the balcony already has the desired slope, but the condition of the screed is not ideal, you can level the base using tiles. But, of course, you cannot lay the tiles on an unprepared base. Cracks need to be widened, cleaned of dust, primed on the damaged areas, and then cement mortar. The same goes for potholes on the work surface.
Now that all the irregularities have been patched up, you can start preparing the tile adhesive. Keep in mind that the glue used for indoor installation is not suitable for outdoor use.
The composition is applied using a notched trowel, the size of the teeth of which depends on the size of the tile itself. Here are the parameters to proceed from when choosing a spatula:
- the size of the teeth is 4 × 4 mm. It is used for tiles measuring 10 × 10 cm, only (!) With a flat back side;
- the size of the teeth is 6 × 6 mm - for tiles measuring 20 × 20, 15 × 20 and 10 × 10 cm, which have an uneven back side;
- 8 × 8 mm - for tiles up to 30 × 30 cm;
- 10 × 10mm - for tiles 30 × 30 cm, the thickness of which is from 10 mm;
- 12.5 × 20/15 × 20 mm - tiles of a larger format than 30 × 30 cm.
Since, according to the condition of the problem, our screed is not completely even, a little more glue should be applied to its surface than usual. Glue should also be applied to the back of the tile using a notched trowel. The direction of the grooves on the floor surface and on the tiles should preferably be perpendicular. Between the tiles, special cross-linking crosses should be inserted, which will help maintain the same distance between them. This distance is not just a decorative element, but, first of all, a delta gap. Thanks to him, the tile will last much longer. Typically this distance is 2 to 4 mm.
Glue that protrudes beyond the boundaries of the tile during installation should be wiped off. After laying the tiles and completely drying the glue, apply the grout with a rubber spatula, wipe the surfaces with a rag - and you're done.
High quality outdoor tiles, laid according to all the rules, will last at least 15–20 years. Therefore, this solution is not only aesthetically attractive, but also quite practical.
Instead of a conclusion
That's all for today, dear reader. Our text turned out to be quite voluminous, but I hope that you got an idea of leveling the floors on the loggia and balcony and found answers to your questions on the topic. Do not forget that the article is intended for people who are no longer completely newbies in the repair and construction craft, so if you still have questions, you can safely ask them in the comments below the text.
P.S. For clarity, watch a video that demonstrates the process of leveling the floor using a self-leveling mixture:
It is enough to figure out how to level the floor on the balcony in order to get at your disposal a few extra square meters, which can be used in a small apartment with great benefit.
The presence of a balcony in the apartment can be considered a great success. With the right approach to its arrangement, it can become an additional room in which it is easy to make a study, a modest home workshop or a small greenhouse.
Home workshop on the balcony
Of course, in order to bring such plans to life, you will have to insulate the balcony and make good repairs on it. But before that, you should attend to the leveling of the floor base. On old loggias and balconies, it is usually cut with numerous cracks. And in new buildings, floors are almost never perfectly even. Such are the realities of domestic housing construction.
You can now level the floor on the balcony in different ways. The choice of a specific technique depends on what the functional purpose of the updated loggia will be. Usually, the leveling of balcony bases with your own hands is done with a screed (wet or dry) or plywood covering and logs.
On open balconies (non-glazed and unheated structures), the floor base is most often leveled by means of a screed. When arranging it, it should be remembered that the floor must be made with a slight slope. Then, during the melting of snow or precipitation, all the water will drain, and not remain on the open loggia. The main thing here is not to overdo it. If you make an excessively steep slope, it will be very uncomfortable to stand on such a surface.
Before leveling the floors with concrete, the old coating must be dismantled. Perform this procedure as carefully as possible using a puncher.
Removing the old floor covering
In no case should damage to the balcony slab be allowed.
Note that the hammer drill is used to remove the old screed and on closed balconies. It is imperative to dismantle it, since in this case a new coating can seriously increase the load on the slab, and this often leads to the collapse of the loggia.
When the balcony fence and its floor base do not have a rigid connection with each other, the screed slope is taken within 4–5 °. But if a curb is located along the end of the loggia slab, or the floor and the fence are a single structure, it will be necessary to equip a special drain for water with your own hands. It is easy to do in two ways:
- embed a polyvinyl chloride pipe in a convenient section of the screed and make a slope towards it;
- lay a small groove along the wall, and at its end punch a hole through which water will flow.
Before all these works, the floor should be cleaned well, all the debris should be removed from it, and then all gaps and cracks on the base should be repaired with gypsum or cement mortar (a mixture of the selected material with water), and then treated with a primer. After that, proceed with the installation. It is done if the balcony is open. Monolithic loggias do not need the installation of the formwork structure. Be sure to seal the joints between the base and the installed formwork (then the concrete mixture will not run down).
We proceed directly to leveling the floors. The order of doing work with your own hands is as follows:
- Place the reinforcement grill (make it from any steel wire of small thickness) on the floor base. Along the longest wall of the loggia, you mount special lighthouses. They are made from metal rods. Installation of beacons is carried out in increments of about half a meter. Their installation is done evenly (use a laser or ordinary building level). The level of the screed that you want to fill must coincide with the upper ends of the beacons. For most balconies in standard city apartments, two lighthouses are usually installed. This is quite enough. The fixation of the beacons is carried out with a plaster or cement mixture. Moreover, they must be strictly horizontal. The beacon mortar will dry for about 3 hours.
- Make a mixture of and cement. The recommended ratio of these components is 3 to 1. Then add water to the resulting composition. As a rule, 2 liters of liquid per 10 kg of cement-sand mixture is sufficient. In practice, you need to ensure that the solution looks like sour cream of high density. It is most convenient to mix the components with a mixer, which is attached to a drill. If there are no such tools, mix the solution with your own hands using a trowel. If desired, it is allowed to add a small amount of expanded clay crumbs to the resulting composition. It will improve the adhesion of the mortar and make the floor base a little warmer.
- Spread the cement-sand mixture in portions on the floor. It should cover the mounted beacons by 4–5 cm. Level the layer using the rule.
Leveling floors with wet screed
So you made a coupler with your own hands. Now you need to patiently wait until the solution is completely dry. It is recommended to spray the flooded surface with water every day. This procedure will give the screed extra strength. And in very dry and hot weather, it is advisable to cover the concrete layer with burlap or plastic wrap. This is done in order to protect the screed from cracking.
The formwork is dismantled 36–48 hours after the screed is poured. Lighthouses are allowed to be left in the solution. Complete drying of concrete is observed after a couple of weeks. After that, smooth the surface made with a wooden or foam float, and then you can proceed with the installation of tiles, laminated boards, linoleum or other finishing flooring on the loggia.
The implementation of such a screed on the loggia is very simple. Any home master will make it with his own hands. You will need to purchase metal profiles (in the form of the letter P), universal screws, slag (replacement - coarse sand or expanded clay), waterproofing film (made of polyethylene), slabs for the floor base (OSB, GVL or GSP), masking tape (or better construction tape), as a rule, polyethylene edging tape and a grater.
The scheme for performing the screed using the dry method is given below:
- You clean the balcony, sweep away dust and debris, seal up existing cracks with cement mortar, blow out the gaps between the walls and the slab with polyurethane foam.
- Place the edging tape around the perimeter of the balcony. It will be an excellent sound insulator.
- Protect the subfloor from moisture - put a polyethylene film on the concrete slab, wind it by 10 centimeters on the wall surfaces, fix the edges of the waterproofing material with tape (tape).
- Mount the profiles (they play the role of beacons) with their wide part up along the walls. There is no need to fix these products. But the horizontality of their location must be controlled by all means.
- Fall asleep between the lighthouses 5-7 cm of expanded clay (sand, slag), carefully level the material with the rule, and then additionally go over the surface with a float. At this stage, you need to lay paths on the loggia in order to navigate along it without any problems. They are done simply - you place sheets of gypsum fiber board or plywood on the floor.
Dry floor screed
The next step is to install the slabs. It is advisable to purchase such products that have special grooves for laying. A similar need is associated with the fact that the plates are not attached to the base of the floor. They need to be pressed as tightly as possible to the wall surfaces so that they can withstand serious loads without problems. In the grooves, the joints between the slabs are treated with glue for construction work and additionally fastened every 7-10 cm with self-tapping screws.
Now all you have to do is trim off the parts of the foil and the edge band that rise above the floor base. The dry screed is ready. Believe me, it is as strong and reliable as it is when wet.
Wooden logs make it possible to level the floor, raise it to the required height, and also provide high-quality insulation. To carry out the work, you need to stock up on plywood, ordinary thin boards, GSP or GVL boards, self-tapping screws, mineral wool, expanded clay or other heat insulator, dowels. Then follow the instructions:
- You clean the floor on the balcony from debris.
- Waterproof the base with a polyethylene film or modern foam foam material (do not forget to bring the edges of the material onto the walls).
- Mount wooden logs on the insulation layer. The optimal section of such bars is 5 by 5 cm. If the base needs to be raised higher, use products with large dimensions. You can also fasten several lags in height, using self-tapping screws for these purposes. The bars are connected to the floor base every 0.5 m with dowels. The distance between the walls of the balcony and the extreme wood products is usually taken no more than 10 cm.
- Place the selected insulation between the logs. It is recommended to use expanded clay and polystyrene as a heat-insulating material for open structures. Basalt wool and glass wool, popular among home craftsmen, are best used on closed balconies.
Leveling the floor with wooden logs
When laying the heat insulator, try not to leave gaps between the pieces of material. They cause cold bridges.
The final stage of work is the finishing of the built leveling structure. Do this operation from the materials that you like the most. The most commonly used boards are OSB and GVL. Well, lay terrace boards, linoleum, carpet, tiles or laminated products on the rough floor.
Congratulations on your perfectly flat floor base on your balcony!