It has become very popular now to use your balcony not for storing unnecessary things, but for creating a cozy corner that can be used however you wish.
You can transform the balcony into a living space, a room for summer relaxation, a winter garden, and other equally interesting ideas.
An example of a balcony converted into a living room can be seen below.
Such a renovation doesn’t require a lot of money and can certainly be done by yourself.
Most Common Balcony and Loggia Renovation Ideas
Before starting finishing and insulation work, you need to decide what exactly will be located on the balcony.
If it will be a full-fledged living space, you can create:
- a bedroom or a nursery;
- a home office or a study area;
- an additional dining room;
- a relaxation area or a library.
These are just some of the main ideas; you can also choose other options at your discretion. If you’re creating a living room, you’ll need to do full interior finishing, including insulation and complete sealing.
Equally popular is the method of extending an existing room adjacent to the balcony by removing the wall between them.
An example of such work is shown in the image below.
If you decide on this type of renovation, you won’t be able to do without the help of specialists. Moreover, it won’t be cheap.
However, if you’re not ready for significant expenses on balcony renovation, you can create a non-residential or summer space. This could be:
- a beautiful garden or conservatory;
- a summer kitchen, an arbor;
- a playroom;
- a gym with exercise equipment.
You can even decorate an unglazed balcony this way, but it will only function in the summer.
Features of Material Selection for Balcony Renovation
First and foremost, you need to remember that a balcony differs significantly in its construction from a loggia, which is enclosed by walls on three sides. A balcony extends outwards, and when finishing and decorating it, you should remember that it might not withstand heavy loads.
Therefore, when it comes to cladding, lining boards or plastic are ideal. We will discuss how to install these materials below.
If your room is going to be a living space, the first thing to do is to take care of insulation so that the room becomes habitable; the temperature in winter should be around 16 degrees Celsius.
For this, wall insulation alone is not enough; you also need to run a heating pipe, but this requires obtaining permission from the BTI (Bureau of Technical Inventory).
Humidity control must also be regulated, as it is much higher on a balcony. If humidity is elevated there, it can lead to potential damage to furniture, items stored there, and the finishing materials themselves.
Full interior finishing and insulation of the balcony are done according to this scheme.
If the balcony is to be an extension of a room, you first need to completely or partially remove the wall between the spaces, level the floor, and then proceed with cladding and finishing work on the balcony.
Balcony Glazing
Glazing is an essential initial step if you want to renovate your balcony yourself.
Here, you can either involve specialists or install PVC double-glazed windows yourself.
You determine the number of windows and opening frames yourself when measuring the entire balcony area; you can have one window and clad the rest of the space, or make the entire balcony glass.
It is also crucial to install drainage systems to prevent moisture from seeping inside.
A typical open balcony looks like a grate with metal railings; if you have such a balcony, it’s best to immediately replace the outer panels, and then you can proceed with sealing.
This task needs to be taken seriously; ultimately, the balcony should be completely sealed, meaning all outward-facing gaps should be fully filled. There should be no air exchange with the outside.
Such gaps can be sealed with construction foam, silicone, and other sealants, as well as cement mortar.
Balcony insulation can be done using the following materials:
- expanded polystyrene or foam plastic;
- mineral wool, ecowool;
- natural cork, jute insulators;
- liquid foam insulation.
Insulating with foam plastic will be the cheapest, but if its thickness is insufficient, it’s better to use thick mineral wool mats.
These insulators should initially be laid in a dense layer between the metal grates and securely fastened.
Cork insulation will be the most expensive, but its durability and quality correspond to the price.
Liquid insulation can fill all hard-to-reach places and will adhere very tightly to both the exterior and interior walls.
The ceiling needs to be insulated if you live on the top floor of the building or if your upstairs neighbor’s balcony is open and not glazed.
For this, you need to purchase CD ceiling profiles with a U-shaped cross-section. They are secured with a step of 5-7 cm, and then the chosen insulation is inserted between the ceiling base and the joists.
The profiles are fastened using nail-dowel fasteners into pre-drilled holes in the concrete base.
The crossbar, i.e., the profile’s shelf, should be attached facing inwards, because if it’s attached to concrete, you’ll need to additionally place wooden slats underneath.
A wooden crate cannot be used for ceiling insulation; if moisture penetrates inside, the entire structure can quickly rot and disintegrate.
You can see the results of balcony insulation below.
After the insulation work is completed, you can proceed with further finishing.
Preparation for Balcony Interior Finishing
At this stage, you need to create the battening for the balcony, which will be clad with the chosen material.
To do this, you need to drill holes in the metal rods of the balcony where you will attach the CD profiles. They are fastened with self-tapping screws. You can attach the battening profiles with nail-dowel fasteners, but this will be a less reliable structure.
The spacing on the battening strips should be the same as on the ceiling; all corners must include battening, as these are the main fastening points.
The battening for the wall adjacent to the room can be made of wood, but if high humidity is still a concern, it’s better not to risk it and install the same metal CD profiles. An example of battening design is shown below.
Balcony Cladding with Plastic
Before any cladding, don’t forget to first run wires for balcony lighting, if intended.
They will be run through a through-hole leading from the living room.
Three types of plastic PVC profiles will be needed:
- Straight profiles, which are attached through a crossbar to the battening itself or through the side. This profile is a U-shaped channel. They come in turn as starting, guiding, and finishing profiles; if you purchase all three types, it will be easier to install them.
- Simple corner profiles, i.e., two straight profiles joined together at a 90-degree angle. With sufficient cladding experience, they can be replaced by two straight joined profiles.
- Triple corner, which is mounted in three-sided corners.
Special attention should be paid to installing the first straight profile, as all others will be aligned to it. It must be straight and well secured.
Now you can cut all profiles to size; the last board needs to be fitted to size, trimmed in width. Along its length, apply construction adhesive, and then you can secure the second-to-last board, for which space was left.
If there’s a void remaining, you need to slightly pull out the last installed profile from the channel and join the last two boards.
After the adhesive dries, a monolithic structure will be formed, as shown in the photo below.
After this, you can clad the ceiling, if required.
Openings and niches are finished in the same way, and PVC baseboards should be placed in the remaining gaps.
If you decide to do wooden cladding using ordinary or Euro-lining boards, you need to remember that this material needs additional protection against fungus and high humidity.
For this, you can use special mixtures that treat wood, or ordinary PVA putty.
We perform insulation and sealing, as in the case of plastic cladding, but the battening is made of any wood. The width of the slats should be 2-3 cm, and the spacing will be the same as in the previous cladding.
The battening also needs to be well treated with antifungal and water-repellent compounds.
Then MDF or OSB boards are installed on the battening; they should also be well impregnated with the aforementioned mixtures or PVA putty.
Now you can lay the lining boards, which are nailed, sequentially, with small nails to the MDF or battening. It is best to butt-join the last two boards in any corner.
Now your balcony will look like this.
You can proceed with further interior finishing work; on the floor, you can make a screed from the same MDF boards and then cover it with linoleum, laminate, or other flooring of your choice.
The lining boards can be varnished or painted.
Video – DIY Balcony Renovation
In this video, you can see an example of DIY balcony finishing from start to finish. You will see that it is not difficult at all and does not require special skills or experience.
You will understand what exactly is needed to transform your balcony into a cozy and warm place.