Do-it-yourself balcony decoration is not so difficult

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Plastic trim for the balcony

Do-it-yourself loggias and balconies are often finished. Often used for the operation of plastic panels.
This is pretty bad stuff. The panels come in various forms and have a large color gamut.
But they are not suitable for all rooms. In this article, we will figure out where such a design fits completely, and where it is not worth using it.
You can see photos and videos and decide on the possibility of finishing. Step-by-step instructions will be given to complete this work.

Advantages and disadvantages

Loggia decoration DIY plastic can completely solve your problem with the design of the room, or it may not suit you.
Let's look at what can attract or push away in this material:

• Without a doubt, this will turn out to be a rather durable design. Moreover, it does not respond to temperature changes and high humidity.
  Elements retain their original appearance and color for a long time;
• Finishing plastic balcony will not cost much. The price of the material is much lower than natural;
• The panels themselves provide sound insulation. During installation, you can also provide additional insulation;
• No complicated installation. The work can be completed in a couple of days, and do it yourself and reduce the cost of the entire finish;
• Not complicated care that does not require costs. Just wipe the panels with a damp cloth;
• All the same, plastic is not a natural material, so you should not perform finishes in a living room. Or where you spend a lot of time;
• In case of fire, these elements will burn strongly. Yes, and do not install them in direct sunlight.
  If the balcony is located on the sunny side, do not try your luck, it is better to abandon this option;
• After installation, an unpleasant odor persists for a long time;
• Panels tolerate reduced temperature differences. But if it happens abruptly, then the elements can quickly deform;
• There is a possibility of mechanical damage. But we must pay tribute, in this case, you can simply replace the element with another. It does not take much time;

Attention: When buying, you should pay attention to the elements. It’s just that in our time there are on sale harmful materials of this type that can harm human health.
Check certificates of quality and product conformity. Pay attention to size. Quality materials have the right shape.

Balcony decoration

If you still chose this material and it completely suits you, it's time to tell you how to finish the loggia with your own hands with plastic. This work is done according to its own rules, which are worth observing.
Everything can be done with your own hands, the main thing is to be patient and not a complicated tool that can be found in almost any household.

Training

Before the beginning balcony trim some rules should be followed and the premises prepared. Otherwise, you will not get the desired result.
DIY finishing of balconies begins with this:

• To begin with, you should remove the old coating. To do this, use a brush for metal;
• We do an inspection of the plane, if there is a detachment of the previous coating, then it must be removed. To do this, use a hammer and chisel;
• After that, we need to treat the surface of the antifungal mixture. She is in retail.
  We do the processing a couple of times. This will protect the plane from the occurrence of fungus and mold;
• We are waiting for the surface to dry completely and do a surface treatment with a primer. To do this, use a roller or spray gun;

Frame installation

Do-it-yourself plastic loggia is finished on the frame. It is he who creates the surface for the correct fastening of the panels.
It will determine the correct configuration. This work is done from a wooden beam.
Its thickness should be determined based on what you want to install. If insulation is used, then take the thickness of this material and add another cm.
The fact is that the insulation does not need to be pressed, it must be fixed tightly, but at the same time it cannot be deformed, otherwise it will lose its properties.

Attention: Before work it is necessary to process a wooden bar with antiseptics. To do this, purchase liquid in retail.
Give preference to deep penetration material and do the treatment twice. After this, let the material dry completely.
To do this, it must be brought to the place of work per day.

So:

• Now we do the inspection of the room. We need to determine the level of the crate. To do this, it is best to use a wooden lath and simply attach it to the surface of the wall and check its location using a plumb line.
  It will immediately become clear to us at what height the timber should be fastened;
• Now we nail the bar around the perimeter of the wall. To do this, cut it with a hacksaw. Do not make a joint of wood at the end.
  Make a gap of the order of 5 mm at each end;

We fasten the beam

• To make the connection, we use a punch. We use dowels as fasteners.
  To do this, do not use these elements from the kits. They will not give the necessary rigidity.
  Take separately plastic soothers and self-tapping screws to them a couple of mm more from the size of the hole. It is such a connection that will give the desired rigidity.
  After all, the design has its own weight, which will be fully supported on the frame;

Making the ceiling lathing

• Now we cut and nail the beam across the frame. Plastic elements should be fixed perpendicular to the beam.
  The distance between which should be about 50 cm. When installing, we do the height adjustment, for this we use gaskets that can be made using wood.
  The connection is performed using dowels;

Attention: For the correct definition of the plane, it is necessary to pull the fishing line between the extreme points of the frame and then you will definitely see the plane in which you want to fix the beam.

So do the processing of all surfaces. Usually this design is performed on the ceiling. Using a heater, you can make a warm room.

Wiring installation

You can finish your balcony with your own hands only after installing lighting fixtures. To do this, as a rule, they use spotlights, which begin to be installed after attaching the frame.
So:

• We determine the place of connection to the main line and fasten the junction box here. If you will use energy-saving lamps, then you need to install a step-down transformer here.
  These parts should be freely accessible, this is in case of repair;
• Now we put marks on the ceiling for the lamps. We make a cable lead here and fasten it;

Attention; When making the connection, use terminal blocks best. They will provide a reliable and high-quality connection.
Avoid twisting.

• At the places of installation of lighting devices, we release the cable so that it is enough for a free connection and cut it;
• We connect lighting devices and look at the work. If everything suits, then remove the lights and turn off the light on the branch.

If you decide to install additional insulation, then it's time to do it.

We warm the ceiling on the balcony

Plastic panel mount

If facing the loggia is done, then the work starts from the walls and then on the ceiling:

Try on customize the joints

• We start work from the corner of the loggia. We fix the starting plastic element. For this we use self-tapping screws or a mounting stapler.
  The plastic comb should look towards work;
• The panel is cut to the desired size with a hacksaw. We insert it into the corner groove and fasten it along the fixing shelf to the tree using screws or staples.
  If you exchange nails, then the blows should be applied using a lining, so as not to damage the surface of the plastic;

Attention: When joining the panels in the groove, you should monitor the tightness of the elements. It must be tough.
We do not cut the panels end-to-end, but make a gap of 5 mm.

Mounting with a mounting profile

This method is more convenient and simple. Here, the installation uses special clips that securely fasten the plastic.
So:

• We fix plastic slats on the frame with a step of 50-50 cm;
• We attach the angular profile and use the clips to snap it;
• Each cut-out panel is inserted into the groove of the previous one and after that it should be snapped onto the rail;

After wall decoration, you can mount on the ceiling. This work also starts from the wall.
And the entire plane is sheathed. At the installation site of lighting devices, we do as follows.
They put plastic and made a mark on the installation point of the lamp. They removed the panel and put it on a flat plane.
We made a hole with a drill with a crown, which should be purchased in advance. And take exactly the diameter that you require.
They put the panel and released the cable into the hole and now you can make the fasteners. Now it remains to nail the baseboard along the contour of the ceiling, which will hide the errors.
As can be seen from the above, this work is not so difficult. Most importantly, take your time and make the correct markup.
Be sure to watch the video of the decoration of balconies and loggias with your own hands, this will also help you.