Consider where to start decorating the loggia

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Parapet on the loggia

You want to repair a balcony or a loggia with your own hands, but you do not know: how and in what order to perform work, what materials are better to use? We will try to cover this issue as thoroughly as possible.
This article will discuss how to start decorating a balcony, and in what way it is most simple to do.

Parapet masonry

The technology for completing the work from which you need to start finishing the loggia will depend on its design, condition, presence or absence of previously made repairs. We will consider the option when no finishing and glazing was made, and the parapet, as in the photo, is made of metal rods.
In this case, you need to start with the parapet device, and this is the most important part of the job.

Typical balcony in Khrushchev

So:

• This structural element is designed to solve three problems at once: fencing, insulation and retention of the window frame. The balcony, in its configuration, is somewhat different from the loggia - it will have a parapet not only in front, but also at the ends.
• For laying the parapet, either brick or cinder blocks are used. You just need to remember that the weight of the structure should be as low as possible, especially on the balcony.
  The balcony slab, of course, has a certain margin of safety, but it is not designed for heavy loads.
• Therefore, the masonry is done in half a brick - this is quite enough. But silicate brick by weight is very heavy.
  The most suitable option for the parapet on the balcony are foam concrete blocks.
• They are produced in different sizes, for a parapet width of 10 cm is quite suitable. The porous structure of the foam block not only reduces the weight of the wall, but also improves the sound insulation and insulation of the balcony.

Foam blocks

• Loggia decoration for beginners, requires a careful approach. If you are doing any work for the first time, watch a video, read related articles.
  Before starting the erection of the masonry, make careful measurements, accurately determining the height of the parapet.
• Masonry begins along the old fence, along its contour, aligning the blocks with the help of a building level and a plumb line. If a screen was installed on the metal parapet: from a flat slate or metal profile - you can not remove it.
• If you are not going to make external furnish of a balcony, the screen will protect a laying from influence of rainfall and wind. Under the first row of blocks, on a cleaned plate you need to lay a strip of roofing material, or any other waterproofing material.
• For the production of block masonry, there are many options for special adhesive mixtures. They are sold dry, simply mixed with water in the ratio provided by the manufacturer's instructions.
  To do this, you need a tank, twenty liters, and a construction mixer or drill with a nozzle.

Mixtures for masonry foam blocks

• To give the parapet additional strength, reinforcement is necessary during the laying process. First, in the place where the masonry is connected to the walls of the house.
  With the help of a drill and a hammer, iron rods are driven into the walls.
• The distance between them should be such that the opposite ends of the reinforcement fit into the horizontal joints between the blocks. Blocks are stacked so that each block of the next row overlaps the seam of the previous row.
• The second place to be reinforced is the window sill. If the ends of the balcony will not be glazed, and you want to masonry along the entire height, horizontal reinforcement with a galvanized mesh must be made every half meter of masonry.

Window sill reinforcement

• To make it easier to understand how the reinforcement is made, we have given a scheme where: 1) the laying of the wall 2) the window sill of the parapet 3) the reinforcing mesh; 4) solution.
• In order to lay the reinforcing mesh, a horizontal strob is cut out in the right row with a grinder. The fittings are placed in it so that it does not protrude above the surface of the blocks.After that, the recess is filled with a solution.

Attention! The last row of masonry should be laid out from solid blocks. Therefore, if necessary, the height of the parapet is adjusted in the penultimate row.
Foam blocks are easily cut with a circular saw, and even a hacksaw.

• After the parapet is ready, you can invite specialists from the company where you will order the windows to measure. You just have to wait until they are manufactured and installed, and only then think about where to start decorating the balcony.

Variant of frameless glazing of the balcony

In the event that the base parapet on your balcony is of artistic value, and you do not want to part with it, you can just make frameless glazing. Its price is somewhat more expensive, but due to the fact that it is not necessary to lay out the block parapet, and to trim it from the inside, even savings will be obtained.
The only negative of this option is that the balcony will be beautiful, but cold.

Interior decoration

And so, after laying the parapet and installing the windows, we got a small room.
Now you have to finish the balcony - where to start:

• Of course, with waterproofing! The simplest version of this work can be considered as applying a penetrating waterproofing composition to the surface of the external walls, preferably universal.

Penetrating waterproofing

Further actions will depend on whether you want to additionally insulate the loggia, and which wall decoration material you choosed. If the installation of insulation is not required, the best way could be to finish the balcony with decorative plaster.

Surface plastering

For facing an unheated loggia, you can use not only soft decorative plaster, which is popularly called "liquid wallpaper". For this purpose, apply all types of compositions intended for exterior decoration of facades.
So:

• Textured plaster for finishing balconies can be not only relief. This refers to a pattern, or relief, not applied to its surface with a special tool.
• A beautiful surface structure can be obtained by adding some filler, sold separately, to the base mortar of the variation plaster. It can be granite, marble or quartz chips, chips, flops.
• The first layer will be leveling, so the filler can still be added to the solution. The starting layer is designed to hide masonry seams and minor bumps on the wall surface.

Finishing the balcony with textured plaster

• When it is ready, you need to wait until the screed seizes and dries. Then, the plastered surface must be covered with a primer designed for brick and concrete.
  Each layer should be processed, no matter how many there are.

Soil composition

• Before applying the last layer, filler is added to the solution and the wall is finished. If you want to get a smooth painted wall, for plastering you need to take the usual cement-based mixture.

After treating the plastered surface with concrete contact, the walls and ceiling can be painted with water-dispersion paint. It is best to choose a latex or silicone option.
These types of paints are not afraid of temperature extremes, humidity, or ultraviolet rays.

Other work

In principle, with well-plastered walls, you can choose almost any balcony finishing options. This can be a decorative stone, and flexible acrylic tiles, washable or fiberglass wallpaper.

Casing

• And you can do well without such time-consuming work as plastering by completing one of the options for frame cladding. It allows you to: not only finish the room of the loggia, but also additionally insulate it by placing heat-insulating material in the inner cavity of the crate.
  The decorating material for walls and ceilings, in this case, are plastic and laminated panels, lining boards, siding.
• With the walls sorted out, you need to think about how to make the floor. If you want to put ceramic tiles on it, then you can do this at the end of all finishing work.
  The concrete slab of the floor must be primed and allowed to dry.
• The adhesive mixture can be added to the cement mortar, and lay the tile, while leveling the floor. If you want to put linoleum or laminate on the floor, you will first need to make a screed.
  To do this, use a self-leveling mixture, which is simply poured onto a basement covered with soil, and neatly distributed over its surface.

Mix for floor screed

• If you need to raise the floor level, you can make a plank flooring, while performing insulation. To do this, wooden logs are mounted with a step corresponding to the width of the stove insulation.
  It is laid on a waterproofing layer and covered with a vapor barrier film.

Expanded clay floor insulation

• For floor insulation, bulk materials can also be used: expanded clay or expanded polystyrene chips, which are poured onto a base covered with polyethylene. Liquid cement mortar is poured into the cells from above and the reinforcing mesh is laid.

You will get a very strong base, on top of which you can put any coating. If you will raise the floor level, you need to do this before you start wall decoration, and its final finish can be done last.
If desired, a warm floor can be arranged over the expanded clay layer, but this is a topic for another article.