Balcony
01/22/201609/10/2016 Olga Bilovitskaya decoration, wall decoration
The balcony is part of the apartment; we can say that it is the owner’s calling card. Everyone is free to use the extra meters as they please, but it is much more pleasant to realize that the area is being used rationally and that it looks decent. It’s not difficult to decorate it with your own hands, the main thing is to part with unnecessary things that have been stored there for years.
Arranging a balcony with your own hands will allow you to realize your own ideas and get a green area outside the apartment and use it at any time.
Balcony floor repair
After clearing the space, you can often find a damaged concrete slab and reinforcement sticking out of it. After removing all areas of crumbling concrete, you need to put the floor in order.
Considering that the balcony always has a slight slope towards the street, it is necessary to purchase a little more cement-sand mixture than for pouring a straight layer.
Before repairing the floor, you will have to transform the outer walls of the balcony by covering them with a profiled sheet. It is better to choose a sheet of neutral color. Only after this it is necessary to create formwork from the boards so that the cement does not flow onto the heads of passers-by or to neighbors living below.
You can read how to dilute the mixture on each package; all the proportions are given there. For each brand of cement, the ratio of water to dry mixture is different. There is one caveat: although the balcony is part of the apartment, the lack of heating makes it part of the street. When choosing a cement-sand mixture, it is better that it contains frost-resistant cement. After pouring a layer of cement into the formwork, you must give it at least a day to dry.
Balcony canopy
Having made the floor close to the walls, you will have to take care to ensure that water does not get inside. This is not difficult to do - just cover the sides of the balcony with the same profiled sheet and make a canopy on top, from a narrow piece of polycarbonate.
It is not necessary to drill into a concrete slab to do this, disturbing the neighbors above. You can make a canopy on wooden blocks.
The height of the bars must correspond to the height of the balcony. The cross-section can be 4x4 or 5x5 - it doesn’t matter. To create the necessary slope for water drainage, the upper part of the block must be cut at an angle of 30⁰. You can do this yourself using a hacksaw or jigsaw. By securing a rail between the bars with an inclination equal to the cut angle of their upper edge, additional support for the visor is created. Polycarbonate can be attached to bars and laths using self-tapping screws with wide heads - this is more reliable and more beautiful than putting it on nails.
All that remains is to attach the bars to the corner metal elements of the balcony using thick wire. You can protect wood from rain and hide joints with corrugated sheets using decorative white corners used when covering with polyvinyl chloride panels.
If the house is old and the brickwork does not look its best, PVC panels can be an excellent interior decoration.
Cover the balcony with panels
The main thing is not to choose bright panel colors and specific patterns. For a room facing the street, it is more advisable to choose neutral tones. Even for those who have never covered walls with panels or clapboards, it is quite possible to do the job from start to finish with your own hands. To do this, you will need thin wooden slats for sheathing, a drill (preferably a hammer drill), panels, dowels, self-tapping screws, and a construction stapler with staples.
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When covering a room with panels, a vertical arrangement is often used, so the slats must be placed horizontally on the wall. In the corners of the walls you will have to secure bars of the same size as those on which the canopy is supported. The panels are light, there is no point in doing frequent lathing. Enough for 3 slats on the wall, and between the posts of the visor. The wooden parts are attached to the wall with self-tapping screws into dowels. It is simpler and easier to carry out this stage of work with a screwdriver.
A stapler used for upholstery will help attach the panels to the slats. The brackets hold the panels in place perfectly, creating the appearance of a monolithic wall. The same corners will help to decorate the corners of the sheathing; they will hide cuts and small flaws in the “walking” walls.
So, step by step, slowly, thinking through each step of the repair in a week, you can transform the balcony with your own hands.
Loggia lighting
Lighting of loggias or balconies, as a rule, is not provided for in the construction of apartment buildings, therefore, at the beginning of the renovation, electrical wiring should be carried out and the installation points of lighting fixtures, sockets, and switches should be determined.
- Direct light lamps are suitable for a loggia with a low ceiling. They help to focus the beam on a specific object or highlight a local area, making it more comfortable.
- Ambient light fixtures are usually located on the ceiling, so it is better to choose models with flat shades. The power and spectrum of the lamp can be any, depending on the volume of the room, wishes, shade of the color palette used in the design
- Reflective light lamps do not dazzle the eyes and have a spectrum that is comfortable for humans. A very interesting and original modern solution.
- LED strip is used as additional lighting, to create a special mood, or just for beauty. Most often they are laid under the window sill or along the perimeter of the ceiling
You should not use bulky lighting fixtures, chandeliers, floor lamps, etc. in a small area. If you want to give up spotlights, then it is better to replace them with flat ceiling or compact sconces.
A little imagination, work, financial investment and the loggia will turn from a storage room into a cozy and functional room. A place where it will be pleasant to spend time, work or relax. Of course, a lot depends on the size, but the competent design of balconies and loggias allows you to re-equip the room to suit your needs and desires almost always.
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Decoration
For an open balcony in the summer, the best decoration is decorative plants. It is not necessary to buy seedlings and grow flowers in boxes. Most housewives have unpretentious flowers in their homes, such as geraniums. This flower enjoys the open air so much that it blooms all summer long. And the inflorescences of this type of plant have many colors and shades - white, red, pink, orange.
It is enough to place several holders for birch-type flower pots on the external wall of the house or attach a vertical stand, the balcony will instantly turn into a flowering gazebo.
Here you should put a bench for relaxation or a couple of folding chairs. You can make a bench and flower stands with your own hands. Climbing plants will help you create a gazebo covered with ivy from your balcony. It is not necessary to use decorative grapes, cucumbers or garden vines. How they will take root is an open question. And remontant varieties of strawberries are distinguished by the fact that, like all climbing varieties, they cling to ropes, twigs and other protrusions with the help of tendrils. Their greenery is dense, and they bear fruit from the end of June to the end of October. You can set up such a home garden with your own hands in an urban environment.
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Loggia design: where to start
Despite the persistent tendency to convert loggias into offices, recreation areas, or combine them with living space, many continue to use them as a storage room, drying room, and storage of necessary and unnecessary rubbish. This is everyone’s personal choice, but before starting renovations, you should finally decide what kind of loggia should be: warm, cold or permanent?
- Cold - in this case, the functionality of the loggia will be very limited; the room remains a place for storing things that are not afraid of seasonal temperature changes. Repair involves minimal insulation. Any windows with single glass, metal or aluminum profiles are suitable for glazing. The main condition for a cold loggia is complete sealing, the choice of frost-resistant materials with good resistance to high humidity.
- Warm is the result of high-quality insulation, hydro- and vapor barriers, as well as the installation of windows with suitable energy-saving properties. Heating is provided by underfloor heating, a radiator or the installation of a portable heater. There are no very high requirements for the choice of finishing materials.
- A capital loggia can be called a loggia if it is combined with a living space. In this case, heat, steam, and waterproofing must be of very high quality. Any materials intended for residential premises can be used for the arrangement.
Where to dry clothes?
A reasonable question for every housewife is where to dry clothes if the balcony is designed for relaxation. Windows hung with rows of fluttering linen look bad, but not all city residents have another option. There is a way out: dry your clothes on the balcony without displaying them. To do this, you need to pull the ropes not under the ceiling, but below the railing.
You won’t remove the ropes after each drying either. An excellent solution for storing laundry is a folding drying rack. As they say, the wolves are fed and the sheep are safe.
Glazed balcony
It’s even easier to make a glazed balcony a more comfortable place to relax with your own hands. If the glazing is panoramic, you can use roller blinds or blinds on the sides of the balcony - this will protect the tiny room from excessive heating. But the best protection from the scorching sun will be athermal film.
The properties of the athermal film are such that it repels the sun's rays without reducing the passage of light into the room, which keeps the balcony cool on a hot day.
A glazed balcony provides great possibilities for interior decoration. The walls can be covered with natural wood, which will help further protect the room from frost in winter. So that the balcony still serves as an additional storage room, you can make a locker from the same carriage board. True, this does not go well with panoramic glazing, but if the side walls are covered, then the cabinet will fit in very organically.
Interior design ideas for a 3 square meter loggia
Often, a loggia is a small room that is used as a warehouse for storing vegetables and seasonal items. Thanks to our ideas and tips, this small space can be used more efficiently, not only increasing its functionality, but also creating a cozy corner where you can spend time. When choosing any of the proposed ideas, it is important that the loggia combines practicality and functionality, and an attractive appearance. To arrange a loggia, it is important not only to choose a style, but also to think through it wisely.
Loggia in loft style
The interior of a room decorated in a loft style implies a lack of warm comfort, because it is replaced by restraint, emphasis and coldness. A loft is the choice of an owner who prefers laconic and strict forms, beautiful furniture, and modern design. There is no place for disorder and chaos; it is important to saturate the space with light, visually creating a spacious room.
As finishing materials, you can use textured plaster and paint in cool tones, and brickwork. The flooring is concrete, plywood sheets, the ceiling is wooden. A mandatory attribute is large, or better yet, panoramic windows. As for furniture, its quantity should be minimal, the material should be metal or wood.
As for textiles, the loft prefers bright pillows, bedspreads and furniture upholstery. Primary colors: yellow, orange and green, while textiles can have original patterns and designs. Flags and posters, paintings and funny signs are used for decoration. Metal table lamps with LED lighting in cool shades are used as light sources.
Loggia in Provence style
In this case, natural materials and vintage items are used to decorate the room. The color scheme should be gentle and calm, for example, you can use pistachio, lavender or terracotta shade. The walls can be decorated with brickwork with imitation of antiquity, artistic painting or textured plaster. The flooring is stone or wood, the ceiling is wooden.
As for additional elements, there are no textiles on the windows, but a rug on the floor is a must. The furniture is an ottoman, a small round table, an antique chest of drawers and a rocking chair, complemented by pillows with floral patterns.
Modern and minimalism
Also, modern styles are used to decorate a small loggia, including minimalism and modernism. Modernism is smooth lines and shapes, natural motifs and panoramic glazing. Minimalism is a minimum of furniture, but a maximum of space and light, thanks to which even a small loggia will seem free and cozy.
Locker for the balcony
It’s not difficult to make a cabinet with your own hands, just buy material for the outer wall, shelves and make doors from veneer or plywood. One wall of the cabinet will be the wall of the house, and the top will be the ceiling of the balcony. When assembling a cabinet wall from boards, you can use medium-thick slats, screwing them on the inside with self-tapping screws. These slats will serve as the basis for the shelves. The second row of slats is screwed onto the wall.
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To fasten the cabinet doors you will need piano hinges or regular hinges - depending on who you like. If such a cabinet should have 2 doors, then a vertical block must also be secured to the wall so that the width of the outer wall and the edge of the block are at the same distance from the end side of the balcony, unless this is an intentional asymmetry.
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What's your budget?
If you have Napoleonic plans for arranging a balcony, this issue is worth thinking carefully about, because decorating this space is quite expensive. The simplest glazing option will cost you at least 10,000 rubles. Insulation is not any cheaper, and these are only two points.
