How to insulate the floor on the balcony

Qualitatively equipped balcony significantly increases the useful space, which is so lacking in urban apartments. The main condition for this arrangement is a competent heat insulation, which can be done on their own. The most laborious stage is the warming of the floor on the balcony, so it takes more time. Begin the work with the study of the characteristics of popular heaters and how to install them.

Features of the thermal insulation of the balcony

Since balcony protrudes, floor slabs are continually exposed to the environment. They freeze, they are heated by the sun, they draw moisture from the air and from this more and more are destroyed. If the floor is covered with heavy material and the thick layer of concrete is poured over the insulation, the ceilings can not withstand and collapse. Promotes collapse and improper preparation of the substrate, for example, if you damage the reinforcing frame in the plate itself.

To avoid such complications, before starting work, you should carefully check the condition of the balcony overlaps, the integrity of all its structures, calculate the maximum permissible load.

structures. And not only the weight of the insulation, the screed and the finish coat, but also the weight of the parapet, insulating glass, walls and ceiling, as well as the furniture to be furnished with a balcony. According to the standards, has an unloadable load of 200 kg / m2 on the balcony floor, , provided that the condition of the slabs is satisfactory.

Which insulation is better

More often than not, balconies are insulated with mineral wool, foam, foam foam and foam - lightweight and easy-to-use materials.

Mineral wool perfectly keeps heat, does not let street noise, does not burn and does not emit harmful fumes, it is not damaged by rodents.

A layer of cotton wool 4 cm thick according to the thermal insulation properties corresponds to 60 cm brick masonry. It is produced in rolls and plates, it fits easily and serves a long time. But this mineral wool is very hygroscopic material, and after getting wet completely loses its ability to retain heat. In addition, the porous structure promotes the development of microorganisms, which negatively affects the strength of the structure and the microclimate of the balcony. Avoid this will help high-quality waterproofing floors and the insulation.

Penoplex and polystyrene have similar properties. They are produced in slabs of various thickness and density, the installation does not require special efforts, but such insulation for years. Due to the presence of fire retardants in the composition, these materials do not burn, which is also a big plus. The difference of the penopolix from the foam in a denser structure, increased thermal insulation properties and chemical inertness, so it is much more expensive.

Penofol refers to expanded polyethylene coated on one or both sides with aluminum foil. It is available in rolls with a thickness of 3 to 10 mm, at the joints is connected with aluminum tape. The material perfectly muffles sounds and does not pass moisture at all, but has not the highest thermal insulation properties. For greater efficiency, its laying is performed together with other insulation, for example, expanded polystyrene plates.

Preparing for operation

The preparatory stage is very responsible, because the quality of the floor insulation depends to a large extent on this. Slots in the ceilings, mold in the corners, large irregularities on the concrete base will reduce the efficiency of thermal insulation at times, money and time will be wasted. Therefore, you should work hard and prepare a balcony for your conscience.

Step 1. Dismantling the

coating The boards, linoleum or other coating are removed and taken out. If the floor is tiled and has no defects and chips, it is simply cleaned of dust and debris. The cracked and peeling concrete screed must be knocked down to the floor slab itself, cracked along the perimeter of the floor and cleaned of debris.

Step 2. Repair work

After removing old floors, you should carefully inspect the floor slabs and evaluate their condition. Also you need to check the strength and integrity of the parapet, the joints of the balcony with the wall of the house. If necessary, the structure is strengthened, the joints are closed with mortar or blow out with foam. Separate defects in slabs are eliminated with mortars, if the surface of the base is too uneven, it is better to make a new screed with a layer of 3-4 cm. When the floor is hardened, the ceiling, walls and windows are insulated, but without finishing.

is glued under the ceiling of the balcony. Step 3. Waterproofing of the floor

Dry and clean base is covered with a primer and again dried, and then a waterproofing membrane or usual polyethylene film is laid. The edges of the film must be wound 10 cm on the walls and fixed with a stapler;adjacent pieces of film overlap, and the seams are glued with adhesive tape. You can use a waterproofing coating: a dust-free screed is treated with a bitumen-based liquid mastic, dried, another layer is applied. After the mastic is dry, the floor is painted with a special polymer mixture.

The order of the floor insulation

For work you will need:

• jigsaw;
• drill with nozzles;
• mounting foam;
• thermal insulation material;
• mounting foam;
• construction knife;
• pencil, tape measure;
• plywood;
• primer for wood;
• beams 50x50 mm;
• self-tapping screws.

Step 1. Laying the first layer of

Take the insulation sheets,( foam or sheet expanded polystyrene) fit in size and put on a waterproofing film. It should be ensured that there are no gaps in the corners and at the joints - the cold will penetrate through them. The joints between the plates must not coincide, for this purpose each sheet is moved to the side.

is fixed to the floor and walls Step 2. Installation of the log

The antiseptic treated beams are cut to the width of the floor and installed on a heater. The extreme bars should be located at the very walls, intermediate - every 50-60 cm. After that, put the level on the logs and check the horizontal. All the bars are set according to the level, after which they are fixed with self-tapping screws in at least 4 places. Extreme screws are screwed at a distance of 7 cm from the ends of the beams.

Step 3. Laying the second layer of insulation

Now between the beams it is necessary to lay the second layer of material tightly. Heat insulation cut into the size of cells and alternately inserted between the lags, trying not to make gaps. The thermal insulation layer should not rise above the beams, this will prevent the laying of the finish coat. Formed cracks blow out assembly foam.

foam pen Step 4. Finishing finish

If mineral wool is used for insulation, another layer of waterproofing will be required to protect the insulation from condensate frompremises. For foam and polystyrene, this protection is not needed. On top of the logs plywood is filled, pre-primed and dried, or boards thickness of 30 mm. You can also close the insulation with a dry or dry screed, but this will increase the load on the floor. Plywood and boards can be laid with linoleum, lay on them a laminate or make a simple boardwalk.

Warming with foam and expanded polystyrene

With combined insulation, the order of work differs slightly:

• unwind a roll of penofol and cut a piece along the length of the balcony + 40 cm;
• lay the material on a clean and dry base, leading the edges to the walls of the balcony;
• joints are sealed with an aluminum tape;
  

  Laying foamofol

• saw the beam along the width of the balcony;
• set the extreme lags at a distance of 5 cm from the walls;
  

  Laying the log on penofol

  

  Laying the log on penofol

  

  The logs are stacked on top of the foam foam layer

• having retreated from the first log 50 cm, fixing the second one, and so on to the opposite wall;
• check the level of the bars, level to the floor;
• the openings between the lags are filled with expanded polystyrene plates for the thickness of the beam, the joints are frosted;
  

  Stacking of expanded polystyrene

  

  Stacking of expanded polystyrene between the cells of the log

• again cut off penofol and lay it on the insulation foil up, seal the joints.

This completes the insulation process and begins the installation of the finishing floor. If everything is done according to the rules, the balcony room will remain dry and warm even in severe frost. But the appearance of condensate will indicate the wrong thickness of the insulation or poorly executed waterproofing.

	Heater Thermal conductivity heaters( W / m · 0C)
mineral( basalt) wool	0,034-0,040
polyurethane foam slab	0,022-0,026
Polyurethane sprayed	0,019-0,030
Styrofoam( polystyrene)	0,038-0,042
Penofol	0,047-0,050

Video - how to insulate the floor on the balcony