How to insulate the loggia with your own hands

It is much easier to warm a loggia than a balcony, and if you plan to use it not only to store everything that is not fit in the apartment, but also as another cozy room, warming is a must. After all, this will not only significantly reduce heat loss, but also prevent the penetration of street noise, dust and harmful gases.

Preparatory work for

loggia Before starting the warming itself, a number of preparatory measures should be carried out.

Stage 1. Preparing the parapet

The parapet is the outer enclosure, which is the most vulnerable part of the structure. Parapet contacts directly with the street and in most cases represents a reinforced concrete slab. Before the insulation in the parapet, you need to repair the cracks - for example, lay it with a brick( there will be enough laying in ½ of the brick so as not to overload the overlap).

If the parapet is metal and its level does not coincide with the upper overlap, then first laying this element and side walls. It is advisable to use foam blocks for this, although ceramic bricks are also suitable. The outer surface is finished with siding, which also will slightly insulate the loggia.

Please note! All elements of wood should be treated with antiseptic to prevent the appearance of bacteria and, as a consequence, rotting of the material.

Stage 2. Glazing

First the glazing should be glazed. It is advisable to install plastic double-glazed windows, and install the installation to experienced professionals. Packages should have a minimum of two chambers, the thickness of the glass( total) should be at least 3.2 cm. With competent installation, the double-glazed windows will be surrounded on all sides by special expansion profiles.

After installation, all joints are filled with mounting foam( the latter must be laid flat, without any drops and cracks).After that, the foam is masked by the racks from the outside to protect it from UV rays.

Pay attention! Sometimes at this stage a heating appliance is mounted. In fact, this makes no sense, because without competent insulation of all the elements of the construction, the temperature in it will be only two to three degrees higher than in the street.

Stage 3. Preparation of all necessary

For the insulation of the loggia you will need the following materials:

• heater( preferably styrofoam);
• wooden slats 2х5, 3х5, 2x4.5 or 3х4.5 cm;
• mounting foam;
• galvanized suspensions;
• vapor barrier;
• guides;
• plastic dowels;
• timber for logs 5x7 cm;
• reinforced adhesive tape;
• antiseptic.

Also required a number of tools:

• puncher;
• foam gun;
• building level;
• electric jig saw;
• level;
• pliers;
• metal shears;
• screwdriver;
• measuring tape;
• marker.

How to insulate the loggia with your own hands

After completing the preparatory work, you can proceed directly to the insulation. You should start from the ceiling.

Step 1. Insulation of

ceiling Step 1. First, the suspensions are attached to the ceiling, which are necessary for further fixing of the rails.

Step 2. Slots for hanging are made in slabs of polystyrene foam.

Step 3. The slabs are fixed with a mounting foam or with dowels made of plastic.

Please note! The diameter of the core of the dowels is selected depending on the total weight of the insulation.

Step 4. All holes are filled with foam.

Stage 2. Thermal insulation of the floor

Step 1. First of all, the pads are laid on the floor from a bar pre-treated with an antiseptic - they will serve as a support for the structure.

Please note! When installing the gaskets, they should be checked periodically by the building level for horizontality.

It must also be ensured that the crate does not protrude above the thermal insulation layer by a maximum of 5 mm.

Step 2. By means of self-tapping screws, lugs are attached to the supports. Between the latter placed thermal insulation plates.

Step 3. The vapor barrier layer is laid( upwards with foil).

At the same time, there should be no joints in the outer corners of the material, otherwise cold bridges will inevitably form, as they are called. By the way, the reason for the appearance of such bridges can also be:

• metal frame, fixed in the plates themselves;
• wooden logs installed in the same way.

Step 4. All connections are glued with mounting tape to achieve the "thermos effect".

With the floor over, you can move on.

Stage 3. Thermal insulation of walls

The necessity of the walls of the construction in the insulation is determined. The front wall, as well as the corners that are adjacent to it, need careful thermal insulation. Further, the height of the additional expanders is indicated.

As a heater, it is desirable to use foam plates with a selected quarter, which will prevent the formation of through holes in the joints. If these plates were not found, the conventional ones are taken and stacked in two layers. In this case, the seams should be displaced in order to avoid the appearance of through holes. The first layer is fixed on the overlapping plate using plastic dowels. The next one can be fixed on the first one using a mounting foam.

So, you need the insulation:

• of the side walls bordering the street;
• corners of walls that are adjacent to other rooms;
• walls touching other loggias.

Under the double-glazed window and along it a vertical strip of insulation is fixed along the side and front walls. The height of the strip should be equal to the side walls, and on the width:

• in a brick house - not less than 50 cm;
• in the panel house - at least 30 cm.

For fixing, you can use all the same mounting foam. At the corners, the thermal insulation is laid in a layer of 2-3 cm, after which it is covered with a foiled vapor barrier as in the case of floor insulation.

Please note! For a more effective effect, the vapor barrier is attached to the "warm" side of the insulation.

With the help of hangers, pre-installed on the walls, the guides are fixed. This is necessary in order to create an air "cushion" between the finishing material and the insulation. It is characteristic that if it is planned to install dryers, curtains or lighting fixtures, the guides under them should be installed exactly at this stage of the work.

As a guide you can use both a galvanized metal profile and an ordinary wooden bar( covered with an antiseptic, of course).

Stage 4. Interior finishing

After installing the heater it only remains to give the loggia a finished look, that is, to trim the walls.

Step 1. First all the surfaces are covered with a lath of 2 x 4 cm. The fixing of the bar is made directly to the base with dowels or screws. The horizontal level is controlled by the building level.

Step 2. The finishing material is attached to the crate. In most cases, use gypsum board or plastic panels, because they are characterized by increased resistance to moisture. In this case, it is better to choose the second option, because gypsum cardboard requires labor-intensive subsequent work - priming, puttying and finishing with a finishing coat.

Step 3. Under the windows that go to the loggia from the adjacent room, plastic windowsills are installed. Under the door is a threshold made of polyvinyl chloride. It is characteristic that a separate lag treated with an antiseptic should be installed before the threshold.

Stage 5. Heat transfer

It is worth remembering that one thermal insulation material can not be insulated by a loggia. No matter how tight the structure is, heat will not appear there, if it is not let down. In view of the fact that it is forbidden to bring water heating to the loggia by state standards, the heat convector is an excellent option. If the area of ​​the loggia exceeds 6 m², you can put two convectors at opposite ends at once. In addition, you can install an electric fireplace or a portable oil heater.

A more effective, but at the same time more labor-intensive option - installation of an electric warm floor. To do this, even at the stage of thermal insulation over the foam plastic, lay the cable for the warm floor, bending it so that the maximum area of ​​the loggia is covered. Further all this is covered with a concrete screed with a thickness of the order of 45-50 mm.

To prepare the solution you will need:

• cement "four hundredth" brand;
• water;
• sand( mixed with cement in a 5: 1 ratio).

When the screed is dry, ceramic tiles are laid on top of it.

How much will it cost to heat the

loggia Having studied the insulation technology, one can ask how much it will cost. At first glance, everything is quite expensive:

• 8 000 rubles for building materials( for a loggia of 3 m²);
• 11 000 rubles - supply of electricity and underfloor heating systems;
• is still 7 000-8 000 if glazing is required.

As a result - about 30 000 rubles. But it is worth considering that materials from European manufacturers are of higher quality and, therefore, more expensive.

If you look at insulation as an investment for many years to come, the cost seems not so high, because overzealous with savings, in a few years will have to re-do everything anew.

Typical errors

. If the insulation was not properly made, condensation forms on the loggia walls( so-called "weeping walls" effect).This is explained quite simply: on contact with a cold wall, warm air condenses. If the moisture accumulates too much, the thermal insulation material will begin to lose its properties, and a fungus will appear on the surface, gradually destroying the structure.

If the loggia periodically flows, then all joints between the panels should be carefully sealed.

As a conclusion

To turn a loggia into a full-fledged living room, it takes a lot of effort, time and money. But it's much better to spend a couple of months on repairs, than to complain about "mess" in the loggia for dozens of years. More details about the technology of insulation can be found in the video below.

Video - Warming of the loggia