Do-it-yourself insulation of a balcony: popular options and technologies for insulating a balcony from the inside
In order to protect the apartment as much as possible from winter cold and wind, as well as to create an additional living area, measures are taken to insulate the balcony. They do it with their own hands or hire finishers. The first solution allows you to save money, the second allows you to quickly get a professionally equipped turnkey balcony.
We will tell you how to insulate a balcony with your own hands so as to spend a minimum of money and achieve a high-quality result. The article presents technologies for thermal insulation and finishing. Information provided by experienced builders and those who like to improve their homes with their own hands.
Any construction work on thermal insulation of a room is preceded by planning, which includes the choice of the basic concept of reconstruction, the degree of insulation, the most suitable materials, and the procedure.
Organizations offering services for insulating and finishing the inside of a balcony usually have several options in stock: from “Standard”, which fully protects but does not make the area habitable, to “Lux” or “Premier”, after which you can set up a workshop on the balcony, game room or relaxation corner.
If the load-bearing structures and footage allow, on the additional territory you can realize any plans and dreams for which there was not enough space in the apartment.Example - corner for children's creativity
Thanks to planning, it is possible to calculate costs and draw up an estimate that would suit the homeowners themselves. In addition to insulation and finishing materials, it is necessary to take into account the presence or absence of double-glazed windows. If they are still not installed, then thermal insulation should begin with the installation of window frames.
Overview of thermal insulation materials
The insulation market is annually replenished with new types of high-quality products with low thermal conductivity, but the new options are mostly improved modifications of traditional materials for thermal insulation.
Technoplex is the best development of the TechnoNIKOL company. This is an already popular general purpose extruded polystyrene foam, improved by including processing additives and a steam generator.
There are universal insulation materials that are equally suitable for cladding floors, ceilings and walls (extruded polystyrene foam boards, for example, Penoplex), and there are materials suitable only for finishing one area of the balcony. Let’s assume that the floor is covered with expanded clay, but it is not used for the walls and ceiling due to its flowability.
Review of modern insulation materials, affordable and safe:
To decide the best and fastest way to insulate a balcony, you need to analyze the installation conditions. Let's assume that on balconies with limited space it is better to use thin materials - penofol, polyethylene.
If space allows or you need to raise the floor to the height of the flooring in the room, then any thick insulation in the sheathing will do - mineral wool, glass wool, polystyrene foam.
Step-by-step instructions for insulating a balcony
There are many options for thermal insulation, since the level of initial insulation is different. Luxury houses are often rented with balconies equipped with triple glazing and heated floors. Budget housing is a minimum of furnishings.
To turn a standard balcony in a “panel” or “Stalinka”, built in the last century, into a cozy room, you need to completely cover all surfaces, except the glazed one, with thermal and waterproofing. Let's look at the solutions available to homeowners.
Stage 1 – arrangement of the parapet and floor
If the concrete base is partially destroyed, then it is necessary to make a cement screed - without a strong and solid base, insulation measures are useless.
For old balconies - reinforcement with metal or plastic mesh.
Display of beacons.
Filling and leveling from the far corner.
Attention! It takes at least 28 days for the screed to mature - this must be taken into account when planning further insulation work.
Leveling the cement layer that has not yet hardened is carried out simultaneously with pouring, and not at the end. If you don’t have a special tool at hand - rules, you can use a board
A smooth and level floor is one of the conditions for installing thermal insulation and, if necessary, a “warm floor” system.
Step 8 – filling the contour with polyurethane foam
Chipboards were not chosen in vain. Unlike wooden boards and plywood, after some time they do not begin to creak or deform. At high humidity they expand only slightly, but then return to their original boundaries.
To prevent the sheets from rubbing against each other and making strange sounds when they expand, gaps of 1-2 mm are left between them, which absolutely do not affect the quality of installation of the floor covering. For proper insulation of the balcony floor, all the little things are important - from the thickness of the materials to the choice of fasteners.
The installation will help achieve the highest possible result in turning a balcony into a living area floor heating system, the structure of which will be introduced in our recommended article.
Stage 2 - process of wall insulation
If the size of the balcony allows, then one of the best options for thermal insulation of walls is Rocklight stone wool produced by TechnoNIKOL. But you can use products from other manufacturers that match the characteristics.
A double layer will create the warmest possible “cushion” for all walls - installed together with double-glazed windows, sidewalls and adjacent to the room.
A thick layer of insulation also provides excellent sound insulation, which is necessary to create a cozy, residential atmosphere on the balcony. Thin materials are not able to create a protective barrier from street noise as well as mineral wool
Step 1 - installation of the sheathing under the glazed part
Step 2 - installation of beams on the remaining walls
Step 3 - marking according to the width of the slabs
Step 4 – cutting the insulation into fragments
Step 5 - fastening the plates between the crossbars
Step 6 - re-installation of thermal insulation
Step 7 – fixing the vapor barrier
Step 8 - securing the counter beam
The width of the thermal insulation layer is 100 mm (2 layers of mineral wool, 50 mm each). This must be taken into account when planning the finishing of the walls, especially if it also “takes away” several cm of free space. You have to choose one thing - either high-quality insulation and silence, or a more spacious room, but cool and noisy.
There is no need to skimp on vapor barrier - it protects the insulation from moisture, thereby preserving its properties. High humidity does not immediately, but over time can deteriorate the characteristics of even expensive and high-quality thermal insulation.
Stage 3 – ceiling insulation
You should not ignore the thermal insulation of the ceiling, since there is no guarantee that the neighbors above also took care of the insulation of the balcony. Efficiency can be achieved only in one way - by maximizing the protection of the balcony on all sides.
Unlike the floor, the ceiling does not require the creation of multi-layer cakes. Usually, for installation, a lightweight material with low thermal conductivity is chosen, which can be installed either on the lathing or with glue or special dowels
Most often, smooth plastic panels or easy-to-install wooden lining are used as finishing. The installation method of both types of cladding allows you to attach any material to the ceiling: and extruded polystyrene foam, and thick mineral wool, and thin foil penofol.
Installation of mineral wool over a plasterboard structure
Finishing the ceiling with penofol under the lathing
Thermal insulation of the ceiling is usually carried out together with insulation of the walls. Each method has different nuances. For example, when using mineral wool, glass wool and ecowool, it is strongly recommended to lay a vapor barrier over the insulation layer. To fasten expanded polystyrene slabs, even if they are mounted on glue, “fungi” dowels are used - 4 pieces for each slab.
Finishing interior decoration
Decorative or finishing does not always serve as just a finishing coating or interior decoration. Some materials also act as insulation.
The difference is easy to understand if you compare two materials for wall decoration: acrylic paint and cork panels. The first simply changes the color of the wall covering and, possibly, protects it from moisture, corrosion, and mold. Cork is good heat and sound insulation.
Let's consider the most popular options for a balcony, which ideally hide the insulation and themselves, at least partially, insulate the room from the cold.
In addition to the listed facing materials, cork panels are used, which are easily and simply mounted with acrylic glue.
A laminate is suitable for the floor, which also creates a thin, but heat-insulating layer. Ceramic tiles, on the contrary, cool the surface if they are not heated from below by a “warm floor” electric cable.
He will introduce you to the peculiarities of carrying out work on thermal insulation of a loggia. next article, which we highly recommend reading.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Video #1. Procedure for laying stone wool.
Video #2. Penoplex + Penofol - thermal insulation of the entire balcony.
Video #3. Tips for ceiling insulation.
Competent advice on how to insulate a balcony correctly and without errors can be obtained from manufacturers of thermal insulation materials. In addition to advertising information about products, they publish detailed instructions for installing insulation, the implementation of which guarantees high efficiency of work.
Thanks to the description of technical characteristics, which can also be found on the official websites of enterprises, it is possible to choose the most suitable materials.
Would you like to tell us about how you equipped and insulated your balcony with your own hands? Do you have methods in your technological arsenal that can optimize the thermal insulation process and the result of the work? Please write comments in the block below, post photographs, and ask questions about the topic of the article.
We bought mineral wool in large packages. The slabs still need to be adjusted to the size of the balcony. They cost half as much as polystyrene foam, and it’s still warm on the balcony. We covered the walls with penofol with the shiny side facing out. It’s unpleasant for the eyes, of course, but for the plant, and I have flowers growing there, and also seedlings in the spring, it’s comfortable.I use lighting for them only in deep winter, and when the sun is bright, the walls themselves direct the light to the pots and drawers.
Such investments in insulating a balcony only make sense when it is large and so spacious that you can live there in winter. And I seriously doubt it, because heating on the balcony will only be done with heated floors, and this is unprofitable in terms of electricity. In addition, the huge area of the windows multiplies all efforts by zero; all the heat will evaporate through them. I simply insulated it according to all the rules, and when it’s 10ºC outside, then on the balcony it’s +2-5ºC. Potatoes are fine.
We bought mineral wool in large packages. The slabs still need to be adjusted to the size of the balcony. They cost half as much as polystyrene foam, and it’s still warm on the balcony. We covered the walls with penofol with the shiny side facing out. It’s unpleasant for the eyes, of course, but for the plant, and I have flowers growing there, and also seedlings in the spring, it’s comfortable.I use lighting for them only in deep winter, and when the sun is bright, the walls themselves direct the light to the pots and drawers.
Such investments in insulating a balcony only make sense when it is large and so spacious that you can live there in winter. And I seriously doubt it, because heating on the balcony will only be done with heated floors, and this is unprofitable in terms of electricity. In addition, the huge area of the windows multiplies all efforts by zero; all the heat will evaporate through them.
I simply insulated it according to all the rules, and when it’s 10ºC outside, then on the balcony it’s +2-5ºC. Potatoes are fine.