The balcony has long ceased to be just a storage space and has transformed into an extension of the living area. This means that this part of the home needs to be as suitable for living as possible: its external attractiveness should be combined with comfort and warmth.
Before starting the insulation work, several preparatory steps must be taken:
- All materials used in the process have a significant weight, which implies a serious load on the balcony structure. Therefore, it's important to first reinforce it.
- Next, it's necessary to improve the level of waterproofing to prevent moisture from damaging both the insulation system and the future finishing.
- An important step is the installation of quality double-glazed windows, which will protect against the cold and significantly reduce the penetration of street noise into the room.
After completing all preparatory measures, you can proceed to insulate the balcony. There are several methods for this.
Method #1
The most costly way includes installing a "warm floor" system (of various sizes and quality), installing standard heating radiators connected to a centralized system. At the end of the process, the entire system is covered with finishing materials of your choice (linoleum, tile, laminate, etc.).
Method #2
This is a more affordable and simple method, suitable even for beginners in the field of repair: insulating the balcony with polystyrene. It's recommended to lay a double layer for additional insulation. Then the floor is filled with concrete.
Method #3
The third option is based on creating an air cushion. An insulator with a thickness of 3 cm is fixed on wooden slats, placed no more than 50 cm apart. Above the structure, a waterproofing film is laid, and the joint areas are covered with aluminum tape.
In some cases, it's effective to combine methods: for example, combine a "warm floor" with a wall insulation system using the third method.