It is possible to lay a warm floor on a balcony or loggia only after full insulation of the floor, ceiling and walls. An important condition is the installation of heat-saving plastic windows. If this is not done, the underfloor heating system will be ineffective. Also, the ultimate goal of the work is determined in advance - to keep the legs warm or just to heat the room. In the second case, it is better to buy a heater. Do-it-yourself floor insulation on the balcony with your own hands is quite simple. The main thing is to follow the instructions.

Styling features

Before laying a warm floor, it is important to make the correct thermal insulation. This stage of work is obligatory in any case. Otherwise, the system will be inefficient. Installation of insulation can significantly reduce costs. The minimum thickness of the insulation is 5 cm. Most often used:

• extruded polystyrene foam;
• basalt wool;
• Styrofoam.

The floor of the balcony is usually made of concrete or wood. In the first case, a warm floor is laid on a rough coating, and a screed is poured on top. In the second - the system fits between the lags. In both options, the installation of a warm floor is carried out quickly and without any extra effort.

When using mineral wool for floor insulation, laying a vapor barrier film is required. It will prevent moisture from entering the insulation from the room.

Water floor from heating

The most widespread systems of water heating. They are hoses laid in a screed. The water floor is connected to both central heating and an electric boiler.

Pipes are laid on a heater, and then concreted. Any coating is laid on such a system. You can lay a warm floor on the balcony with your own hands without the help of professionals. However, this will require extensive preparation.

The only drawback of the system is a lot of difficulties during the installation process if the balcony is in an apartment, and not a private house. The process is labor intensive, and permission from the relevant authorities is required to start work.

Features of the water floor

Small balconies are ideal for installing underfloor heating. The additional heating system is laid on an insulated surface, which is pre-leveled. It is not recommended to install the structure under a concrete screed on the balcony due to its large weight.

Thanks to the installation of the system, the level of the balcony floors is compared with the level of the interior rooms. However, planning permission must first be obtained. This will help to get rid of possible problems in the future if the apartment needs to be sold. The main difference between a water-heated floor is that a thick insulation is laid under it.

The first thing the work begins with is diagnosing the condition of the balcony slab. If chips are noticed in the corners, it is necessary to weld the reinforcement and seal it with concrete. Small cracks are covered with cement mortar. If the system is also laid in the room, the level of the floors is leveled. For this purpose, a cement screed is used. However, before starting work, it is worth calculating the load on the balcony slab and comparing it with the allowable one.

Many builders claim that this method of insulation is more suitable for loggias. Ease of installation, relatively low cost and the ability to connect the system to central heating explains the popularity of this type of heating. Even a laminate or stone can be mounted on top of the water system.

The process of laying a water floor

First, create a solid foundation. All debris, remnants of the old coating are removed from the surface of the subfloor. If irregularities are found, a cement screed is arranged.

After preparing the draft base, perform the following actions:

• Lay vapor barrier.
• Lay mineral wool. If there is an uninsulated balcony of the neighbors below under the concrete slab, the water heater may freeze during the cold season.
• Lay a waterproofing layer.
• A heater pipe is mounted on the base using special fasteners. This helps to ensure its stability. For reinforcement, a mesh of rods 5 mm thick is used. Cells should be 150x150 mm in size.

Water floor can be connected to central heating. To do this, it is necessary to connect a circuit up to 20 m² to the supply and return, install a valve on the return with a “unibox” adjustment. The latter completes the circulation process when the floor is heated to the set temperature, and turns it on after it cools down.

Heating cable

Laying an electric underfloor heating on a balcony is quite difficult. In the process of laying such a warm floor, you need to take into account many subtleties. When choosing this option, it is worth remembering that the floor will rise by 15 cm. In addition, the implementation of the screed takes a lot of time. In the process of work, the following actions are performed:

• Dismantling of the old base, leveling the surface.
• Insulation of walls and floors with foamed polyethylene with the foil side up. Sealing joints with adhesive tape.
• Glue a damper tape along the perimeter of the base, which will protect the floor from deformation during the thermal expansion of the screed.
• Fasten the mesh for laying the cable to the insulation.
• Lay the cable, calculating the step in advance. You need to focus on the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room. The recommended power of cable underfloor heating is 250 W/m².
• Then you need to install a temperature sensor and a thermostat, ring the circuit to check the correct connection. Take a picture of the finished system. This is necessary to always know exactly where all the elements of the system are located.

After that, it is necessary to prepare the solution and pour the screed into which the warm floor will be placed. Its thickness is usually 4-5 cm. After the solution has completely solidified, you can proceed to laying the finish coat.

Important! When laying the heating cable of such a floor heating system, laminate and parquet boards cannot be used as flooring.

Heating mats

The cable is laid in this type of underfloor heating in increments of 5 cm, each heating core is made of a material that has a high degree of resistance. The main advantage of the system is that high-quality mats have a low electromagnetic field, which increases the safety of such a warm floor for humans.

Other advantages of the system:

• the thickness of the floor increases slightly;
• if necessary, the mat can be cut into several pieces - it is important not to damage the cable;
• heating mats are a prefabricated structure that is ready to be installed.

You can install underfloor heating yourself. The concrete base is used as a substrate. It is thoroughly cleaned of dirt and dust. To ensure better adhesion, the base is primed.

Before performing work on the installation of a warm floor, the mats are checked for performance using an ohmmeter. Next, equip a place for the thermostat. Grooves are made for wires in the floor and wall. The temperature sensor is installed directly in the floor. It must not be placed near the heating cable.

After carrying out all the steps, you can start laying the mats. They are placed directly in the adhesive mastic under the tile. After completion of work, the performance of the mats is checked.

Infrared floor installation

To install the film floor, ready-made kits are used. It includes:

• film;
• thermostat and temperature sensor;
• wires;
• insulation.

The minimum film power for a balcony is 200 W/m². When laying the film, it is important to observe several conditions. For example, they need to be placed 5 cm from the walls. All busbars must be on the same side. The film may only be cut in places designated for this purpose. The film must be turned with the matte side up. It is necessary to ensure that the end of the corrugated pipe comes out between the heating elements.

Power cables must be connected according to the instructions provided with the film. First, the film layers are separated with a knife, then the contact is pressed in, and then the wires are connected. Each contact group is closed with an insulator.

For the floor of the loggia, this floor is ideal. It is easier to lay, and the requirements for operation are much less. Power wires are brought out in a special groove in the wall. After that, the system is checked for operability, and then covered with a plastic film to protect it from moisture penetrating from the side of the room. It is necessary to lay polyethylene with an overlap, fastening at the joints with construction tape. In this case, parquet or laminate can be laid on the balcony.

Which warm floor to use for your balcony depends on its location, type (insulated or remote), as well as financial capabilities and goals for creating heating. First of all, choose the type of system - water floor or electric (cable, mats, film). The floor finish is also taken into account. For example, a cable system cannot be laid under a laminate. A water heating system is laid under any coating.