What landlady will refuse an additional, albeit small, room furnished from a balcony or loggia? But in order to be able to use the space correctly, first you need to make sure that the floor in the future additional office or a cozy conservatory is sufficiently aligned. If you see that due to seasonal atmospheric changes, precipitation or poor-quality materials, the appearance of the floor on the balcony is slightly deformed, it is worth considering how to fix this situation. Of course, you can resort to the help of the construction team, but this is an additional cost. It is more advisable to do this yourself, it is only important to know how to level the floor on the balcony and loggia, observing all the rules.

Aligning the floor on the balcony and loggia allows you to additionally insulate the space, lay down a solid base, and during operation do not worry about the possible deformation of furniture.

Preparatory stage

1. To begin with, it is necessary to free the balcony from furniture, clean the surface and apply a deep penetration primer.
2. Then it is necessary to indicate the level of the floor, putting "zero". Based on it, thickness measurements and the level at which the floor screed will be carried out will be carried out in the future.

This stage is important, the final appearance of the floors and the entire floor covering depends on its quality.

How to put a "zero mark"

During the operation of this device, professional skills will be required, otherwise inaccuracies in the calculations may appear due to the “human factor”.

Before you start working with the hydraulic level, you need to make sure that there are no bubbles, otherwise the readings will be incorrect. It is better to work together with the hydraulic level together: it is better to install one flask to the wall at a distance of a meter from the floor and draw a sign on the wall - this is the “zero mark”.

At the opposite end of the level, you need to put the next mark on the wall only after the liquid in the flask has completely calmed down. The main thing is not to move the first mark, but to carry out all operations only with the second flask. When you finish going around the perimeter of the room with the bulb, connect all the marks in a single line.

The liquid level in the first flask should always be at the “zero mark”, and the other end can be moved for marking.

No need to be afraid of the high cost of this tool - from the moment you start using it, you will understand that these expenses were justified. This device is simply indispensable for repair.

The device must be installed in the middle of the room and turned on. A light ray of light will immediately show the boundary from which further work will need to be carried out. The laser level can be used for any construction work that involves flat surfaces.

Normal building level

An alternative to an expensive laser level is a regular building level set on a pre-aligned bar. Initially, it is necessary to put a mark on the wall - this will be the departure point to which you need to attach the prepared bar. Labels must be placed along the entire length of the tool - all actions must be repeated until the marks are connected at the starting point. But when using this method, the probability of errors is high, so it is better to use it in a pinch.

Beacon Installation

When you have a “zero” mark, you need to mark using roulette along all the walls where the highest and lowest level is obtained. Considering the thickness of the intended flooring, set the mark for “clean floor”. This mark shows the line of the future floor of the balcony or loggia.

When calculating the thickness of the floor covering, be sure to take into account all the components:

• flooring;
• the total amount of glue, substrates, etc .;
• screed level;
• gender position (height difference that you determined).

It is important to carry out these calculations in order to minimize height differences that may occur. Based on these indicators, mark the highest point of the lighthouses around the entire perimeter and begin to set them up. The total coating layer at the highest point should be at least 3 cm.

Pulling and securing the rope

The next step is fixing the rope between two opposite marks. If the rope will cross, this will allow you to notice the places in which it will be in contact with the floor. When after the work done you will see such areas, the expected level will need to be raised by 2-3 centimeters.

As beacons it is possible to use a profile for drywall - it should be placed at a distance of 70 cm - so all beacons will coincide with the points on the walls. For greater confidence in the result, the profile can be fixed with screws or fixed with a solution.

As soon as the screed is dry, the narrow profile can be removed, and pour mortar for screed from the formed recesses.

Pouring screed

After installing the beacons, you can additionally install a damper tape, and then fill the floor with cement-sand mixture. To speed the setting of the solution increased, you can add alabaster. The mixture should be laid in even proportions between the profiles and leveled. Instead of the latter, any aligned rail can be used. The finished mixture should be spread on the floor until it is aligned with the beacons along the entire perimeter.

If for leveling the floor throughout the apartment you will use a cement-sand mixture with large differences in the upper point of the floor, there will be a significant load on the floors, so it is better to consider another material.

Leveling the floor with a lag - an alternative to concrete screed

This process is quite affordable even for novice masters - it is necessary to make a crate, and on top lay boards. Thanks to the crate, air exchange is maintained and the service life of the flooring is extended.

After determining the level of the future floor, production logs are installed at a distance of up to 50 cm. Coniferous boards of the required size can also be used as logs. Wooden bars are placed under the logs, and parts of roofing material are installed between them to improve waterproofing. Logs are fixed to the floor using anchors, and then plywood sheets are laid on the surface using self-tapping screws.

Make sure that the logs are installed horizontally, by constantly moving the bars.

Properly made floor leveling on the loggia and balcony gives much more opportunities for the rational use of this space, so you should approach the leveling process with all care.

Overhaul of the balcony is often associated with the need to raise the floor. Most often, during construction, the balcony base is below the level of the rooms in the apartment, and the resulting threshold interferes with the movement between the rooms. Of course, going to the balcony or loggia is much more convenient on a flat surface than jumping over ledges or rapids and tripping over them. But not everyone knows how to raise the floor on the balcony. Let's see how this can be done.

The balcony and loggia, of course, are part of the apartment, and therefore require good and high-quality repairs. Not only fences of this place are exposed to decoration, but also rough foundations, which are often represented by cold concrete slabs. By the way, this type of foundation, if the balcony is open, is constantly subjected to tests from atmospheric phenomena. Usually, to protect the floors, the balcony is glazed, but at the same time the base remains cold anyway. And in the process of raising the floor, it can be thoroughly insulated. And, by removing the difference in floor levels between residential premises and those located on the street, it is possible to protect residents from falls, which can result in personal injury.

Also raising the level of the balcony floor is necessary to level the rough base. Indeed, in the case of its finishing, sometimes such materials are used that are quite demanding on the evenness of the sheathed surfaces.

In general, it is not so difficult to raise the floor level on the balcony, and therefore you can cope with the task yourself, without involving craftsmen. In this case, it will also save a lot of money, which may be useful for the purchase of various materials for decoration.

On a note!  The average height of raising the floor on the balcony is about 10-12 cm. Thus, under the final floor, a niche will be sufficient for laying the insulation.

4 ways to raise the floor on the balcony

You can raise the floors on the loggia or balcony by different methods. All of them differ in the methods of creation, the materials used, as well as the speed and specificity of the work. Among them there are those that exert a significant load on concrete slabs and cannot be used in case of unreliable structures, and there are those that are suitable for use in any cases. Consider 4 main ways to change the level of sexes.

On a note! If the loggia or balcony will be a separate room, then a small - up to 5 cm - height difference between the floor in them and the rooms is allowed. If the balcony is a continuation of the room, then there should be no differences.

Cement screed

Screed based on sand and cement is characterized by high strength, reliability, and if it is poured in accordance with all the rules, it turns out to be very smooth and ready to lay any type of finish coating.

On a note!  When arranging a cement screed, you can think about organizing an additional floor heating system on the balcony. It is about using underfloor heating. They will not harm this type of screed, but they will allow you to stand on the balcony with comfort - your legs will not freeze even in winter.

The main disadvantage is its considerable weight. All the components used in the mixture used are quite heavy and the screed will have a strong effect on the base of the floor. Thus, it cannot be used in all cases, especially when it comes to significant thickness in the case of a large difference between the floor level and its desired height. Cement screed can be used only when there is confidence that the overlap will accurately withstand the mass of the cement mixture or if the screed layer is small. In general, the thickness of the screed should not be more than 10 cm, if you need to raise the floors to a greater height, it is recommended to choose another method.

Attention!  Cement screed can be filled only in the warm season. In winter, it is impossible to equip it because of low temperatures - remember that the mixture contains water.

Also, a feature of the screed is that its drying time is long - you can walk on this floor and carry out further work only after 28 days after the screed has been arranged.

Expanded clay screed

This is a dry screed option that does not need long-term drying. Floors using this method can be leveled and raised quite quickly. The basis in this case is expanded clay, which is poured on the waterproofing layer. On top of it sheets of any leveling material are laid. It can be drywall, gypsum fiber, plywood, particleboard and other materials. Sheets are fixed to each other at the required floor level, relying on a layer of expanded clay.

The advantage of such a screed is ease of installation, lightness (can be used for ceilings of any strength), the speed of work - you will not have to wait until the screed seizes and dries to continue other finishing work. This option is also suitable if you need to raise the floors to a considerable height - up to 20 cm.

To fill the base, it is recommended to use small or medium expanded clay, large is undesirable. Sometimes this material can be replaced with fine-grained slag. Before laying the upper leveling layer, it is recommended that you compact the bulk material well so that it does not shrink.

On a note!  If expanded clay is used as the filling material, then it is not necessary to lay an additional insulation layer, since this material by itself is capable of retaining heat in the room.

Many people want to know how to level the floor on the balcony. The fact is that the balcony in the new building does not always have a perfectly flat floor base. In old buildings, the concrete coating can be crumbled or covered with a large number of cracks. Therefore, this room will need to be ennobled.

Owners of apartments with balconies can increase the area of \u200b\u200btheir homes. An insulated balcony, for example, can be an excellent greenhouse or study, where it will be possible to place a computer and do work. However, to make this room cozy, it will need to be insulated. It should be understood that effective insulation can be performed exclusively with aligned floor bases, and work should begin with them.

You can level the floor with various methods. The choice must be made based on what functions this room will perform in the future. There are such methods:

• parquet for the garden;
• ceramic tiles;
• with the help of lags and boards;
• screed.

There are times when there is no need to insulate a room of this type. Before leveling the floor on the balconies with your own hands, you will need to do some preparatory work. Elements to be needed:

• cement;
• sand;
• spatula with cloves;
• hammer drill;
• plywood sheets or boards;
• waterproofing material;
• insulation material;
• beacons;
• deep penetration primer;
• rakla;
• PVC tubes.

How to level the floor with a screed?

On the open balcony, the base of the floor should not only be leveled, but also have a small slope. It is not allowed to make too large a slope, as it will be difficult to move on the floor.

If the base of the open type balcony has an old cement screed, then it will need to be dismantled. This should be done very carefully so as not to touch the stove. It is recommended that this process be carried out using a hammer drill. This device is also useful in case of leveling the floor on a closed balcony, if you plan to carry out repairs using a wet screed. If the old screed is not dismantled, and the new one is laid on top of it, then the layers will heavily weight the slab of concrete. This must not be allowed, as the structure may collapse.

The slope of the floor from the wall on the open type balcony should be approximately 3-5 °. If there is no connection between the base and the fence, then water can drain down the base. If the floor and the wall are connected to each other, then it will be necessary to provide a drain. As a drain, you can use a small groove along the wall and a recess. It is also possible to wall a PVC pipe and a drain ladder into the screed.

This can be done anywhere in the base. If a small border is arranged in the extreme part of the slab, then the drain will also need to be made. The slope of the screed should be directed to the sink hole.

Old concrete and small stones should be cleaned from the slab. After this, the floor base must be covered with a deep penetration primer. Further along the perimeter of the balcony you will need to install the formwork. The joints between this structure and the floor should be caulked so that the leveling mixture does not leak down.

How to pour screed?

On the floor you will need to lay a wire mesh of small thickness. Further on the structure it will be necessary to install and fix the beacons. On the open-type balcony, you cannot do without them, since you will need to set the direction of the water to the drain.

Lighthouses should be set along a long wall according to the level at which it will be possible to determine the angle of inclination of the leveling floor.

At the next stage, it will be necessary to mix the building mixture of cement and sand. To insulate the base, you can additionally add expanded clay to the mixture.

The mixture needs to be laid out in parts on a prepared base and leveled using the rule that will be conducted along the beacons. The mixture is laid out 4 cm above the beacons. When the screed is completed, you must wait until it dries. Every day, concrete needs to be moistened with water.

In this way, you can set the required slope of the screed in the room. The mixture will need to be poured in the form of small puddles and distributed on the base of the squeegee, and then rolled with a needle roller.

At this stage, it will be possible to lay ceramic tiles and parquet. If you plan to use parquet, which is made of thermal wood, the liquid will not be able to stagnate on its base.

How to level the floor with tiles?

If the base is in good condition and has the necessary slope from the wall, but minor cracks and chips are present on it, it is recommended to level the floor with tiles. First of all, you need to repair all the damage. The sequence of actions will be as follows:

1. Cracks and chips will need to be expanded and cleaned of dust, and then treated with a deep penetration primer.
2. Then they should be repaired with a building mixture, after which it is good to level it.
3. The tile is laid on the adhesive mixture. It should be mixed in a homogeneous mass. It is important to adhere to the recommendations contained in the instructions.
4. The adhesive mixture is laid out on the base and distributed with a spatula with cloves. The base is uneven, so you need to pour more glue. Next, it will be necessary to lay a tile on it, the back side of which is recommended to be smeared with glue and evened with a spatula with cloves. Between the tiles should be installed crosses or other products that can be used to maintain the thickness of the seams.
5. Excess glue will need to be removed. The next step is to dismantle the crosses, after which the seams should be repaired with grout.

How to align the floor base on a closed balcony?

In most cases, alignment of the floor base indoors is started when the entire balcony is insulated. This process is more complex and time consuming. Alignment can be performed by the following methods:

1. Laying extruded polystyrene foam and pouring screed.
2. Raising the base on the lags and warming with the selected material.
3. Warming and leveling the floor with a screed.

All methods require identical preparation work.

How to prepare the foundation?

The sequence of actions in this case will be as follows:

1. First of all, it will be necessary to close up the substantial gaps, which are most often at the joints of the room and floor fencing.
2. Next, clean the room. If gaps are found, then they must first be increased, and then sealed with a plastic cement mixture or sealant.
3. When the material dries, you will need to cut off its excess.
4. Next, the waterproofing sheets are laid. They can consist of an ordinary dense film of polyethylene or roofing material, which can be glued to bitumen mastic. The waterproofing material will need to be raised to the walls.
5. Waterproofing should be installed hermetically, without joints. If it is not possible to exclude the joints, then the material should be overlapped, and the joints should be sealed with tape or surfacing.

After that, the base leveling system is mounted.

Using lag to align

With the help of the lag it will be possible to level the surface, insulate and raise the floor to the required height. Logs can be fixed to the base or raised using special products. If the coating will rise, you will need to accurately measure the level. In most cases, the floors are aligned with the threshold of the balcony door. To raise the lags, you can use adjustable clips - metal studs, coasters or plastic elements.

First of all, you need to install lags along the walls. Between them in the future, material will be laid for insulation, so the distance between the walls and the lags should be about 8-10 cm. When the stands with lags are installed and fixed, you will need to adjust the level. This can be done by raising or lowering the elements to the required height. At the next stage, you need to install the lags in the middle in the same way and adjust the height to the side.

At the end of the lag should be covered with plywood sheets of large thickness or boards. On top of the structure, it will be possible to lay the coating. Aligning the floor on the balcony with your own hands is not a difficult process.

The problem of how to level the floor on the balcony often arises when an attempt is made to move the balcony or loggia into the category of living space. In principle, such an operation differs little from a similar event in any other room, but some important specific features must be taken into account. Such work can be done in many ways. And, most importantly, do it yourself. At the same time, with a lack of experience, it is better to consult a specialist.

What are the specifics of the problem

What is the difference between a balcony and other rooms in the apartment? It was not originally intended as living space, and therefore does not have the necessary thermal insulation. Its floor is nothing more than a reinforced concrete slab, which has only one side connected to the supporting wall, while the entire area outside the apartment forms a console. Of course, the calculation of the strength of the balcony provides for the possibility of people staying on it and storing things, but still the mechanical strength of the floor slab cannot be equated to the parameters of the floor overlap. In other words, large volumes of heavy building materials such as concrete can create excessive and dangerous overloads.

The floor on the balcony with your own hands is equipped taking into account the purpose of the architectural detail. If the whole range of measures is taken to warm it and turn it into a full-fledged living room, then the floor should have all the necessary heat and, corresponding design and smoothness. When the balcony remains a place with periodic access to a person (for example, for a smoke break), leveling the floor is just a repair of a worn out, cracked cover. In such conditions, we can talk about lower quality requirements, but more serious ones - to the influencing factors: temperature difference, high humidity (up to water flowing), low temperature effect, high.

A specific parameter is the floor level on the balcony itself. It is often little connected with the floor in an adjacent living room, and therefore is often much lower than its level. Given such specifics, before leveling the balcony floor, you need to decide whether and how much to raise it. The choice of design largely depends on the height of the floor covering.

Which method and material to use should be decided taking into account a number of parameters. So, a concrete screed has a large specific gravity and significantly complicates the structure, therefore it is believed that with a lifting height of more than 5-6 cm, it is dangerous to use it. With this in mind, a concrete screed is used where the layer thickness is 4-5 cm. With a high elevation level, the lag system is more often used. Concrete screed does not provide quality even with a layer thickness of less than 3 cm, because high risk of cracking. For small thicknesses, self-leveling (self-leveling) mixtures are recommended.

On open balconies where precipitation is possible, the use of plywood or chipboard is not practical. Preference is given to various screeds, ceramic tiles, tiled wood materials with moisture resistant filling (OSB). Finally, the choice of material for leveling the floor also depends on the type of finish: carpet.

How to make a concrete screed

To perform a concrete screed, it is desirable to have your own tool. You will need:

• trowel;
• putty knife;
• master OK;
• metal rule;
• paint brush;
• construction mixer for mixing mortar;
• capacity for solution;
• measuring bucket;
• construction level;
• roulette;
• metal ruler;
• roller.

The simplest and most common way to level the floor is a concrete screed, i.e. pouring sand-cement mortar over the entire floor area. First, the height of the floor is marked, and the first mark is placed in the highest corner. Then, using the level, horizontal lines are drawn along the entire perimeter of the balcony. If the floor is arranged on an open-type balcony, then a slight bias towards the street is provided - for the outflow of sedimentary water (a bias of about 8-10 mm per meter of floor width is considered sufficient).

Work begins with a thorough cleaning of the concrete slab. If there are cracks, putty is used to seal them. Then a thin layer of primer is applied, which will improve the adhesion of the concrete mortar and the base.

The floor on the balcony or loggia is most often a bare concrete slab, which over time acquires bumps, chips and cracks. Plates on glazed areas are most affected, as they are constantly exposed to atmospheric precipitation and temperature extremes.

How to level the floor on the balcony and prepare it for finishing? There are several answers to this question, which one to choose depends on the state of the main surface and the desired result.

Before finishing, it is important to smooth the floor.

Preparatory work and material selection

The process of leveling the floor requires preparation, as well as any other construction work. Begin by assessing the condition of the slab. If it is weakened, it is better not to use heavy types of screed, but to choose the option of leveling with lags. If you have an old finish, such as tiles, you need to dismantle it with a punch to reduce the pressure on the base. Many slabs have large differences, if they exceed 10 cm, then heavy-weighted types of alignment are excluded for the same reason.

Attention! Do not overload the stove, especially if it has damage, it can be life threatening!

Before starting work, the surface is then cleaned with dust and broken fragments and covered with a primer, it is better if an antiseptic is present in its composition. It is necessary to eliminate the occurrence of mold and fungus, since a balcony or loggia is a room with a high level of humidity.

The choice of material depends on whether the balcony is glazed or not. The open space must have a coating resistant to moisture and temperature extremes. On a closed loggia, you can use any type of roughing and finishing.

Basic floor requirements for a balcony or loggia:

• on an open balcony, the floor surface should have a slope of 3 - 5 degrees, so that precipitation falls;
• in the presence of a border, it is necessary to provide for drainage along the edge in the form of a recess in the screed or pipes with a drain;
• on the main plate there should be no serious cracks and chips, only minor defects are allowed.

Smooth and beautiful floor on the balcony or loggia can be done with your own hands. To eliminate errors, it is necessary to take into account many features of materials and accurately determine the zero mark.

Level determination

The highest point on the balcony slab will become a guideline for the installation of the cover. It is especially important to determine the level to perform the screed. To mark the alignment line using various types of tools and instruments:

1. The construction level is the most affordable option, as it is always in the arsenal. With the help of the bar on the walls, you need to make level marks and connect them with a straight line, it will become a guide for further work.
2. The laser level is an indispensable device for a professional builder. The applied efforts are minimal, the level itself determines the zero mark with a laser, while the accuracy is very high;
3. The hydraulic level is a difficult device to use, it is better to work with it in pairs. Before proceeding to the determination of the starting point, you must make sure that there are no air bubbles, otherwise the readings will be distorted.

After the zero mark is set at the highest point, the level of the finished floor is noted. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the minimum thickness of the material for leveling - it must be at least 3 cm for all types of coatings.

The construction level is the easiest option

Screeds

The optimal and practical option in order to level the floor on the balcony with your own hands is wet and dry screeds. They can be used both on glazed and open areas, the main thing is not to lose sight of the minimum and maximum permissible thickness values.

Concrete

A floor with irregularities of not more than 3-5 cm is perfectly fixed with a screed based on concrete mortar. It is most convenient to make such an alignment on a monolithic loggia, but it is possible to use this method on balconies with trellised fencing. Temporary formwork from the boards will reliably hold the solution until it dries.

In addition to the standard preparation of the slab, in order to fill the floor on the balcony with your own hands, you need to install the so-called beacons, they will allow you to create a perfectly smooth surface. You can make them from a metal profile cut into fragments. They should be equal to the width of the balcony. Lighthouses are installed according to the level or, in case the balcony is open, with a slope, but their upper part should coincide with the floor fill line. The lighthouse pitch is 50-60 cm.

By performing a concrete screed, you can achieve a perfectly flat surface

The cement mortar is diluted with water to the consistency of thick sour cream, it is important to observe this nuance, since too liquid mass will pour out through small cracks, and it will be difficult to even out too thick mass. The concrete screed layer should be more than 3 cm, too thin a coating will quickly crack.

The solution poured onto the floor is immediately leveled at the beacons using the rule. After a day, you can remove the formwork and beacons, and cover the remaining traces of them. A completely dry surface is leveled with a grater. Finishing is possible in a few days.

If the stove on the balcony or loggia has slight differences, up to 3 cm high, you can use the modern and simple way - to make a bulk floor. This option is especially suitable for those who decide to level the surface with their own hands.

The preparation of the stove is carried out in the same way, but there is no need to use beacons, since the screed on the balcony aligns itself. Water is added to the solution to a fluid consistency. The mixture poured onto the floor is rolled with a special roller with needles to release air bubbles. On large loggias, the surface is additionally leveled with a spatula.

The bulk floor can be made not only perfectly flat, but also original

Fine finishing can be done at least a week later, but use of the balcony space is allowed after 2 - 3 days.

Dry

The laborious and painstaking process of performing a dry screed is completely justified by the effect that it gives:

• the floor can be immediately coated with a finish;
• serves as a reliable insulation;
• suitable for open and closed balconies and loggias.

During the preparation of the base, soundproofing tape should be placed along the walls so that when walking the floor does not make sounds, as well as lay waterproofing in the form of a durable film. Beacons should be made sure that the backfill layer has a flat surface. An expanded clay layer several cm thick is laid between the profiles.

For coating, it is necessary to use materials equipped with grooves, since with this leveling method it is impossible to attach sheets to the floor. They are laid tightly against the walls and fixed between themselves with glue or self-tapping screws. You can start laying the decorative coating immediately.

Lag leveling

In the presence of large differences and irregularities, screeds cannot be used. You can fix the surface with your own hands using the lag. In addition, at the same time as leveling, it is possible to warm the floor well and not to weight it down.

To work, you will need a wooden beam, any insulation and a coating of plywood, board or OSB. Before starting work, if necessary, lay hydro and thermal insulation from the film and penofol. The bars are adjusted in level and fixed to the floor and between each other. Then a heater is laid, for example, mineral wool or polystyrene foam and sheathed with cladding sheets.

There are other ways how to level the floor on the balcony or loggia with your own hands, for example, if the irregularities are very slight, it is permissible to simply lay the tiles on the mortar, thereby saving time and money.