Previously, loggias or similar parts of the premises appearing on the street were used to store unnecessary things. Currently, many prefer to trim the balconies with clapboard. This gives them an aesthetic appearance and creates an optimal microclimate.
About lining
This is a high-quality processed wooden lath or board in which the docking joints are made with a tongue, lock or ledge. The manufacturer often covers it with a composition that prevents the accumulation of moisture.
Lining is a natural material from hardwood or coniferous wood. The walls finished with it are characterized by increased thermal insulation and exude a pleasant aroma.
Separately, euro lining is selected, having a width of 88 mm and a thickness of 125 mm. There are drainage grooves on each side. The lock is made so that even if it gets wet and swells, the connections do not diverge. A tongue-and-groove lock having a large comb is used here.
Sheathing Material Requirements
The interior decoration of the balconies should be:
- durable - it should be enough for at least a decade;
- practical - the surface of the finishing material should be well washed, dirt should not be absorbed;
- aesthetic;
- differ in ease of installation, which is especially true in conditions when the casing is done on its own;
- repairable - especially relevant for plastic panels, as they are easily damaged.
An economic calculation is added to these requirements, since not everyone has the opportunity to spend significant amounts on the purchase of high quality materials.
Classification of wood lining
It is divided into 4 classes:
- "Extra" - without a core and knots.
- "A" - without a core, but with knots through 150 cm, the presence of 2 surface small cracks, surface damage with resin.
- “B” - 4 knots are already allowed at a distance of 150 cm, subsequent indicators are the same as those of class “A”.
- “C” - knots, cracks, contrast bands, mechanical damage, blue.
In the presence of falling knots, the lining is considered defective.
According to the method of fastening, a wooden lining is divided into the following types:
- Calm rails - have a thorn groove lock and rounded chamfers, harvested from well-dried wood.
- Smooth slats without chamfers, the connection in the middle of the thorn-groove board - in finished form, the connection points are visible when closely examined.
- An ordinary lining - a quarter connection is typical for it, chamfers are located on both sides. Grooves connect easily. Mainly used for flooring, as well as walls.
- Eurolining - spike-groove connection, chamfers are located on two sides of the board. Its production is carried out according to European standards. Wood is being manufactured, having a moisture content not exceeding 20%. It is divided into a rectangular “Standard” and a rounded “Soft line”.
Plastic lining and that of MDF
This material, made of PVC, inside is divided by partitions, which give it reinforcing properties. It has the same compounds that are characteristic of wood, but it is more moisture resistant, fireproof and has great durability. At the same time, this type of lining does not “breathe” and does not provide the thermal insulation that the wooden look gives.
Lining made of MDF does not tolerate high humidity, so it is not used for finishing non-insulated balconies. At the same time, it has the best heat and noise insulation properties compared to that of PVC. It has an aesthetic appearance, is safe and relatively cheap.
Next, consider how to make the decoration of the balcony lining.
Materials for covering the balcony with a wooden variety
To finish the balcony with clapboard, it is necessary to carry out preparatory measures in the form of the purchase of a certain set of components and materials that will be needed during the work:
- Lining - is selected based on the area of walls and ceiling, on the basis of which the number of required slats is calculated.
- Whetstone - necessary for the preparation of the frame; its thickness is determined by the fact that the balcony will be trimmed with lining with or without insulation. In the presence of this element, the thickness of the bar should correspond to or exceed that value for the insulation.
- Fasteners - for the frame, dowel-nails are used, and for lining - nails or kleimers.
- Heater - is used if it is necessary to warm the balcony. The moisture content of the tree should be no more than 20%, and better if it is 14%;
- Primer for walls.
- Varnish or paint to cover the lining.
- If desired, skirting boards can be purchased, which will provide small irregularities at the ends of the sections.
Tool
To finish the balconies inside the clapboard, you will need a special tool that can be present at the owner's place or can be purchased at the corresponding retail outlets:
- level;
- marker or pencil;
- roulette;
- hammer drill;
- a hammer or screwdriver (depending on whether nails or screws are used);
- A stepladder or non-moving table on level legs.
Getting ready for skin
Initially, you need to keep in mind that it is not worth finishing the walls on an unglazed balcony in the presence of small financial opportunities. This is due to the fact that most of the finishing materials are not intended for outdoor use. Therefore, before starting the lining, you need to invite specialists who would glaze your balcony.
Before starting the lining cladding, you need to remove all unnecessary things from the balcony, clean the walls from exfoliated parts. If it is necessary to strengthen the balcony slabs, they must be carried out before the start of finishing work. Small cracks can be sealed with a self-leveling mixture, and large ones expand to the reinforcement, after which the latter is visible. If it is destroyed by rust, it is necessary to overhaul this plate.
First, it is necessary to make the necessary measurements of the ceiling and walls, cut the bars in accordance with them. The frame should be perpendicular to the lining. At the edges, 5 mm gaps are left, since the wood has the property to “play” when the temperature and humidity conditions change. However, a greater amount of material should be purchased, since its deterioration is possible, and trimmings will also form that cannot be used anywhere. Therefore, the amount of purchased material should be increased by 10-15%. Antifungal compounds and those against insects are applied to the lining. Slots are primed, sealed with silicone or foam, and putty. If this operation is not carried out, then fungi and insects can penetrate through them, which will lead to a decrease in the life of the lining.
In the bars, randomly through a certain distance, starting from its initial cut with a slight indentation, holes are made using a drill. The same holes are made in concrete. It is better to do them together, which eliminates the possibility of one hole getting into the other incorrectly. With an uneven surface under the frame, you may need to lay some kind of boards that will ensure alignment of the structure. This is especially important if the decoration of the balconies inside the clapboard involves the use of insulation. Now let's move from theory to practice.
Step-by-step decoration of the balcony with clapboard
Step 1. Preparation of insulation
If it is necessary to carry out insulation, this material is cut into pieces that exceed the width between the bars in width, which will not allow fixing it with dowels in the case of using a sufficiently dense insulation (for example, mineral wool), while the cavities will be filled tightly. When using polystyrene, the joints are filled with mounting foam, which contributes to better insulation, and it also acts as an adhesive material.
Step 2. Material Preparation
A step-by-step instruction for finishing the balcony with a clapboard recommends starting work with its preparation. After the implementation of this measure in relation to the design, we proceed to cutting the lining according to the intended dimensions, taking into account the need to leave gaps. It can be carried out with a jigsaw, another power tool or a hand hacksaw with a small tooth.
Before the next step, you need to lay all the wiring under the ceiling or on the walls. Otherwise, you will either have to disassemble the assembled structure, or lay in plastic boxes, which will violate the aesthetic appearance.
Step 3. Mount
It can be started from any direction. It is better to start from the side that is most clearly visible. The first cut-off element is placed close to the wall, from the edge the fastening is carried out through the lining, since the joint will close in any case. From the side of the groove, the cut can be fixed with nails or clamps. In the first case we use a hammer, in the second - a screwdriver with self-tapping screws.
Step 4. Fit
The step-by-step instructions recommended for decorating a balcony with a clapboard do-it-yourself must contain this item. It must be performed so that the resulting design looks aesthetically pleasing. To do this, the strips must fit very tightly in relation to each other. Each of them should be lined from the side through a wooden spacer, fastening is carried out from the side of the groove (photo of the decoration of the balcony inside the clapboard is given in the article).
Step 5. The hole for the lights
In the case of work on the ceiling, this step may also be necessary. If the decoration of the balcony with a wooden lining is carried out on the walls, then you will need to make such holes for sockets.
This operation is best done not in advance, but in the course of the work. At the same time, all measurements are carried out on site, which eliminates errors, and the work performed will be pleasing to the eye (see the review of the trim of the balcony with clapboard).
Ceiling decoration
The lining of the balconies with the clapboard should begin from the ceiling, if any. The trim size must be set for each rail. Perfectly even ceilings are quite rare, so the height of each plank may vary slightly.
Finishing balconies with wooden lining begins with the most uneven corner. We drive the first bar into the corner with a comb. We fix it with 3-4 nails. All these actions must be accompanied by the use of a level.
The corners on the balconies are mostly uneven, so there is no point in orienting them around. Nails need to be driven into the part that will be blocked by the next bar with an inclination closer to the ridge.
Thus, we examined the lining trim inside the balcony. Photos can be found in the article.
Perimeter Docking Secrets
When fastening the rails around the perimeter of the balcony, it may turn out that there remains such a bar that needs to be cut very much. In this case, on the penultimate of them, you need to cut the crest in half and round it. The last board is reduced by 2 mm. We press them from above and from below to each other, set them in a groove together with a "house" and click.
After that, they go to the sheathing of the slopes - first from above, and then on the sides.
You can see how the decoration of the balcony with clapboard looks in the photo available in the article. But for more complete information, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the video instructions.
Plastic lining
This material received a name similar to wooden products only because of the correspondence to the latter in appearance. They are unpretentious in care, but are artificial material. It should be borne in mind that in many cases balconies are used to dry clothes, and this suggests that they are constantly present with high humidity. With this operation of these premises, it is better to use plastic varieties of lining with the mandatory treatment of bars with an antiseptic.
Unlike wooden ones, they are not divided into classes. Therefore, when buying them you need to decide what color, size, and also the quality of the panels are needed. Particular attention at the moment must be paid to ensure that the color shades match, since the seller can offer plastic lining from different parties. It is advisable for the buyer to have thicker panels, since they are better. When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the presence of stiffeners, their condition and quantity. When you are in a retail outlet, try to carefully bend the edge of the panel - for a quality one, it will return to its original position. To calculate the number of required panels, you need to know that its height is 6 m. Knowing the area of the room to be trimmed, you can always calculate the number of required plastic battens. As in the case of wood panels, it is better to make a larger purchase, as there may be trimming and culling.
Preparation for lining with plastic lining
To make it, you will need:
- construction stapler;
- knife or miter box (for cutting materials at a half-right or right angle);
- plus those tools that were necessary for lining with its wooden variety.
Finishing balconies with plastic lining begins with the installation of the lathing. The latter, in any case, is made of 20x30 wooden timber. It is installed perpendicular to the plastic sheathing, one piece of timber is attached at a distance of 1 meter from another. For fastening the bars, self-tapping screws and dowels are needed. It is difficult to say how many of them will be specifically needed, because their number depends on the evenness of the surface. They should have a size of 50-120 mm, while the bars should be screwed in at least 30 mm. You also need to buy a plastic baseboard for decoration. Its amount is determined depending on the perimeter of the balcony with a small cloak to trim corners. Instead of a plastic baseboard, you can use the L-profile. Staples will be beaten often enough, so they need to stock up for the future.
If it is impossible for financial or other reasons to purchase wooden beams, the crate can be made of galvanized profile. In this case, instead of nails, press washers are used, which are wrapped with a screwdriver. The frame can be assembled on CD and UD profiles, its fastening to the wall is carried out by direct suspension. Two holes of 6 mm in diameter are made on each of them. Fixture is carried out by the expansion bolt shield nails.
The process of lining with plastic lining
Installation on the ceiling begins with its stripping. At the same time, one does not need to try to clean everything up - only what is swollen and easily detached is removed. Holes are drilled through the bars every half meter through which the self-tapping screws will be screwed. If the balcony is not glazed, the bars must be pre-treated with drying oil or protective paints and varnishes. Then the bars are screwed on with self-tapping screws and secured with dowel nails using a punch.
Bars need to be fixed on one level. If there is an uneven surface, some boards need to be laid under them in order to achieve their leveling on the same level.
After preparing the frame, you need to fix the baseboard or L-profile. Using a furniture stapler, they are fixed around the perimeter of the room.
The plastic lining with the wide end on which the tenon is located is inserted into the baseboard. The groove located on the opposite side is attached to the bar with a stapler. Fastenings at the top of a groove are fixed. Next, we begin to fasten each subsequent panel with the previous one. The wide side with the groove of the new panel is inserted into the groove previously attached and fastened using a furniture stapler. This happens until the last panel. If it turns out to be wider than the space intended for it, it is cut to the required size and inserted into the baseboard.
You can cut the last plate so that it goes into the profile by 5 mm. They clean the penultimate one and insert the last one before entering it in the profile. A gap is formed between the last and penultimate plates, which is 5 mm wider than the width of the plastic lining, we insert it into it and into the last plate, and in order for the construction to be completed, we extend the last of the profile with the fingers, pushing it with short shocks until the connection has an aesthetic view.
Thus, we examined the step-by-step decoration of the balcony with a clapboard.
Unlike wooden lining, plastic does not require painting or varnishing at the end of work. The only thing that needs to be done is to wipe the new upholstery of the balcony with a soft cloth treated with soapy water.
A photo of the design of the decoration of the balcony clapboard is presented below.
Finally
The decoration of the balcony with lining can be made in its various types - both wooden of different classes, and plastic of different colors, thickness and quality. In any case, for cladding, you need to make a frame, which is mainly made of wood, but for open rooms and those with high humidity can be made of zinc profile. Sheathing can be carried out using nails, screws or kleimers, the bars are screwed to concrete walls or panels using dowels-nails.