Balcony decoration: ideas and tips for choosing

The design of the balcony is fundamentally different from other rooms in the house. If you plan to furnish this room, you need to think over many nuances in advance.

There are many ways to decorate a balcony inside and outside. But before you are tempted by this or that decision, you need to delve into its specifics. Important: it is very good if the design of the balcony space matches the style of the interior of the apartment. At the same time, one should also strive so that all elements (balcony railings, furniture, ornamental plants and other decorations) do not look alien, but create a more or less seasoned atmosphere.

There are three different approaches to decorating a balcony space:

• when it is used for storing things and purely utilitarian work (for example, gardening or as an impromptu office);
• when it is just an external decoration of the home;
• when it is planned to spend rest on the balcony, to gather and communicate.

In its pure form, any of these three functions rarely dominate. That's why it cannot be said that the decoration of the balcony should be only practical or only hygienic or only pleasant in appearance. But it is obvious that some kind of fundamental decision must be made right away. A well-thought-out concept should take into account such nuances as:

• plants used;
• natural and artificial illumination;
• furniture on the balcony.

Speaking about the types of materials for finishing the balcony, one cannot ignore such a frequently used option as an ordinary tree. This is a completely environmentally and sanitary safe method. It is distinguished by both practicality and external nobility. Besides if you use lining, the cost of repairs can be significantly reduced. Thanks to special processing, modern types of wood do not deform when humidity or temperature changes.

The undoubted advantages of the tree are:

• ease of technical processing;
• ease of installation;
• nice design;
• ideal suitability for decorating living rooms.

However, one must understand that protective and decorative impregnations of wooden surfaces significantly increase the price of finished products. In addition, installation errors lead to deformation of structures. You will have to very carefully choose the type of wood for decoration. Coniferous materials are categorically not suitable, because when heated, they will release resin.

The exception is the high-level panels, but they are very expensive. You can save money if you use a common linden. Its constant color, pleasant texture and low thermal conductivity are the ideal solution for finishing works on the balcony. Even the high cost of this material in comparison with pine is justified by long-term operation. Quite expensive, albeit graceful, designs from:

• ordinary oak;
• larch;
• African oak abasha.

But alder and aspen should be discarded in any case. Although they are cheap, the gradually emerging gray color can be very unpleasant.... This problem can be avoided by painting surfaces or impregnating them with special mixtures, but this complicates and increases the cost of the work process. Important: in the overwhelming majority of cases, balconies are trimmed not with massive boards, but with clapboard.

Plywood is a good alternative. This inexpensive material is suitable if you plan to use the balcony as a simple utility room. For sheathing with plywood, you will have to first create a frame from wooden or metal parts. Attention: only special waterproof plywood should be taken.

On the floor or walls on the balcony, you can lay out ceramic tiles. This stuff is good:

• mechanical strength;
• hygiene;
• resistance to moisture and minimal absorption of it;
• aesthetic variety.

But it must be borne in mind that for a balcony (it doesn't matter whether it is open or closed), not all types of ceramic tiles are suitable. One of the best options, tiles, has such a significant drawback as fragility. Tiles come in a wide variety of sizes. When mentioning porcelain stoneware, it should be said that its main advantage is initial focus on operation in difficult conditions. Modern versions of porcelain stoneware blocks are much more decorative than those that were several decades ago.

Penoplex can also be used to decorate balconies. True, the role of this material is rather auxiliary - it is designed to insulate the room. For obvious reasons, such a solution is used when you need to arrange a closed loggia or a combined room. Penoplex has a unique structure created from small (fractions of a millimeter) cells. Unlike simple foam, this material is very difficult to break.

You can even use large volumes of foam (it is quite light) so that there are no special loads on the supporting structures. Important: this material differs in strength grades, therefore it is necessary to carefully evaluate this parameter... But when the balcony is insulated with the same foam or other material, it can be used for external finishing of a sandwich panel. Composite plastic panels already initially contain insulation in the structure.

It is not too difficult to maintain your sandwich panels. It will only be necessary to avoid abrasive compositions and other particularly destructive agents. If the surface is scratched, the damaged areas will continuously accumulate dirt. Fitting the panels is fairly simple and does not require complex tooling. Another type of sandwich panels (SIP) is made of wood, the OSB layers in such a blank are separated by a heater.

The thickness of the self-supporting insulated wire blocks varies depending on the parameters of this insulating layer. They are comparatively lightweight and quite durable. The advantage of SIP panels can be considered the ease of processing, adjustment to certain dimensions. Important: using such panels, you must always think about how they will be protected from harmful influences. Usually varnishes or paints are used for this purpose.

The thickest wood-based sandwich panels measure 0.22 m. In terms of thermal characteristics, they are identical to brickwork of about 1 m.But with all the importance of wall decoration, the design of the balcony floor cannot be ignored.

Usually calibrated and carefully planed wood is called decking. There is a groove and a comb for joining very often, but not always. Wood can be very different: both inexpensive commonly available species and exotic varieties are used. The high cost of terrace boards made of exotic materials is justified by both a pleasant appearance and important user parameters. Decent quality tropical tree:

• serves for a long time;
• gives off a pleasant smell;
• resistant to harmful mechanical influences;
• environmentally friendly.

In Russia, for economic reasons, the overwhelming majority of people prefer to use terrace board based on larch or pine. These types of wood are processed without unnecessary difficulties. Negative aspects can be eliminated through special processing. But if such processing is not carried out or is carried out poorly, the service life of the material will be several years, and insects will quickly gnaw it.

But parquet boards can also be laid on the balcony floor. Its facial layer is formed from a thin layer of wood. Along with the usual oak, walnut veneer, veneer based on wenge and merbau is often used. To improve the appearance, apply brushing, bleaching or toning. Regardless of these processing techniques, the outside of the parquet board is always varnished in several layers.

Parts of the connecting locks are placed in the middle of the board. The slats are laid out at an angle of 90 degrees in relation to the decorative layer. This provides increased mechanical and thermal stability of the material. At the very bottom of the parquet board there is a homogeneous layer of coniferous wood. The main purpose of its use is to impart rigidity and resistance to bending. Important: The thickness of the top layer is decisive for the characteristics of parquet boards.

The number of stripes in such a board can vary from 1 to 4. For ordinary apartments, a material with a thickness of at least 0.014 m is chosen. The typical length of the boards is from 2 to 2.5 m.

Important: connoisseurs strongly advise to purchase a parquet board "live", visiting the store in person, and not on the Internet. It is advisable to come there during the day, so that the electric lighting does not distort the appearance of the material. The presence of light stripes on a dark surface is strictly unacceptable, because they appear only when the varnish is applied incorrectly. A good parquet board should not smell bad, the only permissible scent is natural wood.

If you want to arrange the floor on the balcony as simply and quickly as possible, you must give up both parquet and decking. It is worthwhile to prefer laying the timber on the logs. Before that, you need to take measures to protect the concrete from destruction. Next, waterproofing is carried out, the method of which will have to be chosen at your discretion. Beams for lags are recommended to be made of oak and other hard species, and also be sure to dry.

Important: raising the floor on the balcony using a lag is possible only up to a maximum threshold height... If you cannot lay logs due to the low height of the balcony itself, you have to lay the front boarding directly on the concrete floor. The flooring is laid from any wall (the choice of a specific point does not matter). After laying, the flooring is covered with a topcoat (most often it is linoleum or laminate). The last step in arranging the floor on the logs is to attach the baseboards.

But it's time to return to the arrangement of the balcony walls. For the decoration of the premises, it is advised to use also MDF boards. An important advantage of this material is that it can be mounted without assistance. Products from MDF on the balcony must have a thickness of 0.6 cm, protected from moisture. The calculation of the required amount of material is carried out by quadrature with a reserve of 10 to 20% for production and assembly defects.

It is better to create under the MDF boards the crate is made of wood, not metal. The decorative panels themselves can be mounted not only horizontally or vertically, but also diagonally. Thin panels are attached with glue.

As for the finishing of the balcony walls with marble chips, such a decision is unlikely to be justified.... This material tends to crumble and clog everything. In addition, for its application, an assessment of the evenness of the walls is critical. And the application itself has to be trusted by professionals, otherwise it will be easy to notice transitions and areas uneven in saturation.

If you want to create a more pleasant textured surface, it is advised to use a tinted decorative plaster. "Bark beetle" and "Rain" look equally good. The choice between them is a matter of purely personal taste. Well, when all the walls are decorated, it is worth taking a closer look at this type of flooring, such as artificial grass... It has no particular drawbacks, while all consumers note a pleasant appearance and comfort when using.

You can cover not only the entire floor with artificial grass, but also a separate part of it. Unlike conventional plants, no complicated care is required. It is worth considering that artificial turf can be in the form of tiles or rolls.

On a heated balcony, you can, in principle, use any options for finishing materials. But in unheated rooms, the choice of solutions is somewhat less. Only materials that are waterproof and will not collapse from cold or heat are suitable. The walls are insulated only from the side of the room, and from the street side they are limited to elegant decor.

The cheapest way to finish an unheated balcony is use of plastic lining or MDF panels. But when assessing the cost of any method of decorating a space, it must be borne in mind that the cost of insulation will have to be added to the price of the finishing materials and installation work themselves.

The difference between "warm" and "cold" balconies applies to the arrangement of glazing. The number of glasses in a "warm" glass unit is selected in accordance with the average winter temperature outside the window. In the southern regions of Russia, two glasses are enough. But already at the latitude of Kazan and to the north, it is worth using three-glass windows. Important: simple wooden frames cannot be used on a warm balcony, because regardless of the number of layers of glass, they are not tight enough.

With both glazing options, the balcony space can be decorated:

• glass blocks;
• liquid wallpaper;
• decorative plaster;
• bamboo panels or wallpaper;
• natural cork.

A conversation about interesting ideas for decorating a balcony is very important. But even earlier it is worthwhile to understand that in any case it will have to be glazed. To do this and further increase the available space, a so-called takeaway. Usually its length is 0.1-0.15 m. It is necessary to think about how the windows will open.

On small balconies, all doors, except 1-2, are left closed; you also have to think about the glazing of the bay window, if there is one. A common design solution for balconies with bay windows is to use full-height glazed doors. Important: when thinking over a specific solution, it should be remembered that the version with single and double glazing produces a fundamentally different effect. When it is planned to connect the balcony space with the living space, the windows and wall cladding should follow the same pattern in order to emphasize the unity stylistically.

Whichever design option is chosen, for everyone living above the second floor, independent implementation of the plan is almost impossible. The most that can be done in such a case is to focus on soundproofing, thermal insulation and interior decoration. Any work involving interference with the structure of load-bearing elements is not allowed.

From the very beginning, you should also decide whether the balcony will be connected to other parts of the dwelling, and if so, how exactly. In some cases, the barriers are simply removed, in others, instead of conventional doors, for example, arches are mounted.

In the classic version, such features should be traced as:

• severity;
• indispensable functionality;
• cosiness.

Laminate is considered the ideal solution for decorating a floor that matches the classics. Light wood is sometimes used for decoration. The balcony can also be decorated in the English style. This approach allows for both simple light colors and bright saturated tones.

Partial finishing involves covering only walls or ceilings with decorative materials. The complex option is chosen if you need to completely transform the space and improve it. For obvious reasons, a partial finish is more often used on cold ones, and a full finish on warm balconies. The experience of using various materials shows that only plastic panels and wooden lining do well in the cold. Plasterboard and MDF did not meet expectations, and therefore can hardly be considered a good modern option.

The floor is predominantly covered with tongue-and-groove boards or plywood and then laid linoleum / laminate. If the walls are very strongly blown by cold winds, you only need to seal all the cracks, and not use insulation. It is also important to think about how to beat the exit to the balcony. The old-style window is removed, the opening is widened to the floor and panoramic windows are installed. This will increase the illumination of the adjacent rooms.

On the insulated balcony, decorative finishing is performed using:

• PVC panels;
• wooden lining;
• MDF panels;
• drywall (often covered with wallpaper).

Important: it is better to refuse both of the mentioned types of panels if the loggia is set aside for children's games and entertainment. The floor on the insulated balcony can be made in the same ways as on the cold one, tiles are also used, but this method is expensive and very long.

However, the simple solutions mentioned are not always acceptable on a corner balcony. There you can make a rather elegant summer gazebo, a winter garden, an office or an impromptu gym. Usually, the space of a large corner loggia is clearly zoned so that it is clear which part of it is responsible for which function.

Decorative elements are usually placed in the corners. Maintaining a single style will allow painting the walls and floor in the same color. This can be done not only with building paints alone, but also with paintable wallpaper. In this case, the following conditions must be met:

• glazing of space;
• lack of drafts;
• minimum air humidity;
• the presence of heating on the balcony (or at least maintaining a temperature of at least -5 degrees year-round).

On a small balcony, which they want to make visually larger, you can use rough and processed natural materials. To shade the charm of such a space will help and decorative plants. If you want to make the floor nicer and more beautiful, they put on it carpet.

It is also a good idea use of art deco style, which is characterized by bright and catchy, even acidic tones. In an environment with metal furniture and bare concrete flooring, you can help improve the look hanging lanterns and candles.

If a large carpet is laid on the balcony, you can add textiles of an emphatically bohemian look to the decor. When used skillfully, the most common paint can create a look just as pleasing as masonry, decorating plaster or wild stone. In addition, painting allows you to do without tedious preparatory work and eliminate the cost of creating a frame.

If it is very difficult to figure out which decision to make, it is worth considering using the concept of a winter garden. She is popular, comfortable and beautiful.

The sequence of work will be in any case as follows:

• strengthening of external walls;
• glazing;
• arrangement of the floor;
• wall insulation and decoration;
• other necessary manipulations.

The photo shows one of the optimal design options for the balcony space. The designers were clearly inspired by the idea of ​​contrasting dark and light elements of the room. Corner furniture and graceful blinds completely solve design problems.

But this interior is even lighter than the previous one - and there are fewer dark elements. However, the thoughtful use of the decor eliminates the characteristic fadedness that non-professionals often admit.