Comparative analysis of types of underfloor heating for balconies. Main similarities and differences

The balcony in a modern apartment is gradually turning from a pantry into a continuation of a dwelling with all the ensuing characteristics: comfort, excellent finishing materials and the use of various technological ideas. Many masters come up with the idea to make a warm floor on the balcony with their own hands. If you know the basic principles of this work and stock up on time, then ennobling a balcony is not such a difficult task to solve.

The very first thing that needs to be done before repair work is to clean the area from debris, old and unused things, etc. After the master needs to decide on the type of future balcony: what will it be like after the repair? The whole front of work largely depends on the availability of free time, the desire to create and a certain amount of money.

Balcony floor screed

To make a screed for a warm floor, a home craftsman will need the following materials:

If necessary, level and strengthen the surface, floor screed is performed

• Dry mix - 2 bags;
• Cement - at the rate of 3 kg per bag of mixture;
• Primer with deep penetrating property;
• Water.

The primer goes through the entire base of the balcony or loggia. When mixing a dry special mixture, cement and water, it is necessary to strive for the consistency of rustic sour cream. The prepared mass is poured on the balcony and leveled with a trowel.

The screed is dried from 48 to 72 hours. After hardening, the formwork is removed, all defects are corrected with a newly diluted mixture.

Tip: If you press the rule closer to the floor, the finished surface will be much smoother.

How to choose an electric underfloor heating

Warm electric floors entered the life of a modern person relatively recently. The generation of our parents could not even conceive of such a luxury. Installing such a floor reduces the cost of space heating, and walking comfort is an additional bonus. All types of electric floor heating used today can be divided into several types:

• Using a cable system;
• Application of heating mats;
• Installation of infrared film on the floor.

For any repair work regarding the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe balcony or loggia, increased requirements regarding the insulation of walls, floors and ceilings. This is a necessary measure to keep the heat inside a limited space. It is recommended to lay a material with vapor barrier characteristics on the floor base, which is tightly fastened to each other and to the walls using metal tape. Thus, the balcony, according to the principle of heat accumulation, becomes similar to a thermos.

The article discusses in detail the specifics of the insulation of the balcony, both inside and outside.

A definite alternative to a warm floor on a balcony can be. We have discussed them in more detail on our website.

Cable heating system

The traditional electrical system on cables must necessarily be carried out on a layer of thermal insulation and a surface previously leveled with a screed. The difficulty of installing such a warm floor on a loggia is due to the following reasons:

• Overlappings are under increased load;
• Raising the finished floor by an extra 15 cm;
• Long installation work (more than 30 days).

The most important detail when installing a cable underfloor heating is retention of generated heat. It is for this purpose that high-quality insulation is laid and a layer of waterproofing is made with entry to the walls. The thickness of the screed on such a floor should not be less than 4.5 centimeters, and when laying the cement-sand mass, it is worth getting rid of air bubbles as carefully as possible.

The heating cable is installed on 3.5 cm inside the surface of the future floor. Cables are fastened with special elements or mounting tape on a reinforcing mesh. Before pouring the screed, a damper tape is laid around the entire perimeter of the room.

The scheme for laying the electric floor heating cable is as follows: zigzag lines run along parallel lines, the interval between these wires should always be equal. The thermostat must be installed in a conspicuous place, and temperature control requires manual input.

Use of heating mats

Heating mats are used when a cement-sand screed cannot be 4.5 cm thick. This can be in old houses, with a lack of time and in other situations. Then heating electric mats come to replace the cables.

Mats do not increase the thickness of the base, create a minimum of construction waste and do not take a lot of money from the master. Installation of heating mats is carried out on the glue, which fixes the tile. This method is called "wet".

Substrate for underfloor heating made of mats - an old tile or concrete surface. Glue is distributed over the entire area. The final drying of the new coating occurs within the first week.

Mats are called a special mesh made of fiberglass with cells of about 1 by 1 centimeter. A resistive type of cable 2-3 mm in diameter is attached to it. Laid in a 5 cm serpentine pattern, this cable has a high resistance.

Installing this version of the warm floor on the balcony with your own hands is extremely simple:

Scheme of installation of heating mats under the tiles

1) Floor area is measured;

2) The heating mat is cut into separate rectangular fragments without affecting the cable layout;

3) Fixing to the base is not necessary;

4) Laid out on an adhesive-coated base, the floor can be considered already installed.

The disadvantage of heating mats is their susceptibility to mechanical loads and the lack of thermal storage capacity. Therefore, such a floor can only be an addition to the main heating system on the loggia.

Infrared warm floor

Infrared film works on the principle of formation of long-wave thermal radiation. With such heating, heat goes to the walls of the balcony, and to all surrounding objects. The ability of the secondary return of the accumulated heat characterizes such floors as the most effective for heating a balcony or loggia space.

The heating elements of the film are carbon strips sealed between polyester or lavsan layers. The material of the strips is carbon paste obtained from crushed stylus. Conductors are made of pure copper or copper-silver alloys. The strips are connected to the conductors in a parallel way, and the mains voltage is 220 volts.

When installing an infrared heated floor on a balcony, all operations are performed in stages:

1. Base screed;
2. Placement of a substrate with heat-reflecting properties;
3. The heating elements are cut along the dotted lines;
4. Placement of infrared material on the substrate;
5. Installation of a thermostat, temperature sensor;
6. Installation of electrical contacts on the film;
7. All places where the connection to the network is made are isolated with bituminous composition.

Note: when installing a warm floor with a soft finish finish (carpet), a soft substrate is used and vice versa.

Now, knowing all the nuances of the device and installation of a warm electric floor, you can make the right choice for yourself.

Water floor device

Such a floor is mounted only on a screed. And here there is a very important point - when expanding the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe living room by the footage of the balcony, the level of the floor surface in both rooms should not differ. Installing a warm water floor on a balcony involves laying batteries over the entire surface, through which hot coolant will be transported.

The use of a liquid explains the requirement for waterproofing such a floor. In order to retain heat for a longer time, a film with heat-reflecting characteristics is laid on the waterproofing layer. Instead of foil, foam having an increased density can be used.

Installation of the floor from pipes is carried out in stages:

1) Concrete screed to remove irregularities;

2) Laying of hydro- and heat-insulating materials;

3) Installation of the pipeline. In this case, either special brackets or rugs are used;

4) The small area of ​​the balcony is the reason in favor of choosing a serpentine scheme for placing the track;

5) On the balcony, when installing water floors, only seamless pipes made of metal-plastic are used;

Scheme of installation of a water heated floor

6) Pipe bending is done carefully;

7) Installation of the pipeline is completed by connecting to the DHW system;

8) Testing a new warm floor;

9) The absence of leaks in the pipeline is the basis for concreting the route with the coolant.

If a water pipeline is laid on the balcony to heat the space, the finish coat must be chosen correctly. Materials with high heat dissipation: linoleum, ceramic or tile.

The floor covering is laid on a fully cured concrete screed.

Whichever of the described options for warming the balcony floor is chosen by the master, subject to a certain algorithm of work, he will certainly cope with the task. And then the dwelling will expand to an additional comfortable area.

Warm floor on the balcony video

We invite you to watch a video on the topic of our article "Heated floor on the balcony with your own hands." In the video you will see instructions for installing an infrared floor heating.

To cover the floor of insulated balconies or loggias, various materials are used - laminate, linoleum, carpets, tiles. All finishing materials, except ceramics, are mounted on wooden logs and chipboard sheets, which can be damaged if water gets on them or prolonged exposure to high humidity (this can be attributed to carpet and laminate).

Rice. 1 Moisture condensation on balcony glazing

Moisture and water can appear on any balcony even if it is completely waterproofed due to water vapor condensate on the glazing and decoration in winter, with a large difference in temperature outside and inside the room.

Therefore, laying tiled flooring on the floor of balconies and loggias, which is not exposed to water and high humidity, is the most popular option when repairing residential premises.

The ceramic floor is quite cold even in a warm room, therefore, when laying tiles in an apartment, it is heated from below, and in a glazed balcony, underfloor heating performs an additional function of heating the room.

Currently, several methods of floor heating are widely used in everyday life:

Water

A system of pipes from the central heating is laid under the floor, through which hot water flows. The method of water heating is widely used in country houses and cottages; in apartments, a warm water floor on a balcony during unauthorized installation is inefficient, expensive and prohibited by law.

Rice. 2 Water heated floor on the loggia

infrared

Floor heating with electric films that emit infrared radiation is a fairly popular method of space heating recently; it is easy to install a film heated floor on a balcony with your own hands under linoleum, laminate, carpet.

When installing infrared film emitters under tiles, technical difficulties arise due to poor adhesion of the film surface with adhesive cement mixtures.

If not immediately, then during operation, with frequent temperature changes during on-off cycles, the cement mortar will peel off from the film and voids will appear under the tile, leading to damage to the floor - this limits the use of infrared film for installation in a tiled floor. It is also recommended to lay the infrared floor together with a foil substrate that reflects infrared radiation - this creates even more problems when placed under ceramic tiles.

Electrical

Floor heating system with electric wire of standard thickness 5 mm. differs in low cost and ease of installation, thanks to the placement of the wire on the grid and its small area, the mats perfectly adhere to cement mortars. This makes them the most suitable for heating tiled floors mounted on a cement-sand screed.

The device of a warm floor from a tile on a balcony

The device of a warm floor on a balcony is irrational without its thermal insulation from a concrete slab, therefore the use of insulation under the screed is the most important condition for its efficient operation with minimal power consumption. In addition, screed, electric mat and tiles will further raise the balcony floor. Before you make a warm floor, its height can be calculated in advance.

Rice. 3 The structure of the warm floor on the balcony

Balcony floor height calculation

The standard height of the balcony threshold is 150 mm. - it is rational to raise the height of the floor on the balcony to this mark and above in order to avoid an unaesthetic step that interferes with the exit. The floor on the balcony can be raised almost to the door leaf, which is another 50 mm. As a result, the floor on the balcony can be raised to a distance in the range of 150 - 200 mm. Knowing the installation technology and the dimensions of building materials will help to more accurately calculate its height:

The thickness of the screed layer is directly related to the material of manufacture (density) and the thickness of the insulation - the denser and thinner it is, the smaller the thickness of the screed can be done on the balcony.

The procedure for installing a warm floor on a tiled balcony

It is almost impossible for a non-specialist to do this work with high quality with their own hands; laying tiles on an electric underfloor heating is quite a difficult task even for experienced tilers. The work to be carried out can be divided into several stages.

Rice. 5 Installation of insulation and mesh

Insulation installation

For use as a heater on the balcony, it is better to use the material with the highest density - Penoplex 45 (density 35 - 47 kg / m3) with a maximum thickness of 100 mm., It is fastened to the floor with a dowel - umbrellas.

When using hydrophobic extruded polystyrene foam, Penoplex does not require a primer (if attached to dowels-umbrellas) and waterproofing of the concrete slab. Installation of Penoplex plates is carried out joint-to-butt by connecting L-shaped edges, while cold bridges are not formed. To seal the insulation at the edges, use foam.

Penoplex can also be fastened with glue after priming the balcony floor, while using materials based on cement with mineral additives - Stopter K-20, Plitonit Stf, Ceresit CT85, UNS or on polyurethane - Tytan Styro, Emfikol 225, Zenit-36, Kleiberit Pur Leim.

Screed

Rice. 6 Screed on lighthouses

After installation on Penoplex, a metal mesh is laid, beacon strips are made along the edges using a level from a solution for screeds or metal guides (pipes, rectangular profile, plaster beacons). The screed solution is pulled along the guides with a rule or a building level, a damper tape made of foamed polystyrene strips (laminate substrate, Penofol) or other synthetic materials must be laid along the edges.

Laying the electric mat

After the screed hardens, a zigzag electric cable is placed on its surface and fixed with tile adhesive, the electric cable extending from it and the temperature sensor are placed in a corrugated tube. To place the corrugations in the floor and wall, using a perforator, make a strobe of the required depth (20 mm.)

Rice. 7 Installation of a warm floor: on a tiled loggia

Laying tiles

Work on laying tiles on an electric mat should be trusted only by experienced professionals, it is carried out with a tool that provides a height of the adhesive layer of 8 - 10 mm. (pitch of a tile comb tooth). The cracks in the corners after installation of the floor are closed with a plastic plinth.

It is important when carrying out work to use building materials only for underfloor heating, which have special additives in their composition, costing more than usual.

The device of a warm tiled floor for a balcony is the best solution in case of high humidity. Qualitatively laying warm floors on the loggias can only be done by experienced professionals - if the preparatory work for the installation of insulation and screeds can be done independently, then the laying of tiles should be trusted only to masters.

How to create comfortable conditions in the cold season not only in the living quarters of the apartment, but also where the builders did not provide heating radiators? We are talking about balconies and loggias.

In cities where living space is very limited, they often become cozy corners for relaxation. But how do you make them warm and comfortable? One of the options is to lay a warm floor on the balcony, after insulating the outer walls and installing plastic windows.

How to do it right? Which heating system to choose? You can find answers to these questions in our article.

Balcony floor features

The most important issue when arranging a balcony is the possibility of reducing heat loss. First of all, it begins with the installation of double-glazed windows and insulation of the ceiling and walls. After completing these works, you can start looking for a source of heat. It is unrealistic to bring radiators to the balcony, extending the heating system for a city apartment. Therefore, only underfloor heating remains. Which of the existing systems to choose?

But the balcony floor has its own characteristics. Firstly, it is not insulated during the construction of the building. Secondly, it has a small area, which can make it difficult to install heating cables. Thirdly, it is not designed for heavy weight. Therefore, not all types of underfloor heating available on the construction market can be used to insulate a balcony.

What heating system to use

Since the balcony floor is most often a small floor slab, water heating will have to be abandoned. Remaining electric models:

• infrared
• Cable
• Film

Which one to choose for the loggia? If you follow the recommendations of the heating cable manufacturers, then their power should be about 190 W / m². Based on these values, ultra-thin, film underfloor heating will have to be immediately discarded. They are available with power up to 160 W/m². So there are cable-based models.

Moreover, the latter is laid on an area of ​​\u200b\u200ba component of at least 70% of the entire room, under a concrete screed. Thickness, which is allowed up to 7 cm. But it is better if tiles are chosen as the flooring.

Infrared warm floor on the loggia is used no less than cable. Usually it is laid under a laminate or parquet. Since of all the existing models of underfloor heating, it is the only one that does not lead to drying out and cracking of wooden floor coverings. It can have power from 180 to 220 W/m², which is ideal for a balcony.

Installation of such a floor is carried out by a dry method. A layer of foil thermal insulation is laid on the prepared surface, on top of which a heating film is placed. Then the entire structure of the warm floor is covered with a laminate or board.

Electric cable - everything you need to know about it

The device of a warm floor on a balcony has its own specifics. Typically, the difference between the loggia and living quarters is from 10 to 15 cm. This allows you to use a large layer of thermal insulation laid under the cable.

If your goal is to achieve a comfortable temperature on the loggia, similar to the climate of residential premises, then you will have to use extruded polystyrene foam with a thickness of 2 to 5 cm or other similar material.

Wiring diagram for a warm electric floor

This will help keep the heat from spreading down. The thickness of the concrete screed or tile adhesive can also be increased up to 5 cm. Of course, this will slightly increase the heating time of the floor covering, but at the same time it will be compensated by a large cooling inertia. Since cable underfloor heating for a balcony is most often used not for heating, but as heating, when calculating the cable, a specific power of up to 250 W / m² is laid.

Using this design, the laying step is calculated by the formula - the area divided by the length of the heating element. But for a conventional cable, the distance between adjacent cores is 5 cm, which is quite difficult to achieve in practice. Therefore, for a balcony, they usually take a warm floor with an increased power of 28 W / m linear. If necessary, heating elements can also be laid on the walls of the loggia.

Before the cable is installed, the floor surface must be leveled and insulated. A metal mesh is laid on top of the thermal insulation layer, to which a heating element will be attached with clamps. This method allows you to achieve the optimal design step.

When installing the cable, care must be taken not to damage it on the grid. After the laying is completed, the screed is poured. It is a cement-sand mixture. Then the floor is left uncoated for several days until the solution is completely dry, and only then a laminate, board or other material is laid.

Before performing the screed, do not forget to sketch the position of the cable, its couplings. And after pouring the floor, the resistance of the insulation and heating elements is measured.

infrared film

It is not always possible to use a cement-sand screed for arranging a warm floor, since its weight may exceed the maximum allowable for a floor slab. In such cases, infrared film is used. It is based on heating elements that emit heat rays. They do not heat the air, but directly the floor covering and this differs from cable models.

Infrared floor wiring diagram

Infrared warm floors can be laid under any floor covering. Their operation is possible immediately after installation. But due to its design features and method of laying, infrared film cannot be placed in areas where furniture will be located.

Comparing infrared and cable heating options, we can say with confidence that the first one is more beneficial for use on a balcony or loggia. This is achieved through:

• film radiates heat from the entire surface, and cable only along the power rods
• the small thickness of the screed for the infrared floor compared to the electric one saves energy
• heating objects (for infrared), rather than air, allows you to achieve a comfortable temperature in the room much faster

After conducting this comparative analysis, we were able to make sure that it is possible to save even with electric underfloor heating.

What do consumers choose?

Making a warm floor on a balcony or loggia is available to everyone. There are a lot of materials for mounting a specific system on the market, which allows you to make a choice at your discretion.

There are differences between the offers of manufacturers, so you should not save on quality. Buy well-known brands. This will help to get the most comfortable temperature on the balcony or loggia at no additional cost.

If the choice is made in favor of an infrared film, then its advantage is the possibility of using it with any floor covering. It does not require an expensive grout screed and can be turned on immediately after installation. Installation of infrared systems is very simple, if necessary, such a warm floor can be moved to another location. It is these qualities that have made infrared systems the most popular and brought them a huge amount of positive feedback.

In favor of film underfloor heating, the fact that their use is completely safe for people living in the house also speaks. But there are different opinions about cable. Many people think that using them is unhealthy, and besides, they consume a lot of electricity. So draw your own conclusions.

What do you choose?

So, what model of underfloor heating did you decide to place on your balcony? If the choice has not yet been made, then explore two options: cable and infrared. Which one will be optimal for you depends on the characteristics of the room to be insulated, the floor covering and the desired result.

Having chosen one of them, you can do the styling yourself, but it is better to invite specialists. Since they will be able to cope with this task much faster and better.

Underfloor heating on the balcony is an urgent problem, as they are increasingly being converted into additional rooms. If there are cold floors in such rooms, then the benefits from them will practically be reduced to zero.

In most cases, when installing a warm floor, you simply cannot do without a subfloor. Video below.

Why a wooden draft floor for a balcony:

• the wooden floor is quite easy to install;
• has a low weight, which is very important for a balcony;
• very convenient when leveling the floor levels on the balcony and in the room;
• perfectly insulates the balcony slab under your feet, especially if the balcony is not insulated from below;
• any heating can be installed on it - infrared film and rod, electric cable and even water.

There are many approaches to creating underfloor heating for balconies, and any homeowner will be able to choose the best option for themselves.

In order not to be excruciatingly painful, you should familiarize yourself with which floor and which components to choose. Video below.

Infrared floor on the balcony

A popular solution to how to make a warm floor on a balcony is infrared systems. This type of flooring is an extremely thin and flexible film, the thickness of which is 0.3 mm. The infrared type heater consists of two current-conducting strips made using Carbon NanoTube technology. The electricity supply is carried out by a silver-copper wire, the film is completely sealed and laminated with a fire-retardant polymer.

In addition, it has a stable resistance to the influence of the atmosphere and moisture. The connection of such a film to the electricity network is carried out through a temperature controller mounted in a convenient place. If the infrared film is damaged mechanically, only the place of damage stops its work, and the rest of the system will function without changes.

There are two types of infrared heated floor on the balcony - rod and film.

The first option is made of interconnected wires and carbon rods. Film models are produced as rolls of thin material with strips that perform heating.

Film on the left and rod.

The installation of a film variety of floors, which is considered less troublesome, begins with the design of their location and the implementation of measurements. After that, a reflective screen is mounted so that the thermal form of the radiation is directed to the center of the room. Then the infrared film is laid down with copper tires down, while remembering that it is cut strictly in sections. All elements of the film are connected using clips and wires, and on the other hand - with special insulation.

Then comes the stage of installing the temperature controller, for this they put a separate outlet and connect the electrical wires. After that, the temperature sensor is connected and the whole system is completely, and the floor covering is also laid.

Detailed instructions on the example of a room can be found below.

Advantages of infrared floors:

1. They install quickly. It does not matter at all what type of flooring will subsequently lie on the balcony.
2. Thanks to the use of a thermostat, it is possible to correctly adjust the room temperature, and since the film heats up quickly, the room will instantly feel warm.
3. When heated, the floors do not change the humidity of the surrounding air.
4. They work silently, do not emit harmful fumes and dust.

The use of such a floor will allow you to make a warm and cozy room out of the balcony.

Electric flooring

Another type of flooring that can be used on balconies is an electric floor. Usually, specialists are hired to install it, since it has its own specifics.

Thanks to the differences between rooms and balconies of 10-12 cm, a large heat-insulating layer can be made. The main source of heat for electric flooring is wire, which converts electricity into heat.

The heating cable is reinforced with glass fiber, sometimes it consists of two conductors that conduct current, a copper conductor, a polyester film, an aluminum screen and a PVC layer.

Installation of an electric floor is carried out in several stages. First, the space is insulated to enhance the heating effect. Then a suitable heat-insulating section is selected and each layer of cable laying is reinforced with mounting tape. Between the turns of the wire, a temperature sensor is placed in the corrugation. The cold end of the heating section, together with the wire from the temperature sensor, is connected to the thermostat. Such a device must be installed by an experienced specialist. Then a screed (3-5 cm) is poured over the cable and connected, waiting for the surface to harden naturally.

A typical scheme for laying a warm - cable floor.

Quite calmly, you can do without a screed by equipping a warm floor on top of a wooden one - a well-insulated rough one. Video below.

Such a heating system is considered quite complex and somewhat laborious to install, but if you make these floors on the balcony, you can get a large and uniform level of heating around the entire perimeter of the room. In addition, such flooring can protect against drafts on the balcony, since warm air will create a temperature barrier.

water deck

Water heated floor - the name of the heating system, which consists of a pipeline and a coolant mixing unit. The source of heat is water, which circulates through a specially designed flexible pipe.

Such a floor is suitable only for those houses and apartments that have an individual type of heating. Installing water flooring on the balcony from central heating is prohibited.

This is due to the fact that this heating structure causes increased heat extraction and hydraulic resistance of the overall system, and this can lead to serious consequences.

In order not to bite your elbows later, before you start creating a water floor on your own or not be fooled by ordering installation from the masters, you need to familiarize yourself with the general principles of the system. Video below.

The water floor is laid in the form of a "snail" or "snake". The first option is great for spacious balconies, and the second for small rooms. To make a water floor, different types of pipes are used: metal-plastic, copper, polypropylene and polyethylene. Practitioners are advised to give preference to a metal-plastic pipe.

Types of pipe laying.

In addition, it is necessary to choose a collector system - a stainless steel comb. These devices are considered the source of water floors, they are mechanical and electronic. Installation of a water collector is carried out in a special pedestal or in a niche prepared in the wall.

General scheme of the collector.

Before constructing a water-heated floor on a balcony with your own hands, it is necessary to carry out a number of preliminary works. First, they are determined with the laying drawing, make up a list of tools and materials. Be sure to check the condition of the balcony slab in order to understand whether it can withstand the load. Usually, a water-heated floor is mounted after a preliminary screed of the balcony area. As soon as the solution hardens, a heat-insulating layer is laid, and for this, penoplex is used. Then a damper tape is glued along the walls, a reinforcing mesh is placed, which will prevent the displacement of metal-plastic elements.

After that, pipes are laid, starting from the collector, which was previously installed. Then the ends of the elements that fit the collector are put on a corrugation and connected to the main device. Within 24 hours, it is necessary to check the functioning of the heating system under a water pressure of 5-6 bar. This is done to detect possible leaks. Then everything is turned off, and the pipes filled with water are poured with a mixture about 3 cm high. This kind of flooring can be covered with laminate or tiles.

How to lay a light water floor on a balcony on a wooden rough floor - also light, without overloading the balcony, see the video below.

Water floors have a number of advantages:

• create uniform heating over the entire surface of the balcony;
• maintain the necessary humidity on the balcony, prevent the occurrence of mold;
• last long and safely.

If you make warm floors on the balcony, you can get a full-fledged heated room. Such a balcony will be the perfect embodiment of the most daring design decisions.

In our apartments, where every square centimeter of space is used, making a warm floor on the balcony and loggia with your own hands and using them as an office or relaxation area is a tempting solution. It's nice to go out on the balcony with a cup of coffee in winter, feeling the warm floors with your bare feet!

A warm floor on a balcony or in a loggia is also necessary when it is required to additionally insulate and heat this room. For example, if you want to use it as a separate room (for example, an office) or equip a winter garden.

What is a "warm floor"?

Underfloor heating is a space heating system in which the heating elements are located in the thickness of the floor, and installation of batteries is not required. The technology is relatively new, but it is quite possible to make a warm floor on a loggia with your own hands.

To date, three systems of underfloor heating with different heat carriers are known:

1. Water heated floor;
2. Electric underfloor heating has two subsystems:

• Cable
• Heating mats

1. Film (infrared) heat-insulated floor.

In a water heated floor, as the name implies, hot water is used.

With seeming simplicity, this option is not suitable for implementation in apartment buildings for the following reasons:

• in the heating system, the temperature of the coolant is 90 °, for a warm floor it is required no higher than 40 °;
• coolant pipes laid on insulation and embedded in a screed, the thickness of which is 20-30 mm more than the diameter of the pipes, will significantly raise the floor level. It is impossible to maintain the clear height required by the norms from floor to ceiling of 2.4 m with a floor height of 2.8 m without taking into account the thickness of the ceiling;
• to connect to the heating system, a permit from the housing office is required;
• if you manage to get such a permit, and the height of the ceiling allows you to make a warm water floor, you will need a complex system for controlling the temperature of the coolant, and the warm floor will be warm only during the heating period!

If your goal is to install a water heated floor on a balcony in a cottage with an individual water heating system, then this system is optimal.

Electric underfloor heating is easier to perform. With minimal electricity consumption, its device requires no permits. When laying cables, it can be difficult, but the installation of heating mats is simple and accessible to a person without the skills of a builder.

Film underfloor heating is even easier to perform, it does not require a screed. The heating films are laid in a layer of tile adhesive (if the flooring is tile) or covered with a substrate (in the case of a laminate flooring).

Infrared floors are not much more expensive than heating mats. Cable floors are cheaper than mats, but a thick screed is required, which is an additional waste of money and time, since the screed takes time to mature.

Floor insulation - a necessary preliminary stage

Work on laying a warm floor of any system begins with the insulation of a concrete slab of a balcony or loggia. The stage is necessary if you do not want to heat the street along with the floor. Even if the neighbors below have insulated their balcony, insulation of yours is still necessary. You will need materials:

1. Several solid bricks;
2. vapor barrier material;
3. insulation;
4. Cement - sand mortar for masonry;
5. Wooden beam with a section of 50x50 mm;
6. For the subfloor - moisture-resistant wood - chipboard, wood - fiber or cement - chipboard;
7. Level;
8. Self-tapping screws.

At this stage, you are making a warm floor on a loggia or balcony - the difference is small: in terms of material consumption for the loggia, you will not need brick and mortar - there is a perimeter wall initially.

We start laying the underfloor heating on the balcony by laying a brick ledge along the outer edge of the slab. We put the brick on the mortar on the edge, the side is 130 mm high (120 - brick and 10 mm mortar). After 3-4 days, when the solution sets, we lay a layer of vapor barrier on a cleaned, washed and dried base. The vapor barrier protects the insulation from absorbing moisture from the air, the damp insulation does not work.

As a vapor barrier, a special non-woven material is used - geotextile or rolled bitumen-polymer materials (technoelast, uniflex). The budget option is plastic wrap.

It is not recommended to use materials such as roofing material (cardboard impregnated with bitumen), roofing felt (leather or fabric impregnated with bitumen), glassine (kraft paper impregnated with bitumen) for vapor barrier - they serve up to 5 years, and they are only acceptable in temporary structures . The vapor barrier is laid dry.

On top of the vapor barrier we build a frame from a bar on self-tapping screws, the frame cell is not more than 60x60 cm. The bar for the frame must be antiseptic (protected from decay in a humid environment) and impregnated with a fire retardant (fire protection). With the help of wedges made of wood or chipboard, we bring the frame horizontally along the building level. We put insulation in the cells of the frame.

As a heater, we use slabs based on stone (basalt) wool - an effective lightweight material with excellent thermal performance, 50 mm thick. As a budget option - plates made of extruded polystyrene foam grade 35. The insulation has a zero water absorption rate, low density and thermal conductivity. Both materials belong to the group of non-combustible. We cover the insulation with another layer of vapor barrier, which we attach to the frame with a stapler.

We lay a draft floor on the frame - cement-fibre, wood-shaving or wood-fiber moisture-resistant boards, fasten them to the frame with self-tapping screws. If you chose a water or cable heating system as the underfloor heating system, the heating elements of which are laid in a screed, we recommend using cement-bonded particle board for the subfloor, as it is the most resistant to moisture.

The insulation is completed, we proceed to the installation of a warm floor.

Do-it-yourself water-heated floor on the balcony

How to make a water heated floor on the balcony? Purchasing the required materials -

• heating pipes,
• foil lining,
• temperature sensor,
• thermostat,
• dry mortar mix for screed,
• vapor barrier,
• damper tape

let's get to work. The technology for performing a water-heated floor on a balcony is not complicated, but there are some subtleties:

1. a foil insulating gasket is spread over the subfloor, reflecting the flow of heat upwards;
2. if a warm plinth is planned, a strobe is made in the wall along the perimeter of the balcony for the coolant pipe at the level of the clean floor;
3. the coolant pipes are laid out with a gap of 30-40 cm and are connected to the collector;
4. we lay the temperature sensor, we mount the thermostat on the wall in an accessible place;
5. along the perimeter, a damper tape is glued to the wall, which compensates for the thermal expansion of the screed during temperature changes;
6. perform a screed - pour a solution of lightweight fine-grained concrete or another recommended by the manufacturer of the floor system. The screed must be homogeneous, without voids, 20-30 mm higher than the diameter of the heat carrier pipes. Air is expelled with a brush. The horizontal is verified by beacons. The screed is left for 3-4 weeks to mature;
7. cover the screed with a layer of vapor barrier;
8. lay a clean floor.

For a water-heated floor on a balcony or loggia, a ceramic tile coating is ideal; a laminate can be laid that is approved by the manufacturer for use for a water-heated floor.

The covering of a water-heated floor can be linoleum or carpet.

If you want a warm baseboard, to install the coolant pipe, you need to make a groove in the wall along the perimeter of the loggia or balcony, otherwise the insulated baseboard will protrude from the wall plane by 80-100 mm. Installation of a water-heated floor on a loggia completely repeats the above scheme.

Electric underfloor heating on the balcony

Installation of an electric underfloor heating is easier than a water one. There are no such harsh conditions when pouring the screed, and the screed itself is thinner. Main stages:

1. Laying a foil pad that reflects heat.
2. Layout of the heating cable or mats according to the manufacturer's instructions, installation of the system under a warm baseboard;
3. Installation of a temperature sensor and thermostat, connection of the supply and return cables to the power supply system.
4. Sticking damper tape around the perimeter of the walls;
5. Filling the screed from a light mortar, 15-20 mm thick, along the lighthouses, air forcing.
6. Performing a clean floor and skirting boards.

For electric floor heating on a loggia or balcony, any material is suitable as a coating: ceramic tiles, natural stone, laminate, linoleum - it all depends on the taste of the owner.

Now let's look at each stage in more detail.

Preparatory work

First you need to remove all layers of the old flooring from the balcony. Only clean concrete should remain. The surface must be cleaned of dirt and dust so that all layers of the future floor are perfectly mounted.

To install an electric underfloor heating, it is necessary to obtain a flat and insulated surface. Therefore, it is necessary to make a draft floor that will contain a layer of insulation. The rough floor must be high enough, but not violate the following technical requirements:

• the step between the room and the balcony should not exceed 15 cm;
• the total height of the balcony must be more than 2.4 meters;
• the height of the balcony railing must be at least 1 meter;
• if there are small children in the house, the minimum height of the fence increases to 1.5 meters.

Work on floor insulation on the balcony begins with the creation of a subfloor.

After completing the insulation work, the balcony railing can be increased. However, do not make the subfloor too high. This will reduce its durability and make the use of the balcony not very convenient for the residents of the apartment.

For more information about the preliminary work before laying the underfloor heating, see this video:

Insulation of the base of the balcony

On the concrete base of the balcony, screw the transverse beams from the timber at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other. They can not be leveled in height, since the longitudinal beams will be responsible for the evenness of the floor.

Then screw the longitudinal beams to the transverse beams - after 25-30 centimeters. Select the highest point on the stringers and level the entire floor with mounting wedges or pieces of chipboard. Putting them under the bars, make the base of the floor as even as possible.

All the space between the beams must be filled with insulation. Suitable, for example, mineral wool.

Chipboard sheets are laid on the finished floor base. Plain plywood or boards cannot be used here. Features of the operation of the floor will quickly render the boards unusable. Chipboard is screwed to the longitudinal beams using self-tapping screws.

Next, you will need building foam. With its help, you need to seal the seams between the sheets of chipboard, as well as between the sheets and the walls of the house. This will ensure proper insulation of the future floor. This ends the rough work.

Electrical cable installation

The next step in the preparation of a warm floor is the installation of an electrical cable. A special heat cable is laid with a “snake”, and the laying step (the distance between the turns of the cable) must be calculated in each individual case.

If the step is too small, a huge amount of expensive cable will go away, and the apartment owner will receive unpleasant monthly bills from public services. If the step is increased, the efficiency of the floor will not be high at all.

Therefore, the calculation of the step of laying a heat cable must be performed according to a special formula:

L \u003d Wsp.cab * 100 / Wsp. gender

Formula values:

• L - step length of the heat cable, cm;
• Wsp.cab - the power required per meter of cable (average is 20 watts / min, depending on the type of cable);
• Wud. floor - floor specific power, which is calculated per square meters. A normal indicator of specific power is 200-230 W * m2.

Cable laying should take place along the balcony. Each bend in the heating cable is a loss of energy and efficiency of the floor. On standard balconies, with an area of ​​​​about 5 square meters, the laying step is approximately 10 cm. This is the optimal distance between the wire.

Watch this video to see the laying of a warm electric cable floor clearly:

Connecting a warm floor

The cable is fixed on a special mounting tape, being laid with a snake along the entire future floor of the balcony. Then the heat cable is connected through the thermostat to the network. This device is necessary to regulate the heating of a warm floor.

A floor temperature sensor must also be connected. Otherwise, you will not be able to monitor the normal operation of all systems. If you are thinking about how to insulate a cold concrete floor on a loggia with ideal conditions for tiles, then installing a regulator and sensors is a must. Different tiles will reduce the heating efficiency of the balcony.

After completing the connection of all necessary devices, you need to test the system. We check the integrity of all electrical connections, the operation of each piece of cable. If you miss a mistake at this stage, it will be very difficult to correct it later.

Screed and trim for electric underfloor heating

The next step is the screed. It is poured with liquid cement mortar and serves as the basis for the future decoration of your balcony. Do not use metal elements to reinforce the screed. This can cause malfunctions in the electrical equipment of the underfloor heating.

After completing all the work, the balcony should stand for about five days. During this time, the screed will dry completely, it will be possible to lay the finishing material. It is not recommended to use parquet or linoleum, because these materials are heat insulators.

The best option for this type of balcony insulation is tiles. It adds efficiency to the electric balcony heating system.

Tiles - the optimal coating for the electric floor on the balcony

The device of the film (infrared) floor heating

In terms of ease of installation, infrared warm floor holds the lead among all systems, since it does not require a screed. Step by step workflow:

1. We lay out the heat-reflecting gasket;
2. We lay out and mount infrared films in the system, including a warm plinth;
3. We install the regulator and temperature sensor;
4. We lay the substrate;
5. We carry out a finishing coating, install skirting boards.

Film underfloor heating is quickly mounted, operated immediately after installation, it is distinguished by uniform heating of the floor surface. For coating in this system, it is best to use laminate and other wood materials: board, parquet, and carpet.

Film underfloor heating is distinguished by low power consumption and a service life of up to 50 years.

In case of failure of one of the sections, the system will continue to work, and repairs will not be difficult. The higher cost of materials is offset by low operating costs.

As an expert comment

Choosing an underfloor heating system is a matter of economics and consumer taste. The device of a heat-insulated floor on a balcony essentially differs in nothing from the device of a heat-insulated floor on a loggia.

Without considering the water floor heating system as not being widely used due to legislative restrictions, of the other two systems, both electric floor heating and infrared have no restrictions.

The choice of floor covering influences the choice of underfloor heating system:

• Tile - good with any system
• Laminate and other wood materials, linoleum, carpet - the best choice is film floor heating.

When using laminate and other wood materials, linoleum, carpet, make sure that precipitation does not fall on the floors - the balcony or loggia must be glazed. The installation of a warm floor on a balcony or loggia is best considered as part of a comprehensive insulation, use the same materials for insulation.

Do-it-yourself installation of a warm floor on a loggia or balcony is an interesting and useful process that does not cause any special problems to the skilled owner of the premises. Anyone who is serious about the process will be able to do all the work with their own hands.

After reading the article, do you have any questions or do you have personal experience in self-installation of underfloor heating on a balcony or loggia? Please share them in the comments.

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