Do-it-yourself Balcony Cladding With Siding Outside: Video, Photo

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Types of material
• The advantages of cladding
• Facing the balcony yourself
• Tool for work
• Materials
• Balcony preparation
• Self-assembly
• Tips & Tricks
• Conclusion

Most balconies, especially in old buildings, have a rather frightening look. And the only solution is ennobling, i.e. finishing the balcony. And here there are many options, and when considering more economical siding should be noted. It is the siding of the balcony outside with your own hands that becomes the most optimal option. But for its implementation, it is worth considering a number of factors that play a large role in the final result.

Types of material

First of all, it is worth dealing with the types of material, but there are not so many of them. More specifically, there are only two:

1. Vinyl
2. Metal.

Vinyl siding has a high level of resistance to temperature extremes, namely from -70 to +60 degrees. In addition, the material does not fade when exposed to sunlight. It should be noted both a lot of color variations, and the possibility of both vertical and horizontal mounting.

The second option is metal siding, which is made of steel, additionally treated with a polymer coating. Such material is easy to install, in addition, it has good protection from weather conditions, as well as is durable and resistant to fire.

Note that for the most part, vinyl material is used for decoration.

The advantages of cladding

Now it is worth noting the advantages of this type of finish, including:

1. No special preparation of the base is required, in addition, the condition of the wall does not matter.
2. Installation itself can be performed on any type of base.
3. The panels of the material are fastened with a lock, as a result, a monolithic coating is obtained.
4. Siding is not subject to mechanical damage from the effects of natural conditions and the environment.
5. Withstands large temperature drops, as indicated earlier.
6. Provides reliable soundproofing of the balcony.
7. Provides the opportunity to insulate the balcony.
8. The coating does not require special care, painting, etc. To maintain an attractive appearance, it is enough to sometimes wash the surface with plain water.
9. Balcony cladding with siding can be carried out at any time of the year.
10. In addition, all the work can be done by yourself, despite the fact that the cost of the material is quite low.

This completes the main number of advantages with the use of siding coatings.

Facing the balcony yourself

Now it's time to consider how to make do-it-yourself siding outside the balcony cladding. First you need to prepare for work, for this you need:

1. Prepare tools.
2. Purchase materials.
3. Perform preparatory work on the balcony.

Tool for work

Directly to carry out the work, you will need the following tool:

1. Building level.
2. Roulette.
3. Set of screwdrivers.
4. Construction knife.
5. Drill, or hammer drill.
6. Screwdriver.
7. Fishing line or thick thread.
8. Magnetic screwdriver attachment and metal brush.

Materials

To carry out the work, you must purchase the following materials:

1. Directly the siding itself.
2. All the necessary accessories for installation, namely: mounting strips, profiles, corners.
3. The bars to be used for the crate are 30 * 30 or 60 * 60.
4. Self-tapping screws from galvanized steel.
5. If necessary, cement mortar and metal primer.

Balcony preparation

Directly preparatory work is carried out in several stages, namely:

1. Cleaning the area and removing all things. Complete dismantling of sheathing and railings.
2. Cementing in the presence of chips and cracks.
3. While preserving the metal railings, they are polished and primed.

Note that the result of the work depends to a greater extent on the quality of training, as well as on the correctness of their implementation.

Directly the first stage involves a thorough study of the state of the balcony and its coverage. If the railings are in poor condition, they must be dismantled. If they are made of metal, and are in good condition, it will be enough to strengthen them, apply an anti-corrosion compound.

The lower part must be cleaned of debris, the cracked concrete parts must be removed, and cemented if necessary. This is especially important when there are large cracks on the surface. In the presence of significant damage, it is worthwhile to perform the crate, and then carry out the work.

Self-assembly

And now we go directly to the cladding of the balcony with siding with our own hands. And here it is worth noting a number of stages that need to be paid maximum attention. Next, we will look at each of them in step-by-step instructions.

Installation of battens

The first step is to install the lathing. There are vertical slats along the entire perimeter of the balcony installed in increments of 30-35 centimeters. The crate is carried out using wooden beams treated with special antiseptics against fungus and mold.

Particular attention must be paid to the fastening of the upper part, it is performed using metal rods, with the help of self-tapping screws, one end is attached to the crate, the second, in turn, to the wall.

Note that the thickness of the beams should be no less than the thickness of the insulation that is planned to be used.

After installing the beams, insulation is laid under them, and the arrangement of engineering communications is also allowed. Additionally, a protective membrane can be installed on the heat-insulating material, which is also fastened with self-tapping screws. With a concrete base, the lathing beams must be fixed to the floor with special construction glue.

Installation of a horizontal belt

Next, it is necessary to install the lower and upper horizontal belts, which will serve as the borders of the sheathing.

The first step is to install the lower one. On the side, the planks are nailed, after which the belt is glued to the entire perimeter with silicone glue. In some cases, with a solid base, a dowel connection can be provided. After that, the balcony is blown out with foam from the inside. Belt height 7.6 centimeters.

The next step is to mount the upper belt. Here, it is first necessary to calculate the height of the trim, after which the belt is fastened so that its top is 1 centimeter higher than the edge of the sheathing.

Corner connections

All the necessary fittings for the work on the facing of the balcony are usually attached to the siding. Here we need a piece of casing on which triangles are cut (they will serve as thrust bearings).

To create the edges, the platband is heated and small triangles are cut at an angle of 90 degrees. In the future, the lower edges of the corner pieces will be installed in them.

Next, we mount the thrust bearing with screws to the lower belt at the corner joint.

Installing siding strips

The next step is to proceed directly to the installation of siding.

1. First of all, a starting bar is installed over the belt. It is fastened with a lock down. Directly in the part itself, grooves are prepared into which the siding will be inserted, in order to avoid damage in the future.

   

2. With the help of a nail, or a special marking pencil, a mark is made in the groove for the screw, which is subsequently screwed in with a screwdriver.
3. Next, we begin to fix the siding itself, lower the bar to the base. We insert the lock into the groove until it clicks, and then fasten it with a self-tapping screw. At the same time, we note that at first it is necessary to completely tighten the screw, then unscrew it by a screwdriver by a quarter of a turn. This is done so that the material can "breathe", because with temperature changes it can expand or, on the contrary, contract, respectively, with a rigid attachment, the coating will fall off.

4. Thus, the installation of each subsequent strip is carried out. The bar is lowered until the lock clicks, after which a screw is screwed into the groove and loosened by a quarter of a turn.

   

Tips & Tricks

In order for all installation work to be performed correctly, it is necessary to follow all the recommendations of specialists, namely:

1. Before starting installation work, the material must be kept outside for several hours. This will help it to take its size in its natural environment, which will subsequently help to avoid deformations.
2. If there are strong wind streams in your area, then the distance between the battens of the crate should be reduced to 5 centimeters.
3. It is impossible to provide additional fasteners directly to the panel; for this, special holes made in advance are used. Otherwise, additional elements will interfere with the expansion of the material, as a result, the surface may crack or completely fall off.
4. When fixing, the panels must not be tightened as this may lead to deformation.
5. In the absence of experience in carrying out such work, it is better to entrust the siding of the balcony with siding from the outside above the third floor to professionals.
6. The cladding itself should start from the sides, which will help and practice (if the work is done for the first time).
7. All materials and the number of elements must be calculated in advance, and all calculations must be carried out with maximum accuracy.
8. In addition, it is advisable to use insurance, with which the climbing belt will help. This will protect against falling out of the balcony and injury.
9. Protect the area under the balcony immediately before starting work to avoid the grasses of bystanders.

You should also pay attention to the most common mistakes in work:

1. Beginners often attach material not in the center of the hole or even in a convenient place, and not in a special hole, which cannot be done.
2. Also, the panels are fastened tightly, which is unacceptable. Mandatory clearance of at least 1 millimeter.
3. Also, many neglect the gap between the ends of the panel and the mount, which should be at least 1 centimeter.

Such seemingly minor errors can lead to deformation and destruction of the material.

Conclusion

Now you know how to sheathe a balcony outside with siding on your own, we also recommend that you read the articles on glazing and insulation of a balcony. But this is only a theory that needs to be consolidated with practical actions. Therefore, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with several videos, and then try and carry out such a cladding yourself.

Video: