How and with what to insulate the loggia from the inside correctly? Review & Step-by-Step Instructions + Tips & Videos

The better to insulate the loggia from the inside: step by step instructions and tips. = professionals. From a constructive point of view, the loggia is ideal to become an extension of an apartment or even a full room. To accomplish this, a number of construction and installation works on glazing, insulation and decoration should be carried out.

As a result, you can get a spacious living room, a cozy room for relaxation or even extra space for a work area.

Factors when choosing materials

If you do not take into account important factors when choosing materials, the result of insulation may not turn out as we would like, so let's consider which materials are best for insulation of the loggia, and what technology should be used for insulation.

Factor # 1 - the purpose of the room

• If you if you want to make a utility room, any type of insulation will suit you, and you will use it in one layer. Basically, only the part that is in contact with the street - the parapet - will be insulated.
• If you want to equip a separate room, you will need several types of thermal insulation materials, which will be installed in two layers over the entire surface.
• When combining a room and a loggia, you will also need two layers of insulation, but special attention will be paid to the parapet, and the walls will be covered with one layer.

Factor No. 2 - dimensions of the loggia

Since if you have it small in size, then you will need to give preference to insulation, which, with a small thickness, has a high rate thermal protection. In this case, you will lose useful area to a minimum.

Factor # 3 - material throughput

keep in mind that every material from which the walls inside the room are made has the ability to pass accumulated moisture. This is water vapor that collides with the cold air from the street and settles outside on the wall of the loggia.

If you insulated the wall, it means that the main insulation will be covered, and this will lead to further decay and a decrease in the properties of thermal insulation. It is important to make sure that the steam simply does not reach the insulation.

Insulation materials

On the construction market, you can find a lot of materials to insulate a loggia, the characteristics of which are important to familiarize yourself with before starting construction and installation work. What needs to be done?

Mineral wool, as well as materials based on the production of which are wool or basalt fiber, are quite popular materials with excellent indicators of thermal insulation, fire resistance and sound insulation. When used, these materials perfectly retain their structure, appearance and shape, and also do not lend themselves to the negative effects of the environment and microorganisms, but the disadvantage is that they are highly hygroscopic.

Due to such permeability, careful waterproofing is necessary.The disadvantages include the need to create a crate and the thickness of the material, which is bad for the usable area.

What is the best way to insulate the loggia from the inside? Styrofoam, which is obtained from polystyrene. It is not chosen in vain, since it is durable, has a low level of thermal conductivity, has a low level of hydrophobicity and is resistant to microorganisms. For insulation from the inside, it is advised to use self-extinguishing foam, since the usual type is highly flammable.

Tepleks, Styroform, Penoplex, Primaplex, Ursaform are materials for insulating the loggia from the inside, which are based on extruded polystyrene foam. They have the lowest possible thermal conductivity, which means they are best suited for thermal insulation. Such materials are durable, easy to install, provide excellent sound and waterproofing performance.

In the role of insulation in the loggia, materials made of extruded polyethylene and covered with foil on one or both sides are also suitable: Izokom, Izolon, Penofol, Tepofol . Among the listed heat insulators, this type of thermal conductivity is the highest, therefore it is used as an independent material for insulation only with "cold" insulation or as a reflective material on internal walls.

But its small thickness and high level of vapor permeability makes it possible to use it as a second layer of insulation.

I would like to talk separately about the material that is produced in the form of plates or rolls. This is polyurethane foam - it is sprayed like foam and creates a heat-insulating surface. It surpasses all of the above materials in terms of technical indicators. But he also has a drawback - a high level of flammability with the release of toxic agents.

Hand-made installation is not possible, since a special installation for spraying is needed.

Stages of the loggia insulation

When you have finally decided how best to insulate the loggia, you need to carry out a number of preparatory work:

• Sealing all gaps between walls and frame / parapet, glazing.
• Preparation of the required surfaces.
• Waterproofing.

For glazing, you can safely choose double-glazed windows with a frame made of any material.

They must be functional, be sure to be ventilated and relatively light so that you do not create additional stress on the floor slab. The ceiling, walls and floor must be cleaned of debris and other contaminants in advance, and the integrity of the surface must be checked. If you find gaps or cracks between tiles, they must be filled with sealant and leveled if necessary.

In addition to these procedures, it is imperative to carry out waterproofing. For this, several materials are used, but sometimes one, since waterproofing is carried out for parapets and external walls, frames, ceilings and floors.

These materials include:

• Penofol.
• Folgoizolone.
• Roofing material.
• Paints and lubricants.
• Penetrating waterproofing.

Roll-type waterproofing should be glued overlapping to the base, and the resulting joints should be sealed with a sealant, soldered or sealed with special tape. If you use foil insulation for coating, an additional layer of thermal insulation is obtained. When using paint, coating and penetrating types of insulation, it will be justified if you are engaged in insulation in hard-to-reach places and where the size of the room is very small.

After you have decided on the material for waterproofing and are ready to insulate the loggia, you can proceed to the insulation itself. There are two ways:

• You can make a continuous layer of material for thermal insulation and this way you minimize any chances of steam penetrating into the insulation.

• Insulation installation and vapor barrier coating.

Loggia insulation methods

Method # 1

In this version we will use materials with a low level of vapor permeability - expanded polystyrene and foam. The thickness of such materials should be such that, when created, the required resistance to the passage of steam is obtained, and thermal insulation is observed.

When using conventional tile insulation, the installation steps are as follows:

• Tile adhesive must be diluted.
• Then apply it to the corners of the tiles and in the center.

• We apply the tile to the surface, and holes should be drilled through it using a perforator to a depth of 5 cm for the dowel.
• Through the holes obtained, use the mushroom dowels to carry out the final fastening, you need to use at least 5 pieces.
• The second tile is also laid, and do not forget to check the surface with the rule.
• There will be seams between the boards and they should be sealed with assembly glue or tape.
• You can also lay a second layer of insulation, for example, penofol.

• When all sheets are fixed, reinforcement should be done with a glass mesh.

Reinforcement can be carried out in 4 stages:

1. The tiles are processed with coarse-grained sandpaper.
2. Plates are covered with glue, its thickness should be no more than 0.3 cm for a long time.
3. The mesh with 5 * 5 cells is pressed into the glue.

4. Apply another layer of adhesive over the mesh.

You can also use roll thermal insulation materials, and the laying technology will be the same. In this case, you should cut off pieces of insulation of the size you need. After that, we get a surface that is completely ready for painting or plastering, as well as for pasting with liquid wallpaper and other decorative materials.

Method # 2

In this method, there are no restrictions on the choice of insulation, since thanks to the technology, a vapor barrier is provided between the finish and the insulation.

This type of insulation is carried out by arranging a wooden lathing (but you can do without it), but in this case, to fasten the lining and drywall, the lathing is made on top of the vapor barrier.

A crate is made of wooden beams, but metal fasteners or a profile can also be used for this. If you use metal parts, be sure to lay insulation under them.

The width and height of the crate depend on what material was chosen for insulating the loggia:

• If you will use mineral wool, choose bars whose width will be smaller than the mats, so that the laying will be carried out unfolded.
• Ideally, several layers of cotton wool should be laid so that the beams are covered, and then they will not act as conductors of cold.

• When using foam, all sheet and bar sizes must be the same.

After the installation is done, we fasten the vapor barrier material overlapping to the crate. It can also be a simple polyethylene, a membrane. All joints should be glued with tape. If you did insulation without lathing, then profiles should be attached on top to install the finish.

Avoid these 5 mistakes when planning your loggia

And as a reminder, we want to point out a list of common mistakes that many people have made. We will help you find out exactly what mistakes and how to avoid them.

Mistake number 1: redevelopment without permission

Often people think about what is the best way to insulate the loggia, but few people think about what your decision to make of the loggia and rooms one large room must be registered by BTI representatives. This measure is necessary so that in the future you will not have problems with the sale of an apartment when you find discrepancies with a real apartment and a technical passport.

Tip: you can glaze a balcony using sliding glass units on an aluminum profile and thus equip an unheated summer loggia.

This measure will add extra space to you, there will be less drafts, and you will not need to take permission for redevelopment.

Error # 2: removal of the radiator to the loggia

If you have permission to re-equip, then you are unlikely to decide on such a step, but just in case, you should warn that the output of radiator pipes and heating equipment is unacceptable. There is too much heat loss on the loggia, and sometimes even with insulation, the pipes freeze, which is why there are accidents. In addition, because of this, you will have to pay extra for heat supply.

Tip: For heating, use a floor heating system or an oil radiator as an alternative - it can be hung on the wall or used as a regular battery.

Mistake # 3: dimensionless glasses

This design solution looks great - when closed it is a smooth surface, and sometimes it is not broken even by the edges.In addition, it is convenient to assemble such doors into an accordion, and this will not take up the space of the loggia. But for insulated rooms this is not an option - single glazing and cracks will not protect from the cold. In addition, dirt and dust quickly accumulate on them, as well as fingerprints, and there is no way to attach a mosquito net.

Advice: Don't just stop at this option - we advise you to take a closer look at the latest developments like heat-insulated lift-and-slide windows.

But the ideal choice would be a PVC double-glazed window with hinged doors. They do not take up as much space as it seems, it is possible to open them for ventilation, as well as open them to clean the glass surface from the outside.

Mistake No. 4: glazing on brackets

To increase the area, more precisely, the volume of the loggia, apartment owners often want to build a frame for glazing (remote for a couple of dozen cm). So a visor is made along the upper perimeter, on which snow will accumulate, and in bad weather the sound of rain will be heard.

The main thing is that a glass build-up will form on the facade, which will spoil the appearance of the structure.

Hint: The alternative is only available for facade uniformity. If all the balconies in your house are open, you should discard such an idea, or even simple glazing. You can also ennoble the loggia with greenery.

Mistake # 5: Sealant abuse

The real perfectionist's nightmare is seams with bubbling foam.

They are ugly, and they can also spoil the microclimate of your apartment - the fact is that in polyurethane sealants, foam cannot withstand exposure to sunlight and moisture, and without protection it will quickly collapse, thereby opening all sealed gaps and gaps for street noise and drafts.

Hint: the "foamed" seams should be well processed and the excess should be cut off, and then sanded with fine sandpaper and covered with a layer of putty or acrylate paint (ideally, both options should be used). If there is neither paint nor putty at hand, use assembly tape, but then in the future paint will not fit well on such seams.

Results

As you can see, the process of warming a loggia is simple in itself. It is very important to follow the instructions and recommendations that will help you create a warm loggia.