The loggia is an integral and very useful part of the apartment. It can be used as a place to relax, and as an additional room, and as a place to store things. Of course, high-quality finishing of the loggia is very important. How to make it beautiful, comfortable and functional will be discussed in our article.
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Features and Benefits
A neatly repaired and glazed loggia will be protected from the vagaries of the weather, increased noise levels, as well as the ingress of dust and various foreign objects brought by the wind or fallen from the upper floors;
This room, albeit small, can be turned into an office, a winter garden can be arranged there, used as an additional space for storing various things, which is very important, especially in a small apartment;
With its help, you can expand the existing room by redeveloping and demolishing the dividing partition.
Finishing types
The decoration of the loggia is traditionally divided into internal and external. The choice of materials for repair depends on the further purpose of this room: will it be used as a separate room (in this case, the repair should be carried out on an already glazed loggia with the installation of additional insulation) or it will be a warehouse for storing things or just a place for seasonal rest (in In this case, it is not necessary to conduct heat, repair work can be carried out on a cold loggia, although you cannot do without glazing).
If you are the lucky owner of a large loggia - up to 6 meters - you can install lockers, chests for utensils on it, hang hooks for inventory and clothes. In a small room you will not particularly roam, but if everything is calculated correctly, you can build in a small cabinet in the corner, put a small bench or a lounge chair, hang a "vine" for drying clothes. For a loggia equipped with a fire escape, it is very important not to clutter the hatch with heavy furniture, which will be difficult to move in an emergency.
Your loggia faces the sunny side - well, this is a great reason to arrange a winter garden there. For this, of course, additional insulation will be required, since in winter it will be cold without it. If you don't want to bother, bring flowers there only in the warm season, so that they enjoy the sun's rays, like in a solarium. In this case, panoramic glazing will help you in lighting and heating floor flowers.
If you do not plan to spend time on the loggia, but want to use it as a warehouse, make at least an economical repair so that your things do not deteriorate under the influence of atmospheric phenomena and external pollution.
In order to decide on the finish, take samples of materials in hardware stores, plan the renovation step by step, taking into account all the nuances and characteristics of your premises and your wishes for the result. So, as mentioned earlier, the loggia is finished:
- Inside. In order to qualitatively and functionally decorate the premises from the inside, you must either have a number of building skills yourself, or invite an experienced craftsman. The floor, walls and ceiling of the loggia must be repaired, for this it will be necessary to calculate the area of the room and, based on the data obtained, the amount of selected materials;
- Outside. As a rule, the external decoration of the loggia is made for the purpose of additional insulation of the room. Performing it on your own is quite problematic on all floors, above the first. Therefore, if you nevertheless decide on external finishing, be sure to invite experienced specialists.
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Materials (edit)
In the modern construction market, there are many different materials used for external and internal decoration of balconies and loggias. You can choose exactly what suits you in terms of price, quality, colors and meets the required characteristics. Let's take a look at some of the more popular finishing materials:
MDF panels. Made from environmentally friendly components (wood waste, paraffin and lingin), these panels have gained great popularity in their use in interior decoration. MDF has a number of the following advantages:
- moisture resistance. This property is very useful when decorating a loggia, because, even with glazing, the possibility of moisture getting inside is not excluded (for example, they forgot to close the window and it started raining);
- a fairly high level of strength;
- attractive price;
- durability, thanks to the special surface treatment of MDF panels from pests and mold;
- their installation is very simple and does not require possession of special construction skills;
- poorly conduct heat, respectively, will help keep cool in summer and higher temperatures in winter;
- they are easy to process with a milling machine.
In addition to the advantages, MDF panels also have disadvantages:
- heavy;
- when processing panels with a machine, it is necessary to put on a protective mask on the face due to the formation of a large amount of dust;
- cheap types of MDF may contain formaldehyde hazardous to health;
- when preparing the slabs for installation, it is imperative to drill holes for fixing them with nails or screws.
Wood trim. The most important advantage of wood panels is their naturalness. The tree "breathes", preventing the air in the room from stagnating and filling with harmful substances. Moreover, its natural pattern is very beautiful and never goes out of style. To extend the service life, the wooden lining of the loggia must be treated with special means for isolation from moisture and protection from pests, otherwise all this beauty will not last you long, which is rather undesirable, given the high cost of such decoration.
Plasterboard finishing. Another wonderful material with which you can sheathe not only walls, but also the ceiling on the loggia. It has heat and sound insulation, is easy to install and quite cheap. However, it is necessary to choose drywall that is resistant to moisture, since, as mentioned above, the loggia, even glazed, is not immune from its ingress. Ready-made plasterboard walls can be pasted over with wallpaper, you can paint them or cover them with decorative plaster.
Sheathing is performed by attaching sheets of gypsum plasterboard to a pre-attached lattice filled with insulation, which is used as a special mineral wool. This is necessary to create an additional layer of thermal insulation, especially if you want to make your loggia warm and use it as a study or winter garden.
Sheathing with plastic wall panels. If you want to make economical repairs on the loggia, but at the same time the aesthetic appearance of the walls and ceiling is important to you, opt for plastic wall panels. Let's take a look at their benefits:
- light weight of the panels, facilitating transportation and installation;
- caring for them is quite simple: it is enough to wipe such walls with water and a small amount of detergent;
- moisture and fire resistance;
- do not suffer from the effects of parasites;
- very impressive service life (up to 25 years);
- large color palette;
- do not need preliminary alignment of walls and ceilings;
- optimal price-quality ratio;
- very simple installation that does not require special knowledge.
Their, probably, the only drawback is the instability to direct sunlight - over time, the panels tend to fade.
Finishing with artificial (decorative) stone or brick. It's no secret that many people really like the pristine beauty and deliberate roughness of natural stone. But this option for wall cladding is very expensive, besides, natural stone has a rather large weight, which makes it difficult to decorate the walls with it. An excellent alternative can be the decoration of the walls on the loggia with artificial stone. Its advantages:
- relative cheapness;
- ease of installation;
- a large selection of colors and textures;
- easy care.
Of course, decorative stone is inferior to natural in strength and durability, but it is also a fairly durable material.
Finishing the loggia with a block house. This phrase came to us from Europe and translated from English means "house of blocks". As for what it actually is, the following definition can be given - it is a board, flat on one side and convex on the other to imitate a log. The block house is used to create a decor in the style of a wooden log hut. Such decoration looks expensive, it gives the room a special comfort and a touch of antiquity. The block house has a lot of positive qualities:
- resistant to mold, mildew;
- does not crack, since the boards undergo special pre-treatment;
- has a fairly low weight, which greatly simplifies installation.
The disadvantages of a block house include its high cost and the possibility of condensation occurring during temperature extremes.
Clapboard sheathing. The lining is a thin board equipped with grooves and ridges for ease of installation. It is very often used for cladding the walls of a loggia, both from the inside and outside (however, it must be remembered that a special moisture-resistant lining is needed for external use). Its advantages are hard to miss:
- rather long service life (up to 10 years);
- does not rot;
- easy maintenance and installation;
- does not require preliminary leveling of surfaces;
- has soundproofing;
- retains heat well;
- it is possible to replace the damaged element without dismantling the entire casing;
- you can varnish the surface to extend the life and improve the appearance;
- environmentally friendly material;
- low price.
The disadvantages include the ease and speed of ignition, as well as instability to temperature extremes and high humidity.
If we talk about the lining of the loggia from the outside, then most often it is trimmed with basement siding. What it is? Siding are panels made of polymer materials and designed for cladding the outside of the house, balcony or loggia. This is done to create an additional layer of protection of the room from external adverse influences. The siding is very resistant to the vagaries of the weather, does not ignite, serves for a long time and looks quite beautiful. It is easy to install, but if you live on a floor higher than the first one, it is better to invite a specialist.
And I would like to say a little about the floor covering, which is best used on a loggia. You can lay linoleum there or lay out the floor with matte ceramic tiles or laminate - it all depends on your preferences and the intended intended use of this room.
Interesting design ideas for balconies and loggias
Decoration with flowers. In order to bring this idea to life, it is necessary to insulate the balcony room. In addition to ornamental plants in pots and pots, you can install several small boxes on the windowsill and grow aromatic herbs for seasonings, for example, mint, basil, dill.
You can decorate the balcony room with the help of well-chosen furniture. It is important that it does not clutter up the space, but looks organic and is functional. Due to the high humidity on the balcony and loggia, select furniture that is resistant to moisture or put waterproof covers on it. For a narrow room, transforming furniture is perfect. Wicker rattan furniture, a small sofa, and a coffee table will also help equip a cozy corner on the balcony. You can even place a small TV on the wall or bedside table, combining outdoor recreation with watching your favorite TV show.
On a large enough area of the balcony or loggia, a mattress with pillows in the style of oriental palaces will perfectly fit. The look will be complemented by floor flowers and decorative lamps.
An important element of the decor of the balcony room are curtains or blinds. They will create privacy, help control the level of illumination and give the balcony the look of a real separate room. If your windows face the sunny side, you can use blackout roller blinds or blinds, and if you do not need to hide from the sunlight, hang light transparent tulle or chintz curtains. There is no need to overload the interior with heavy curtains, lambrequins, brushes - they will look cumbersome and out of place on the balcony.
It is very good to use various kinds of lamps as additional functional decorative elements. You can install spot lighting, hang a garland or sconces. Modern technology allows you to use the energy of the sun and hang solar lamps on the balcony.
On the insulated glazed loggia, you can equip a full-fledged study: install a desk, put a computer or laptop on it, hang shelves for documents and literature on the wall. If your balcony borders on the kitchen and its area is large enough, arrange a dining room there, equipping it with a cozy dining area. It is also very cool to use a warm balcony room as a children's playroom - just be sure to equip the windows with tight-fitting and hard-to-reach bolts.
Well, if you wish, you can combine your loggia with an apartment by redeveloping by removing the partition between them. Then arrange the room in accordance with the general design of the apartment, not forgetting to carefully insulate it.
Use your balcony space wisely and according to your preferences. It can certainly become a very functional part of an apartment. Take your renovation seriously and do not disdain design tricks. Use their examples. We hope our article will help you choose a unique style of loggia for your taste and wallet.
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