There are many variations as to which balcony covering is best for preparing your balcony. On the one hand there is the normal concrete floor. Another variant is carpet or lawn carpet. Many people also use such a balcony covering. It doesn't make your feet so cold and you can maybe even check the laundry with socks on. However, it has the disadvantage that it can become damp and rotten very quickly if, for example, it rains for several days. You then have to replace the floor quickly so that no mold forms and that costs a lot of effort and money.
If you want to spend a little more on the balcony covering, you can do it with wood like Bankirai orTry Bangkirai. He really makes a good impression and doesn't necessarily give you cold feet. The disadvantage of this, however, is that water runs into the grooves when it rains and you may then get mold under the wood. A reconstruction is then required and that costs even more, because the wooden version is not the cheapest anyway.
Advantages and disadvantages
Of course you can also lay tiles. A very good thing. They are placed directly on the concrete. The advantage of this is that water cannot flow into grooves. This floor is also very easy to clean. It will definitely last longer than the other things.
Possibilities with their advantages and disadvantages
- Concrete is cheap and durable if the subsurface is intact, but the traditional version is not very visually appealing and is also cold to the feet.
- But you don't have to stick to the traditional version, today there is screed flooring in magical colors and patterns that is decorative and extremely long-lasting.
- An attractive alternative is casting resin, which today can not only be cast to create a uniform gray floor, you could even pour patterns of several colors or a kind of mosaic out of casting resin onto your balcony floor.
- However, cast resin with patterns or colored bedding is not cheap, and even experienced DIYers are recommended to have the application carried out by a professional, which costs again.
- Or how about a stone carpet on the balcony? Not easy to lay, but an extremely interesting new material with an unusual and exciting look.
- Now it's the turn of the tiles, where it's important to first buy the right (frost-proof) tiles and then to install them professionally. If both are correct, the result will last a long time.
- If you buy normal (inexpensive) frost-proof tiles, they become very slippery and slippery when wet. Tiles with a non-slip surface structure then incur considerable additional costs.
- Wooden decking will also last for some time if you choose the right wood with the right durability class, which Bankirai has for example.
- However, Bankirai is only a good choice if you have certification to prove that the wood was not obtained under environmentally damaging conditions.
- As already indicated above, the correct substructure is very important for a wooden covering: you have to ensure that there is no waterlogging anywhere, this requires knowledge or specialists.
- Lastly comes the turn of the grass carpet, the convenient solution for anyone who wants to finish laying out the balcony very quickly.
- One disadvantage of laying grass carpet is of course that it won't last forever or will simply look dingy after a while.
- But that doesn't really matter on a small balcony, everyone has the few euros that a new lawn carpet costs to spare.
Not a very rare case:
Renovation is required before the new covering.
It has been mentioned several times above that the first requirement for a durable balcony covering is the proper condition of the balcony floor. Whenever you need a new balcony covering because your old covering suffered from constant moisture, you should first check whether this constant moisture is coming from below. In older buildings, the balcony structure often shows damage, which then requires renovation work before a new balcony covering can be laid.
Which balcony covering is optimal?
First of all, it has to be said that there is no right floor covering for a balcony. It's always a question of taste, budget and local conditions.
If it is a balcony in a shared apartment, you cannot simply make structural changes such as laying tiles or wooden planks. To do this, you first have to get the landlord's consent and if he doesn't agree, then you can only switch to artificial turf, which is simply placed on the floor of the balcony.
However, such artificial turf is also quite practical because it is not slippery, not too hot when the sun shines on it and if you choose one with drainage, then it is not too wet even after a rain shower. You can also lay it wonderfully on your own, it's pretty quick, and you can simply vacuum it with a vacuum cleaner if it's dirty.
However, the artificial grass is usually only available in a typical lawn green, sometimes also in black. There is no southern feeling like with natural stone tiles.
Natural stone tiles are not only very popular for terraces, but also for balconies, but this is only the case if the statics can withstand the weight. You should therefore sit down with a structural engineer in advance and explore whether this type of floor covering is possible.
However, wooden floors are also very popular, with tropical woods mostly being used. To do this, a basic framework must first be constructed so that rainwater can drain through the wooden planks. It is also important to make sure that there is a downward drain, because if the water comes to a standstill between the wooden cladding and the concrete floor of the balcony, the substructure will quickly rot away and then the planks will quickly die.
If there is proper drainage, then you can enjoy a wooden covering for a very long time. Most tropical woods are a purchase for life because they have an infinite lifespan. However, you should also make sure that the wood comes from controlled mining and not from overexploitation. Unfortunately, more and more tropical wood is being cut down illegally, which then ends up in our hardware stores.
You can tell whether a wood comes from controlled mining by looking at the relevant certificates. Tropical woods not only have the advantage of an incredibly long lifespan, but they also bring a certain holiday feeling to the balcony from a purely visual perspective. In addition, they do not necessarily have to be treated with wood preservatives.
Another alternative is the glass floor, which usually consists of TVG and VSG. The glass plates are glued together and are approx. four centimeters thick. The disadvantage is that the floor is more easily scratched and becomes very slippery when wet. However, there are also special glass shelves with anti-slip screen printing. The cleaning advantage is not lost.
Another balcony floor covering is the grating flooring. The hot-dip galvanized steel gratings are also four centimeters thick and extremely easy to care for. They are secured with stainless steel screws. A final recommended floor bellows is the aluminum checker plate. The sheets are welded together and also secured with stainless steel screws.
The advantage of the aluminum variant is that many other balcony coverings, such as lawn carpets or tiles, can be placed on this floor covering, so variations are possible over the years.
