How to make a warm floor on the loggia

In recent years, it is customary to equip a balcony or loggia as a separate room. To do this, the first thing you need to take care of the organization of a warm floor. It is important to take into account the peculiarity of this room. It is important to decide which one to use, and how to make a warm floor on the loggia. In this article we will consider whether it is possible to make a warm floor in this room. We also compare the available technologies, as a result of which a certain picture should emerge.

Features of the loggia

Virtually every wall of the loggia is external. Therefore, the first thing it is important to think about reducing heat loss. To do this, you can replace the old windows, or if they do not have to install double-glazed windows.

Note! A series of actions should be taken to warm the walls, ceiling and loggia floor. All this in the complex will significantly reduce the heat loss coefficient.

After all this work, it remains to decide which heating method will be used. When choosing it is important to consider the following factors:

• Initially, the floor on the loggia is not insulated.
• The floor area is small, so laying the heating circuit can be difficult.
• The balcony is not designed for heavy weight.

On this basis, it becomes obvious that not every underfloor heating system is suitable for a loggia or a balcony. Therefore, we consider with you this question in more detail.

What to choose?

The plate used on the balcony is thin, so in most cases the installation of a water system will not work. This is due to a large and weighty layer of heating cake.

Note! If you decide to make a water-heated floor, then you can use a radiator system. But in this case it is important to harmonize regulations and legislation when connecting to the central heating system.

A good alternative to a water system is electric heating, which can be chosen from the following options:

• Infrared.
• Cable.
• Heat mats.

Laying the cable underfloor heating implies a screed fill, which can be up to 7 cm. In this case, you can choose a tile flooring. Cable power up to 190 W / m². This is enough to create a comfortable microclimate. But in general, the weight of the structure will increase significantly. Therefore it is worth considering the option of laying on the basis of a film infrared floor. Its power is up to 220 W / m². At the same time, the constant thermal energy of the infrared floor does not lead to cracking and drying out of the laminate, parquet and other similar materials. Laying is carried out without a screed, which is an additional advantage. It is enough to use a special foil insulation. On such a floor you can lay a laminate or floorboard.

To finally determine the choice, compare the advantages and disadvantages of the water and electrical systems to create a heated floor on the loggia.

Water or electric heating - which is better?

As mentioned above, the installation of the water system is extremely rare. This is due to a number of restrictions. But if you have such an opportunity, it is important to know about the advantages and disadvantages of such heating.

Benefits:

• The entire area of ​​the floor evenly and equally warm.
• Savings on energy, as opposed to electric heating.
• The heating system is hidden from the human eye.

Disadvantages:

• It is not always easy to control the temperature of the floor.
• Difficulties during installation, as a number of permits are required for connection to the central heating system.
• In the risers the pressure will drop significantly if the wrong connection scheme is chosen.
• The system must be equipped with a circulation pump, which is an additional expense.

Note! If you have autonomous heating, be it in a private house or apartment, you will not have these problems.

As for electric heating, there are also advantages and pitfalls. As mentioned above, this system is preferable for a loggia. But for objectivity, it is important to know the pros and cons of this system.

Advantages:

• You can warm the floor over the entire area.
• Simple temperature control method.
• The system will be hidden under the flooring.
• Without using expensive and special equipment, it can be used in ordinary apartments.

Disadvantages:

• Every month during the heating period you will have to pay lump sums for electricity.
• The presence of small electromagnetic radiation.

Note! Electric underfloor heating for the loggia - this is the best option.

Electrical floor installation

The whole process of creating an electric floor heating on a loggia boils down to a few simple and sequential steps:

1. The first thing to do is a small project. On it we calculate the floor area and calculate the exact cable pitch. If this is not done, then the power of the heated floor will not be enough for a loggia.
2. Then you need to prepare the floor surface. If there are small irregularities, they can be leveled with a thin tie. For this, a self-leveling compound is used.
3. A heat-insulating layer is laid on top of the draft screed with a thickness of at least 5 cm.
4. Further, for installation of the cable, the mounting plate is fixed, and according to the installed step, the cable is mounted in the project.
5. The thermostat is installed at the selected place.
6. Connect a temperature sensor to it.
7. If the system is working properly, it remains to fill the screed with a thickness of up to 40 mm. At the end of the floor is laid.

Note! If the option with a cable does not suit you, you can lay an infrared floor on top of the insulation layer. A protective film is laid on top of the film and the finishing floor covering is immediately mounted.

So, in most cases, the choice is made on the basis of the possible thickness of the heating cake. If the cable floor is selected, the cake will be at least 50 mm thick. And the infrared floor or thermal mats will have a thickness of just over 10 mm. Also the choice of heating method is determined by the desired floor material. If you want to put porcelain tile, tile, stone, it is better to use a cable. If the carpet, linoleum, parquet, laminate, then it is better to give preference to the infrared floor.

So, we have considered the features of creating a warm floor on the loggia. As you can see today there are technologies whose parameters are fully consistent with this room. In this case, all the work can be done with your own hands, if you follow all the tips and recommendations outlined in the article.

Video

From the provided video you can learn more about the features of the arrangement of the loggia with warm floors: