Finishing the loggia with plastic panels

"Plastic paneling" is the most inexpensive and practical material for the interior trim of the loggia. In addition, the installation of the panels is very fast and without excessive dust, so you will need a maximum of one or two days to cover the room. However, when working you need to take into account some of the nuances that may arise during plating.

Advantages of finishing:

• Easy installation. What is plastic, that the wood panels installation is one of the easiest. You attach the wall paneling to the crate, which can be wooden or metal.
• Affordable price. On average, the cost of one panel with a height of three meters and a width of 19.5 cm in construction mass-markets varies from 150 to 250 rubles. At the same time usual white lining is the cheapest material.Its price starts from 50 rubles and ends at 150. For example, the price of a square meter of wooden lining starts from 500 rubles. The cost of m2 facing decorative stone - from 1000 rubles.
• Long service life. According to the warranty period, the service life of “plastic lining” is up to 25 years.
• Neutral material in relation to ecology. Despite the fact that PVC panels are made of plastic, the material is absolutely neutral with respect to the environment.
• Panels withstand mold and do not spoil by strong detergents. To clean the panel from the inside, simply remove it.
• “Plastic paneling” has an antistatic property, that is, it does not attract street dust.
• Variety of choices. Today, the store has a huge selection of plastic panels for finishing loggias. At what it does not end on monophonic models. In the shops you can find a "plastic paneling" with a pattern, under a tree or a stone.

Disadvantages:

• The fragility of the material. PVC panels are not resistant to mechanical effects. You can even break them by pressing your fingers on them. And having touched the material with a sharp object, you risk leaving a hole on the plastic forever.
• Toxicity when exposed to the sun and fire.Inexpensive and low-quality panels with constant heat in the sun can release toxic substances. In case of fire, this material is also toxic.
• The material is considered the choice for finishing. economy class.

When choosing plastic panels, you should pay attention to the following factors:

• The thickness of the front surface. More resistant to mechanical stress is a material with a front surface of up to 3 mm. The average Chinese model has a thickness of 1.5 mm. Quality recognized products with a thickness of 2.5 to 3 mm.
• The number of ribs and their standing. From a larger number of ribs the panel will be stronger. When inspecting their standing, pay attention to the evenness and the absence of deformation inside the wall panel. In ordinary Chinese models, the number of stiffeners rarely exceeds the mark of 20. Good manufacturers have up to 25 stiffeners per panel. High quality PVC panel counted with 29 fins.
• Appearance and smell. The plastic panel should be flat, without dents and scratches. Its color should also be monophonic, or with a high-quality pattern. In the store you can sniff the panel.If the acrid smell of plastic emanates from it, then, most likely, it is made of toxic and inexpensive materials.
• Also in the store, try to connect the panels together. Thanks to a special groove, they should easily fit into each other. If the lining is difficult to connect, then perhaps at home you will have problems with the installation of the material.
• The weight of the models also depends on the weight. Heavy PVC panel indicates a large presence of ribs, which means high quality. For example, the weight of high-quality "plastic lining" from the Chinese is 500-700 grams per square meter.
• The very low price of the material should alert you in the store. In most cases, this may mean that the paneling is made from low-quality raw materials. In this case, do not forget that the building market has its own brands, which, of course, can provide a price slightly lower than the market.
• Chalk content - Another important factor to consider when purchasing panels. A quality product should be low in chalk. To identify in the chalk, it is necessary in the store to easily pin down the lining.In the future, just take a look at the place of the fold. If the panel contains a small amount of chalk, then there will simply be no dents.

The technology is as follows:

• During the preparatory work, clean the walls of the loggia from the old material: remove the ceramic tiles, if there is one, remove the nails sticking out of the walls, mark out all the garbage from the loggia. If the room does not have a warm floor, then a good solution would be to waterproof the loggia.
• Existing cracks and large irregularities must be covered with a putty. Often the space between the window sill and the wall is poured with mounting foam for greater waterproofing. After the preparatory work carried out, it is necessary to wait a few hours until the putty dries and the foam acquires the desired volume.

• To calculate the exact amount of material, it is necessary to calculate the perimeter of the balcony and divide the resulting figure by the width of one panel. A similar procedure must be carried out when calculating the ceiling lining. But do not forget to buy several panels for stock, as the material is very fragile and you can simply damage it when working without a master.
• Before work, you need to decide how you will attach the material to the wall. There are two methods for installing PVC panels: the crate to which the paneling is mounted, and the frameless method - gluing models to the wall. In the first case, you have the opportunity to put insulation between the main wall and the plastic, which is important when covering a warm loggia. For the second option, the walls of the loggia should be smooth, so that the panel “does not go away” during installation due to unevenness. It is necessary to proceed from a specific situation. At installation of PVC panels on glue absolutely equal surface is necessary.
• Before starting facing works it is necessary to warm the floor and lay tiles on it, laminate, linoleum or other flooring. It is best to install a wooden crate, lay a heater and make the flooring of wooden wall paneling.For such an option is suitable laminate, parquet, linoleum, or vinyl tile. If you want to lay natural stone or ceramic tiles, it is best to level the floor with a dry mix. It is important to remember that leveling needs to be done by level.

Technology:

• Before installing the crate on the loggia it is necessary to warm the walls of the room. Interior decoration includes sealing the concrete or brick wall with a special mixture, which includes rubber and insulation panels of foam. The layers of foam are easily glued to the wall with foam. After that you can close the wall with a special film that will not let air through. You can attach it to the foam using a construction stapler.
• The next step is the installation of wooden crates. To do this you will need bars with a cross section of 40 * 40 or 50 * 50. The calculation of the number of bars must be made by calculating the perimeter of the loggia.
• First you need to install the first bars in the corners.. To do this, you can use the U-shaped metal profile, or simply drill the boards against the wall.Instead of wooden bars, you can also find metal special profiles in the store. Their advantage is that the profile does not give in to rotting, and also will not absorb moisture.

• After establishing a horizontal profile in increments of 50-70 cm from each other similar installation of vertical bars. When working, use a level.
• The next step: to stretch the foiled material such as penofol or izolon. After warming it is necessary to complete the warming by closing the parapet with a special film that will prevent condensate from entering. This completes the interior trim and now you need to go to the exterior.
• Installation of PVC panels in this case, it starts with the installation with the installation of mounting profiles. The first panel must be mounted in the corner profile and attached to the other side with a stapler.

When covering MDF panels, the work is approximately the same as with plastic.

Master class on mounting battens, fittings and PVC panels, see below.

There is another way to work when you do not need to install a batten - attach panels with glue. This method is necessary if you decide to save on space. Before directly mounting the panels it is necessary to make a flat surface:

• If you do not plan to insulate the loggia, then it is enough to walk several times with putty and prime the surface of the wall.. After everything is dry, apply a rubber-based water-repellent mixture to prevent moisture from leaking out and not causing permanent mold in the room. After that you can proceed to the installation of the panels.
• Work must be performed with a level, and you also need to find the right glue. For more reliable fixation, it is better to use special liquid nails that withstand severe temperature drops (remember that in summer the temperature on the loggia is much higher than outside, and in winter it will be cold in the room).
• In case you decide to first heat the balcony, you will still need to install the batten. Place the foam plastic plates in the space and finish with the laying of the insulation material. In the future, the wall needs to be sheathed.For this you can use drywall or plywood. In both cases, the fixation must be very strong.
• In the future, you need to once again proshpaklevat surfaceto hide the bumps in the joints. The final stage - the installation of panels.

Designers advise to adhere to the following recommendations:

• Do not forget that after finishing the walls you need to install a window sill. If the balcony ledge may be minimal or absent due to lack of space in the room, then on the loggia you can afford to install a full window sill.
• On the loggia, plastic paneling is available only for walls and ceilings. It is necessary to lay a good floor covering on the floor. Among the most inexpensive: linoleum. A more luxurious option is considered to be laying a loggia of vinyl tiles or porcelain stoneware on the floor.
• For work you will need the following tools: construction stapler, jigsaw or circular saw, level, construction stapler, miter jigsaw.
• In the cold season, allow the plastic to “lie down” for about half an hour in a room with room temperature.
• The protective film can be removed after the completion of all construction work.
• When installing the panels on the crate, do not forget to install the thermal washers, which can be found in hardware stores. They will help during the warm seasons to keep the trim.
• During heating (which can occur in winter, especially on the sunny side of the house), plastic begins to expand. Thermal washers will help keep the plastic on the crate.
• If you decide to lay an electric cable under the panels, then plan in advance the grooves of special plastic strips.

The classic version of the trim is considered to be plain PVC panels. Most often, builders use white color, both glossy and matte. At the same time on the panels themselves can be depicted any ornament or pattern.

Also, panels under natural stone are very popular. Such models will perfectly fit into the design of large loggias, and in small rooms they will look awkward.

Another option for large rooms is a dark shade model. Designers are not advised to use them on small loggias, as they will narrow the space.