We check how much the loggia and the balcony are ready for a minus temperature, damp and correct deficiencies.
1 War down
If you have not yet inscribed your balcony, you still have time to do to first serious cold weather. The insulation options are several: with the involvement of professionals, installing new windows, a warm floor and an electric radiator or their own hands. In the latter case, it will still have to think about additional heating devices, but most of the work can be carried out without vocational training.
- Clear and pinch the surface. Depending on the material (brick, wood or drywall), primer is selected in the store.
- The primer is fastened with a layer of polystyrene foam. It makes it possible to put a little less than the insulation and save several centimeters of space.
- The reinforcement and glue mixture and two layers of fiberglass mesh are applied on top.
- Then it is applied with a layer of moisture resistant plaster 2 cm.
- The last step is to apply the finish putty and finishing coating: tiles or paints.
2 wash
While it was not cold on the street. Finally, you need to have time to wash the loggia or balcony. Pull out all things and sort, getting rid of unnecessary, think over an updated storage system or recreation corner. Wash the windows by starting from the inside to then it was easier to find dirty areas on the outer. On sites to which it is difficult to reach, use a brush on a long handle, a robot for washing the windows or a magnetic sponge. Last but, go to the floor and then set up the things that are stored there.
3 Translate windows in winter mode
Almost all modern plastic windows have a winter mode. For this, the mechanism on the window, which presses the sash to the frame. In total, he has three clamping modes: summer, ordinary and winter. When installing the master, most likely will set you the summer mode and manufacturers usually advise the first two years not to change it. The fact is that while the sealant has not lost elasticity and you do not feel drafts, it does not make sense to create additional load.
There is a simple way to check whether you need to switch the mode to winter or change the seal at all: compress the paper sheet between the sash and the frame, close the window and try to pull it out. If it managed to do without damaging a piece, it's time to adjust the pressure of the clamp. But it is necessary to do it late in the fall, and in the spring to translate the window in the summer mode.
4 Check and update waterproofing
Carefully inspect the walls, ceilings and floor. If you found somewhere traces from water flows, you need to urgently update the waterproofing. Walking from the street moisture impresses insulation, can lead to cracks and the appearance of fungus. A brick or wooden balcony can be treated in several bitumen-based paint layers. You can also use plaster. For a concrete base, a penetrating protective solution is used. You can also resort to the inlet method, binding the waterproofer in rolls. Of polymers - polyethylene, Viniplast. From bitumen - Ruberoid.
The most reliable way is to fill in cold or hot mastic floor. It is cold poured on a metal grid and then aligned with a scraper, and for hot, you need to pre-warm the construction hairdryer with a concrete base and then pour several layers of mastic.
