How to Quickly and Easily Makeover a Drab Balcony

I guess if you are contemplating resurfacing an existing balcony deck, the thought of a team of tradespersons wandering through your apartment or condo day after day to lay ceramic or terracotta tiles, grout them and then polish them, is not something that fills you with joy. Or maybe you are only renting the apartment and quite naturally don't want to spend money on remodelling jobs which the owner rather than yourself will derive the most benefit from in the future. In that case what are your options for brightening up that useful exterior space?

The first thing you need to consider when choosing suitable materials for a balcony deck is that they either must be of sufficient weight so that they will not be affected by strong winds or that they are securely fastened to the surface by some means. And before you start installing any products on your balcony, you firstly need to check with the building owner or letting agent that there are no regulations or restrictions on installing decking materials on your balcony. One of the things they will probably ask you is to make sure that any drainage holes or channels on the balcony will not be obstructed in any way.

If your balcony is small or narrow, and perhaps not wide enough to use for dining or entertaining, perhaps the most simplest resurfacing option is to simply place large porcelain or stone tiles on the surface. And rather than fixing them in place with traditional adhesives and then grout, just place them in position butting directly against each other. To create a more interesting surface, one idea is to leave out a tile or two and fill in the gap with some river pebbles or similar landscape type products.

If you have a concrete balcony, then another simple option is to either stain or paint the concrete. There are also textured surface products you could possibly consider although they tend to attract more dust and dirt You may need to employ a specialized contractor to apply products such as these though.

But perhaps one the simplest but effective solutions is to cover the balcony with interlocking deck tiles. These tiles can be laid directly on top of the existing balcony surface with no additional preparation required. The tiles are manufactured with inbuilt connecting tabs on all sides so you just snap them together. no nails, no screws or adhesives required. And once they are clicked together, they remain firmly and securely in place, unaffected by normal wind gusts and no chance of sliding off the edge of the balcony. And since the tiles have an open mesh base, water drains away quickly and easily underneath the tiles, eliminating pools and puddles on the surface of the balcony.

If there are any posts, pipes or other similar obstructions on your balcony, you'll probably need to cut a few tiles so that they will fit around these objects. Also if you have a gap between the last row of tiles and the wall of your apartment, you'll also need to cut some tiles to fill in this gap. Fortunately the wood tiles can be very easily cut with a standard handsaw or jigsaw. Another point you need to watch is that the extra height of the tiles will still allow you to open any doors to your balcony.

Interlocking deck tiles are now available in a variety of colours, styles and surface materials, so you have a huge variety of options in creating an attractive balcony deck. With some brands of tiles you can also mix and match the types of deck tiles, for example combining a wood tile with a slate tile for a very effective appearance.

To add some extra interest to your balcony deck you might like to consider leaving out a few tiles and filling in these gaps with some suitable landscaping materials such as polished pebbles or chunky pine bark.

No matter which option you choose, without a lot of effort and hard work you will soon have a much improved looking balcony. Add a few potted plants and a few other landscaping touches and you can be sure that everyone will delight in your newly remodeled balcony.

Tagged with: A • b • balconies • d • decking • decks • diy • do it yourself • e • H • home & family • home improvement • home;improvement • home;repair • o • patios • r • Remodeling • Tile • tiles

Filed under: Tile

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