The fastenings for most of these slabs look like four fragile hooks welded to the balcony frame (Photo 1, 2). They are short-lived and after a couple of decades, under the influence of negative environmental conditions, they can rust and deform or fall off under the weight of the slab, which can entail undesirable consequences..
They need to be cut off. First, we cut off the top two hooks, pull out the slab, and then cut off the lower ones, and so on with each slab (Photo 3).
Do not throw the plates down under any circumstances, even if you live on the second floor! We carefully fold them indoors, and then we take them down the stairs or take them by an elevator (Photo 4).
After the end of dismantling work, we proceed to the next stage (Photo 5,6).
The next task is to fix the mounting wooden slats to the balcony frame, in which for this you need to drill holes with a metal drill (d = 3.5mm) using a drill (Photo 7.8).
All holes should be located strictly in one line in two rows, the distance between which should be 1m-1.2m. A mounting rail 40mm wide and 20mm thick is fastened with screws (d = 4mm-4.5mm) using a screwdriver (Photo 9-13).
The length of the mounting rail must be at least as long as your balcony in order to take its place from corner to corner of the frame. If for some reason the length of the rail is not enough, we twist them with a screw at the junction (Photo 14,15).
The main difficulty in the example of this work is the presence of a balcony frame. In order not to complicate the situation and not overpay money, using the services of industrial climbers, you should get a good safety rope, which you can tie to the balcony frame. For belaying at work, you also need another person who will hold you at the moment when you reach the attachment point in the area of the lower rail of the wooden profile. The process is rather inconvenient, but quite feasible if you stand on a stool and reach with your hand to the line of the lower wooden slat from the outside of the balcony. At this stage, it is worth immediately focusing attention, since the level of the lower rail should be chosen so that you can then reach it with a screwdriver. If you don’t get it, the rail can be attached a little higher. The maximum height of the installation line of the lower rail of the wooden profile from the bottom point of the not yet attached corrugated board is 50 cm. All glass of the balcony frame must be removed.
Calculation of the height of the sheet does not imply any particular difficulties, because in most cases the standard height of the corrugated board (1.2 m) is enough to overlap the frame height of a standard balcony. The calculation of the width should include an overlap of 5-15cm (Photo 16).
According to the technology, if possible, the corrugated sheet of corrugated board should be mounted in one direction (from corner to corner). Fasteners are metal screws, the color range of which can be matched to the color of the corrugated board. Screwing in with a screwdriver, they press the galvanized sheet against the wooden rail at the attachment point. Self-tapping screws are located in two parallel rows, along the perimeter of the corrugated board and always in the inner region of the wave (Photo 17-19).
Leave a 5mm gap between the first and last sheets and the wall for the corner, which should be purchased with the corrugated board. It is worth buying an outer corner for the end corners of the balcony, and the corresponding one for the inner ones. If you mistakenly purchased the same corners and there is no opportunity to exchange them for others, we turn them 180 degrees, cutting with a grinder along the bend. The incision is made very carefully so as not to cut through the thin sheet. The notch depth is approximately 0.5mm (Photo 20-22: already curved corners).
The main thing is that after bending the layer with the molar coating is on the outside. We insert the corner into the gap between the profiled sheet and the wall and mount it to the wooden profile with two self-tapping screws. If, at the same time, the middle of the corner is not pressed tightly enough to the profiled sheet, we twist the middle of the corner with the sheet with an additional self-tapping screw (Photo 23.24).
With the outer corners, the situation is a little different: a sheet of corrugated board on the corner can either be wrapped or cut. In the first case, it is necessary to make a neat cut along the bending line of the sheet with a grinder. Notch depth = 0.5mm. To do this, you need to accurately calculate the notch line, be sure to take into account the thickness of the wave of the corrugated sheet. You can outline the line with a pencil and a level. If there is no level, you can use the same corner (Photo 25).
This case will save you from the need to install an external corner, but still, from an aesthetic point of view, this should not be neglected. The essence of the second option for attaching the outer corner consists in cutting the profiled sheet along the bending line (Photo 26).
In this case, you will protect yourself from a calculation error, which will complicate the further installation of the corner. We fasten the outer corner to the wooden frame with self-tapping screws using a screwdriver. If there are no bulges in the metal of the corner between the two attachment points, there is no need to screw in an additional self-tapping screw (Photo 27).
Is sheathing the balcony with corrugated board a recommended method for enhancing the balcony frame? Are there any potential drawbacks to this approach that one should consider?