Can you use paneling as balcony decking? Help!

[davidd]

I'm looking for some tips on how to best handle building a balcony floor.

We have a balcony in Malmö measuring 1800 x 7200mm.
The height to the door is very low - about 48mm.

We now want to lay a nice maintenance-free decking on the balcony, but the height is very limiting.

We cannot use standard decking which is often 26mm high, as it together with joists becomes too high for the door.

We have considered thermo-ash which is 20mm high together with a joist that is max 28mm, but it's really expensive.

We have also considered thermo-pine panel which is also 20mm, but we are worried it won't hold up well since the panel isn't made for flooring. We are also concerned that the panel will have a tongue and groove and we'll have to trim it ourselves.

Does anyone have experience using panels as a balcony floor? Other possible solutions?

 

[Pjosk75]

Hello

Is there no floor on the balcony already, so it's completely open downwards?

Otherwise, there are ready-made decking tiles available for purchase, they are 20-25 mm high.

 

[davidd]

Hello

Is there no floor on the balcony already, so that it's completely open downwards?

Otherwise, there are ready-made decking tiles available to buy, they are 20-25 mm high.

We currently have decking tiles on the concrete floor, but it is crooked and uneven, so we would like to replace it with real planks.

Our neighbor did it a few years ago with 20mm hardwood and thinner joists underneath, so we know it's possible.

 

[datja]

I am looking for some tips on how to best solve a balcony floor construction.

We have a balcony in Malmö measuring 1800 x 7200mm
The height to the door is very low - about 48mm

We now want to lay a nice maintenance-free decking on the balcony, but the height makes us very limited.

We can't use regular decking that's often 26mm high, because together with joists it becomes too high for the door.

We have been considering thermo-ash which is 20mm high together with a joist that's max 28mm, but it's really expensive.

We have also considered thermo-pine panel which is also 20mm, but then we're worried it won't hold up well since the panel isn't made for flooring. And we're also worried that the panel might be tongue and groove and we would have to remove it ourselves.

Does anyone have experience with paneling as balcony flooring? Other possible solutions?

A long time ago, I built my own variant of decking with 10 mm thick boards, precisely on a small inner-city balcony with a maximum of 21 mm to the door. I simply screwed two layers of boards across each other. It became completely stable.

 

[Bo arnold]

Add regular pressed 22 mm to both the surface and as load-bearing. The lower load-bearing level with cc 30 cm so it doesn't flex, divide into sections if you want to remove for cleaning, use short screws.

 

[davidd]

Lay regular pressure-treated 22 mm on both the surface and as supporting. The lower support flat with cc 30 cm so it doesn't flex, divide into sections if you want to lift for cleaning use short screws.

Thank you Bo Arnold, what do you mean by "regular pressure-treated 22mm"?

 

[datja]

He means pressure-impregnated boards that are 22 mm thick.

 

[Bo arnold]

Decking timber 22 mm pressure-treated

 

[fribygg]

Our neighbor did it a few years ago with 20mm hardwood and thinner joists underneath, so we know it's possible.

Can't you simply do it the same way as the neighbor?

I could suggest 20mm Swedish core oak as a surface layer if you want hard hardwood, personally I would choose regular Swedish core pine.

 

[Karrock]

I had just over 55mm height. Painted the concrete and laid 28mm decking as "joists" and as a surface layer. The door's threshold strip comes a bit close, so in hindsight I would have reduced the height a bit. You can get away with something similar if both layers are made with 22mm decking.

 

[davidd]

Thanks for all the answers! I've received some great tips here on the regulations! And now I know how to deal with the height issue.

We are looking for something that looks premium and requires minimal maintenance over time. Therefore, we want to avoid pressure-treated wood for flooring.

I have two options:

Decking Option 1: Thermo-ash (20mm) Premium, but more expensive https://grundspecialisten.se/products/termo-ask-trall

Decking Option 2: Thermo-pine panel cheaper, but more sensitive as it is wall paneling and not flooring https://www.bygghemma.se/hus-och-by...rnsund-wood-link-20x140x3000-4500-mm/p-968992

- Joists: pressure-treated 22x95 (frame + cross beams 30cm cc) https://www.bygghemma.se/hus-och-by...impregnerad-22x95-mm-ntr-ab/p-1893707-1893708

- Rubber pads: cut from rubber mat 3.5mm https://www.hornbach.se/p/gummimatta-noppen-1m-3-5mm-metervara/7696231

Membrane between joist and top to extend lifespan: https://grundspecialisten.se/products/underlagsmembran-for-tralldack

Deck screws A2 4.2x45mm

My question is whether paneling as decking is an option at all? How sensitive is it to marks?

 

[RoTe]

Skip decking and go with these instead: https://www.ikea.com/se/sv/p/runnen-trall-utomhus-moerkgra-90238111/

Completely maintenance-free and retains color and everything without any problems, mine have been in place for over 9 years. Decking for an apartment feels wrong, it's meant for houses.

 

[davidd]

Skip decking and go with these instead: [link]

Completely maintenance-free and retains color and everything without issues, mine have been used for over 9 years. Decking for an apartment feels wrong, it belongs to houses.

Thanks but no thanks. 😊

 

[RoTe]

Thanks but no thanks. 😊

There are other options too... I live quite high up and look down on a lot of balconies, I think they all look like crap except for mine. You also will never get decking as clean as plastic. I go in and out often barefoot and don't want a lot of dust and pollen under my feet. Very easy to scrub the balcony, takes just a few minutes.

 

[davidd]

There are other options too... I live pretty high up and can see down on quite a few balconies, I think they all look like crap except mine. You'll also never get decking as clean as plastic. I frequently go in and out barefoot and don't want a lot of dust and pollen under my feet. It's very simple to scrub the balcony, just takes a few minutes.

Thanks for your opinion. We want real wood and no tiles (we have that today and it doesn't look good). The neighbor has hardwood and it looks fantastic even after 5 years.

My question is whether 20mm panel in thermo-furu as decking is an option at all? How sensitive to marks is it?