How to cover a tiled balcony?

[topaz]

This slight crack has been there 20 yrs.   Following changing a beam underneath it has buckled.   The idea of pulling all the tiles up and laying lino doesn't excite me.    There are decking squares although may not sit up high enough, also expensive.    Any ideas?   The marine carpet idea doesn't excite me either.   Unless I have to pull up all the tiles and retile it.

 

[EricL]

Hello @topaz 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us and thanks for sharing your question about your tiled balcony.

I'm afraid you've pretty much covered the possible solutions I was going to recommend. Covering the tiles with linoleum or vinyl is the easiest solution, plus there are numerous patterns to choose from. However, I'm in agreement with you in regards to the marine carpet, it has a limited choice in colours and patterns.

Since it has been 20 years, perhaps it's time to think about retiling the surface of your covered balcony. There is also the option of building a low-level deck if the space allows for it. Aside from this, the only other suggestion I can make is to resurface the concrete base and have a polished finish applied to it. 

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @Jewelleryrescue, @Nailbag and @lifestylebymari for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Evening @topaz

Cracks are a pain 😕 Tho I may have a solution, I have been thinking of these for a few years and as soon as I saw what you were after they poped into nmy mind.

Ikea Outdoor Flooring Now I know they are outside Bunnings but shhhhh lol As long as your floor dosnt dip I think they could work. Ive walked back and fourth over their showcase rooms and there is no clicking or flexing. I like the timber styled squares but they have a few new types now.

Id also like to say Hello and offer you a warm welcome to the community Its a good place to hang out and just wander through the pages, so many ideas you will get distracted for sure!

Dave

[Nailbag]

Hi @topaz @Dave-1 has made an excellent suggestion. I don't have a photo to share, but I installed these ones a few months back on a mates 2nd story deck. It was a super easy job and look great. They have channels under them to allow any water to run away.

Regards, Nailbag

[topaz]

It's not a concrete base.   Old house, few shortcuts.   This balcony is also the ceiling for a carport or another outdoor area.   There's a lot of heavy stuff designed by a construction guy so I'm sure he had no worries about the thing falling in.    But if I was to try to pull up all those tiles I'm not so sure how safe it would be.   The construction guy said they should never have been used in the first place.   thanks for suggestions.

[EricL]

Hi @topaz 

Would it be possible for you post a photo of the side of your tiled area? It might show us what is underneath the tiles and how the former owner built it. 

It's possible that they used cement sheeting or a fibre cement variant to install the tiles on your carport roof. Removing the tiles would be a plus, as it would make that balcony much lighter. 

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

[topaz]

Been awhile since I could get there, chronic illness.   So there is now another crack in the tiles, from underneath a little bow - the pic doesn't really show it but it gives you an idea of how it was constructed, the cracks on top are either side of the bow.     I've taken a pic from the side but doesn't really show what the floor was made of.   The tenant - a chippie - is quite confident its not going to fall down but he doesn't think it has a concrete floor & has no idea why they put a tiled top on like they did.   As soon as the balcony moves a bit the tiles will crack.    The side shows a ply cover which doesn't really mean the balcony floor was made of ply.    Over 20 years it has had some heavy weight on it.   As I say he seems to be very confident its not falling down, just says they should have used something other than tiles on the top.   Hope the photos shed some light.

   The bits of timber under the balcony is the chippie's stuff.    He has loads of it everywhere!   The grey/green color is the underneath of the balcony.

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @topaz 

Looks like someone wanted a tiled outdoor area and to stop water drifting through to below. The floor would have been flat or made flat with masonite or chipboard, waterproofed if you were lucky and tehn screw plus tiles. Thats why you have those cracks as things move. You could go down the track of removing the surface and tyhen you would have to put a new one down, tho as Eric has said it would be a lot lighter.

Or go down the path of those timber square tiles I suggested above. Less work involved for this one. 

Dave

[EricL]

Hi @topaz 

Thanks for posting those extra photos of your tiled floor. Since there has been another crack that's developed on the tile floor, odds are that whatever is underneath the tiles is shifting as well. If more shifting occurs more tiles will probably get damaged.

I propose speaking to a builder or a handy person and getting a quote for tile removal and resurfacing the top of your balcony with either timber or cement sheeting. In this manner you'll have an idea of what the job will cost.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[topaz]

thanks guys. You've been great.   This is a really beautiful home bar a few problems.   Because of my illness I can't be near the water - the pain is much worse!    Tenants don't help the house.    If I can't live in it there is really no point in keeping it.   Tenants make the house worse or at the least give me much worse headaches.   Either way a tenant wouldn't rent it with the balcony now with not 1 crack but 2.    The 1st was barely noticeable but this new one is very!   And it could be enough to put an interested buyer off.   I have to do something.   Those squares were my first thought.   There's something like them in Kmart but the balcony is 10 x 8.   It's going to be expensive.   I should have sold it before the 2nd crack.   I did thru bunnings put in a new kitchen, oven, d'washer etc, shower walls, painted internal, pulled off the wallpaper downstairs & repainted down there, redid some of the outdoor stairs front and back - for a sale, now can't remember why I went down the tenant track.