Shelving on the balcony with her own hands

The balcony should always be considered as an additional space in our house, because if it is organized wisely, It will be more than a decent addition to the living area. Of course, it is unlikely to be able to organize a full-fledged room, but here is a corner for rest or work, a well-stocked pantry or a green garden - quite. This room must be furnished, and an important element of the situation will be a rack. Having installed a shelf on the balcony with your own hands, you will get a wonderful place to store many things - tools and conservation, things and books, a collection of decor and spectacular plants. The balcony rack will not take up too much space, because the shelves in it are open. In addition, by changing the dimensions of furniture in the form of shelves, you will be able to experiment with the visual proportions of your room - making it wider or pulling it up.

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Definition of the required tool

At the very first stage, in order to make a shelf on the balcony with your own hands, you need to decide which version of the design you are going on, which will depend on your set of tools and equipment.

The standard set includes such devices:

• Roulette.
• Electric jigsaw or hand saw.
• Pencil.
• "Straight angle".
• Electric drill. Screwdriver or screwdriver.
• Welding machine.
• Brush.
• Sandpaper or sanding machine.
• Hacksaw for metal.

Important! The rack will be assembled quickly only on condition that all the preparation is done in advance: you need to cut and process the material, and also drill the holes. To do this, you need to decide on the whole tool so that you do not have to be distracted.

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Criteria to be met by the balcony shelving

When making a shelf on the balcony with your own hands, it is necessary to calculate in advance what load this design will have, that is, what exactly will be on the shelves.

The main requirements for the design are:

• Safety - absolutely all the fasteners must be very strong.
• Resistance to humidity - neither excessive watering of plants, nor drawbacks in the integrity of the structure should not affect the functionality and appearance of the rack.
• Optimality of dimensions - the loggia rack should be roomy, without occupying all the free space.
• Correct placement. The rack must be positioned in such a way that its elements do not interfere with the passage of light - neither artificial nor natural.

However, it is not enough to know how to make a shelf on the balcony with your own hands. It is extremely important to choose the right material for the furniture, because the loggia( especially if we are talking about unheated and open) will have an increased level of humidity and sharp temperature changes. Therefore, chipboard and wood is recommended to use only on insulated and glazed balconies.

Important! Particleboard is extremely poorly tolerates moisture - in the conditions of improper microclimate very quickly warps. A wonderful alternative for the rack on the balcony will be plastic. Also, glass and veneer sheets are suitable.

For protection from high humidity, wooden elements are varnished, and metal elements are painted with paint. Also, do not forget that the metal frame can withstand much greater loads compared to wood.

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Varieties of shelving for the balcony

The shelving on the balcony with your own hands can be different. Such furniture is divided into several types, depending on what function it will perform:

• Traditional - this type of construction is different in that it has a standard shape, the shelves in it are open. It is mounted along the entire wall of the balcony. On such a shelf you can store conservation or any household things. Each shelf is attached using brackets.
• Low - ideal for open balconies. Often, such models are installed along the perimeter. Their upper part can be used to your liking: as a table top, like a small sofa or as a shelf.
• Corner - this type of shelving is used by the owners of the loggias, saving space. Here the name itself speaks for itself. The design consists of corner shelves, which are attached to two walls using brackets.
• Built - this option is suitable for balconies where there are niches. It is in this space that the shelves are made.

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Metal shelf for the balcony

Of course, wood is traditionally used for a comfortable and cozy home - it is an indicator of status and luxury. However, metal racks outperform wooden products in durability, and are also able to withstand fairly heavy objects. In addition, having made a rack on the balcony with your own hands made of metal, you can repair it locally, because any of its worn out elements can easily be replaced.

Important! Metal shelving can be made more durable by painting it. Thus, the elements of the structure will be well protected against corrosion during the ingress of moisture( with regular wet cleaning or on an open balcony).

Stages of work

Manufacturing of galvanized metal shelving requires a minimum number of tools - you will only have hacksaws for metal, screwdrivers and roulettes. You can create a shelf on the balcony with your own hands as follows:

1. Determine the location of the rack and its dimensions. You can provide a product with wider shelves at the bottom and narrow ones at the top. Thus, you will be able to store heavier objects below, without cluttering your balcony under the ceiling.
2. Calculate the number of parts of the same length, cut the metal pipe into the markings. The exact cut will guarantee the stability and attractiveness of the structure. For the main frame, six three-meter chrome pipes with a diameter of 22 mm, as well as eight fasteners - three-way angled and clamping, are required.
3. Get a standard plywood sheet for shelves - there will be enough thickness of 15 mm. From one sheet you can make three shelves.
4. In the process of cutting parts, be sure to align them first - all the corners of the structure should be measured using a metal fence.

Important! Doing such shelves at the entire height of the ceiling is not necessary, because you need to take into account the permissible load on the slabs. Therefore, you can limit only 2-4 shelves. From the finished design, you can get, for example, a beautiful flower rack.

Attachment methods

By the way, the metal shelf can be fastened to the balcony by the following methods:

• Separated from the wall is not a very reliable fastening, because due to the displacement of the load it can tip over.
• To the wall - is a more reliable option and is most often used. For this method, fasteners are provided at the rear with a special bracket. At the end, the bracket is bent - it is then clamped to one of the posts and pulled to the wall, firmly fixing. In order to reliably attach the metal rack, use the hex key.

Assembling the

system Next, the assembly of the rack is carried out:

• The parts are inserted into the metal fasteners in such a way that a rectangle is obtained.
• Dimensions must be controlled, as all fasteners have adjustment within 10-20 mm.
• Then the frames are fixed on vertical racks, and you need to constantly check the diagonal and the horizontal( you need a level and a tape measure).

Important! Also, metal shelving on the balcony with their own hands can be collected with the help of welding, but carrying out similar works on the balcony will be difficult. Moreover, the bolt design is more practical and aesthetic, because the shelves in this case will be removable.

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Wooden balcony shelf

A rack on the balcony with your own hands made of wood is a relatively simple and budget-friendly design. It is made according to the following algorithm:

1. . Free the balcony from garbage and things.
2. Carefully measure the space and make a plan for placing the rack, taking into account its height, number of shelves and purpose.
3. Buy plywood and pine timber: the beam should be a section of 50X50 mm, and the thickness should be selected, depending on the subsequent load on the shelf.
4. Buy self-tapping screws and mounting brackets.
5. Carry out a frame: fix two bars on the supporting wall, for which insert the dowels into the holes made by the drill hole, and in them screw in the screws.
6. Between the vertical bars arrange the jumpers - their number will depend on the number of shelves.
7. On the opposite wall of the balcony, make the same frame from the beams.
8. The lowest element is the shelf, and under the ceiling, add two more beams.
9. Wood can be painted and treated with varnish in order to protect the structure from wear and moisture and to give it aesthetic appearance.

If you in advance think over all the construction to the smallest detail, then a beautiful rack will please you and its practicality, spaciousness and aesthetic appearance.