enclosed balcony issue

671 Views 5 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Daniel Holzman, May 9, 2016

alexk1

Discussion Starter · May 9, 2016

Hi guys,

I have an enclosed balcony. the floor of the balcony is concrete, with an underpadding of polystyrene . Putting pressure on the thin layer of concrete can cause it to crack/warp (it's a bad construction job i'm trying to fix, but i can't redo the concrete other than patching it)

I want to put wood, interlocking planks across the width to provide stability. But i heard planks can warp. What else can i do to provide stability?

I will be putting padding and laminate flooring oh top

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Daniel Holzman

· #2 · May 9, 2016

I don't understand your question. If the concrete is so bad that it flexes and cracks when you put pressure on it, there is no way you are going to fix that issue by adding wood or laminate above the concrete. Maybe you can better explain what it is that you are trying to do.

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alexk1

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 9, 2016

It has soft centers. My idea was to put it wood boards to provide bracing over it. it's about 4ft wide

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alexk1

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 9, 2016

I can't even explain what a bad job the construction guys did.. i will be patching the concrete, but i want to reduce the force on it

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mako1

· #5 · May 9, 2016 (Edited)

You say balcony? That infers to me that it is elevated ?How far off of the ground is it and if it's that bad you my not want to be using it until it is inspected .
We need more info like what part of the world you're in,Does the balcony have some vertical support or is it a cantlevered balcony ?

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Daniel Holzman

· #6 · May 9, 2016

The design force on the balcony equals the dead load of everything above it (construction material, fixed objects), plus the live load of everything above it (people, movable furniture), plus the dynamic load due to wind, earthquake, impact. You are only going to increase the dead load by putting decking material above the concrete, you will NOT decrease the total load on the deck, and unless the material you place is designed to carry structural load, you will not increase the strength of the deck.

If the construction is as bad as you suggest, you should consider demolition of the deck before someone gets hurt.

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