Alternatives for replacing outdoor carpet on balcony
Posted on 15. Jun, 2009 by mandy
in Introduce Yourself or Your Problem
I have a balcony which was covered with an outside carpet glued down really hard. It took me many hours to rip it out. I used the professional carpet glue removal but it did not work. I used gasoline but it is really smelly and I was stopped by our condo manager (and dangerous).
So the yellow glue is still there. I want to cover it maybe with a type of paint that would have something like sand or popcorn in it to blend in with all the residue of the glue on the concrete. The bottom line, I do not want to spent more than $200 tops to resurface it.
Can you suggest what other materils I can use? what other cheap options I have to cover it besides another outside carpet which I hate? Here are some specifics:
1) How large is the balcony (length and width)? odd shape but about 8'x5'
2) How high is the railing on the balcony? about 3' and it starts about 5" off the flooring (there is some space under the railing)
3) Is there another balcony or patio below you? YES, I am on the fifth floor
2) How high is the railing on the balcony? about 3' and it starts about 5" off the flooring (there is some space under the railing)
3) Is there another balcony or patio below you? YES, I am on the fifth floor
Thanks
Inexpensive alternative to cover a balcony
There are lots of alternatives besides paint to remake that balcony floor. First things first. You have got to get rid of that glue first. Consider renting a sander to get most of it off so that you have a reasonably level and smooth surface.
There are about 3 alternatives and all are do it yourself for around $200. We'll list them in order of decreasing difficulty. So lets start with the most difficult:
1) Outdoor porclain tiles- go to Lowes, Home Depot or Porecelanosa and ask to see porcelain tiles meant for outdoor use. Sometimes there's clearance sales at Porcelanosa in Rockville. You or your friends will have to practice laying tile. So buy a small piece of plywood, mortar and give it a shot.
2) Head on down to Target and check out their Teak Deck tiles see http://www.target.com/gp/search/176-9386166-3395162?field-keywords=outdo.... Scrool down to the Teak deck tiles. Teak works well outdoors and it should be easy to install.
3) Check out the Spanish Tiles at Home Depot. See http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeI... . You'll need about 12-15 tiles at $12.97 each = about $195. This may be too elaborate, but it is interesting
4) Check out http://www.linkdeck.com/. This is a decking material ideal for patios and made for the do it yourselfer. See their video for ideas on how easy it is to install.
Plan on painting the railing if you can and buy some potted plants to complete the look.
Hope this helps. Let us know what you decide.
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