How to make shelves on the balcony with your own hands cheap and beautiful?

Basically, a balcony is a technical room in which unnecessary things are stored. However, today it has become very fashionable to turn a balcony into a comfortable relaxation area. You can put things on shelves, thereby freeing up space. In order not to spend your budget on the purchase of various cabinets and shelves, we offer you tips and advice on how to make shelves on the balcony with your own hands cheaply and beautifully.

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The advantage of balcony shelves

Shelves on the balcony play not only a decorative, but also a practical role. And if you decide to completely change the functionality of the loggia or balcony, this way you can solve several important problems at once:

• Poor lighting of the room, the windows that open onto the balcony;
• Lack of space in small apartments;
• Irrational placement of things.

Important! A balcony or loggia is a great place for a winter garden.

Also, an excellent solution would be to place various souvenirs and decorative accessories on such shelves. They will add variety and originality to the overall design.

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How can I design a balcony in an original way?

There are a huge number of ways to equip a balcony, ranging from the Mediterranean style to the stylization of an aquarium. The most popular are the following design options:

• Needlework Corner. The main color scheme is made in light pastel colors, and wall shelves in dark.
• Library. Here, a contrast of several light tones with wallpaper in abstract colors is possible. In addition to upholstered furniture and a coffee table, they will very unobtrusively harmonize the shelves with their own hands.
• Winter Garden. Today, there are many variations of the winter garden. To create a living area, both floor and wall structures will be appropriate.

Important! Today you can often find a balcony converted into a home gym. In this case, glass or metal shelves will look very stylish.

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Varieties of balcony shelves

Such designs are very simple, so you can easily make shelves on the balcony with your own hands. To make the space look stylish and practical, you need to carefully consider the appearance of the future product. Getting started, you should first distribute the placement of future shelves, as well as determine their functional affiliation.

And only when the interior design is fully planned, you can begin to calculate the parameters and number of shelves. Thanks to this approach, you can rationally use a small space.

When planning, you should always take into account the fact that the shelves are of different types.

By the method of fastening:

• Folding;
• Removable;
• Fixed;
• Floor standing;
• Outboard.

In appearance:

• Direct;
• Corner
• Open;
• Curly;
• Backlit;
• Closed;
• Combined
• Mirrored.

By appointment:

• Book;
• Shoe;
• Universal;
• Souvenir.

According to the material of manufacture:

• Wooden;
• Metal;
• Plastic
• Combined
• Glass.

Important! When choosing shelves, it must be taken into account that they must meet future operating conditions. For example, on open shelves you will not be able to store objects that deteriorate under the influence of ultraviolet solar radiation.

What to choose shelves on a balcony?

Due to the small space, it is very difficult for an inexperienced person to make the distribution of oversized furniture so as to maximize the free area of ​​the balcony. But adhering to the following rules, you can confidently put everything in its place:

• For narrow and long balconies it is best to use small shelves. They should be placed at the ends. Thus, you will still have countertops.
• As for the spacious loggia, you can decorate it with shelves of bulky sizes.

Important! The appearance of the future shelf depends entirely on your imagination and imagination. You can make it either standard from wood or metal multifunction. For fans of something unusual, options from a cache-pot or turntable are perfect.

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Do-it-yourself shelves on the balcony

Incorrectly selected shelves and racks can not only ruin the appearance, but also can not cope with their functions. Therefore, before starting work, you should pay attention to some details:

1. Fasteners that hold the structure should be as reliable as possible. Only in this way will you be sure that the shelves on the balcony with your own hands will be firmly attached and will be able to support the weight of the items placed on them.
2. Materials must be selected in such a way that they meet the operating conditions. For example, for an unglazed balcony, it is better not to use various pieces of furniture based on particleboard, because they can get wet and become unusable due to humidity.
3. The design of future furniture should fully comply with the overall design of the room.

Choose materials

Furniture on a balcony or a loggia is more subject to influence of various aggressive conditions, than that which is located in rooms. Therefore, it is very important to correctly select the material for the manufacture of racks and shelves. The main criterion for the choice of material is that future products must endure:

• sudden changes in temperature in the direction of plus;
• high humidity;
• severe frosts;
• ultraviolet radiation;
• the influence of street soot.

What is suitable to make shelves on the balcony with your own hands cheap and beautiful:

• It is better to refuse to use chipboard, as this is a rather unstable material. It can be replaced with a laminated sheet. It has a protective layer, which prevents the penetration of moisture into the material, which extends its durability. Another advantage of the laminated sheet is its attractive appearance and a large assortment of various colors.
• For the manufacture of balcony shelves, you can use natural wood. But, in addition to the fact that this is far from a budget option, it will still have to be further processed and covered with special protective equipment. In this case, it is better to use MDF, which will be more profitable both in terms of characteristics and price.
• Plastic is the best option, but in its strength it is fundamentally inferior to all other materials. You can’t put heavy objects and conservation on such shelves.

Important! The best option would be to use several types of materials at once. For example, a frame can be made of steel corners, shelves can be made of natural wood, and walls can be made of plywood or plastic.

Required Inventory

In order to make shelves and racks on the balcony with your own hands, you should stock up on the following tools and auxiliary materials:

• Jigsaw for woodwork;
• Roulette;
• Screwdriver;
• Pencil for marking;
• The material from which you will make the shelves;
• Self-tapping screws;
• Corners;
• Hinges
• Confirmats.

Mounting Methods

There are several options for installing shelf structures and shelving on the balcony. Their difference lies only in the mounting methods:

• If you plan to stack things with a large mass on them, then the fastening should be appropriate. It is best to use anchor bolts and a metal corner for the frame. Moreover, the shelves themselves should also be made of wood of sufficient thickness.
• Shelves of small sizes are best fastened to special loops. They are held on the wall with screws or dowels. Such products are most suitable for placing indoor plants or small items on them.

We make shelves from timber

As for the rack, then you need to take care of creating the basis of wooden beams:

1. Choose a beam of the required size, polish and cover it with special compounds or paints and varnishes. After everything has dried, you can confidently proceed with their further installation.
2. Next, the timber should be sawn into vertical and horizontal slats. Vertically, they should be equal to the height of the rack, and horizontal - the length of future shelves.
3. On the ceiling, floor and walls make the necessary markings. The bars are placed in a single plane, nailed with dowels to the base.
4. Fasten the vertical beam on the inside of the frame on which the shelves will be mounted.
5. Mount boards for shelves on metal corners. This is necessary for maximum structural reliability.
6. For a closed cabinet, you need to hang the doors on special hinges or roller guides.

Important! The simplest method of arranging shelves on the balcony is the suspension structure. For its installation you just need to prepare the same boards of the required size, a rope or strong rope, several hooks. In each board, holes are made in the corners and a rope or cord is threaded through them. A limiter must be placed under each shelf so that the boards do not move and move. With a hook, suspend the structure from the ceiling.

We make a shelf on the balcony of wood

Regardless of the material, the manufacturing process for such shelves is the same:

• Mark the wall where the future product will hang.
• Make a quadrangular base from the bars. When forming the foundation, the width and depth of future shelves should be taken into account.

Important! You can achieve parallel and even verticals of the finished product if you attach the ceiling and floor beams one under the other.

• Close the back wall of the base with a chipboard sheet or other material.
• Cut the countertops of the right size and place them based on the markup.

Important! Finished worktops do not have to be the same size. You can make them, depending on the needs and the things that will be stored on them. The main thing is to take into account all the nuances when planning.

• Securely lock each countertop.

Important! If the elements of the finished product are made of natural wood, then they should be opened with varnish.

Shelves for flowers

Shelves for flowers can also be arranged in a similar pattern. The only difference is that in the manufacture of the base, the depth should be less so that there is good light permeability.

Important! If you can masterfully work with a jigsaw, then shelves can be made curly.

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We make glass shelves

In order to make shelves on the balcony with your own hands made of glass, you should have the following inventory:

• Glass with polished edges;
• Glass cutter;
• Grinder machine;
• Respirator;
• Electric drill;
• Hammer;
• Level;
• Dowel;
• Fasteners;
• Duct tape;
• Masking tape;
• Paper envelope;
• Ruler;
• Roulette;
• Pencil.

Preparatory stage:

1. Using a glass cutter, cut the glass into elements of the size you need.
2. Grind the edges with a grinder.

Important! In the process of grinding the edges should be moistened constantly with water. Thus, the dust will not spread in the air, and the edge remains transparent.

Markup:

1. Use the building level and pencil to mark where the shelf will hang.
2. Drill the place of future fastening with an electric drill.

Important! You can stick a paper envelope to the tape under the hole. This way the dust will fly right into the envelope.

Installation of fasteners:

1. Insert the dowel into the hole. If the dowel hardly enters the wall, you can carefully hammer it with a hammer.
2. Change the drill bit to the screw and fix the metal bracket in the grid so that it protrudes from the wall by about 2 centimeters.
3. Put the washer on the screw.
4. The bracket protruding from the wall should be screwed on.
5. Measure the location of the bracket using the level.

Shelf attachment

To do this, you need to place the finished glass shelf on previously prepared supports.

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Tips for beginners

If you have little experience, but you still decide to take a chance and make shelves for the balcony with your own hands, we offer you some tips and recommendations that will help in further work:

• Balcony shelves are best done in small sizes.
• They should be placed so as not to darken the room.
• Begin work by building a drawing. Thus, you can calculate not only the dimensions of the future product, but also the place of its installation.
• The design of the future design should match the style of the room.

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Stock footage

In order for your balcony to be comfortable and convenient, and not a place for landfill, you need to take care of the places of storage and warehousing. Balcony shelves are perfect for this purpose. To make them you will not need much time, but just a little effort and patience. Thanks to the above recommendations, you will be able to restore order, and from a simple balcony to make another unusual and stylish room in your apartment.