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I had the Ikea wood tiles on my balcony floor for a few years..here are some of my thought.
-Works well, can DIY, probably the cheapest option for most people
-I spent around 2 hours doing the cutout for the railing post and sides, otherwise it would've been a 20 min job.
-After about 2 years with exposure to sunlight and rain, the wood will go white and start cracking. You probably want to do a recoat with deck paint/coating every 1-2 years especially if you get a lot of direct sunlight.
-The deck makes the balcony looks much nicer but it really isn't much cleaner...I lived in the city, after about 6 month, if I wipe the deck, the paper towel is all black. The shape and texture makes it very difficult to clean with a mop, so I gave up cleaning them. (I suppose it would be easy if you can get a pressure washer and use it on your balcony lol) So in the end, you can't really walk on them bare feet.
I considered doing porcelain tile too. I was going to do it myself, but if you hire someone, be prepared to pay $500+ for the labor alone.
But I checked with the condo first, and they dont' allow tiling the balcony, some rules regarding to consistent exterior appearance among all the units. The ikea stuffs can be removed in 30 min if they ever complain about it.
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