Nationwide Floor Screeding
What is Sand and Cement Screed?
Sand Cement Screed | The UK’S most popular type of floor screed
By far the most commonly used floor screed is sand and cement screed which is produced by mixing cement with 0-4mm grade washed-sharp sand. Compatible with any floor finish sand cement screeds can be used with all wet underfloor heating systems.
Sand cement screeds can be produced in a number of mix ratios. The most popular ratio’s used for sand and cement is 1:3 or 1:4-5 providing the most suitable strength for the intended foot traffic or eventual end use.
Sand Cement Applications
Sand Cement screed can be applied in three methods:
- Bonded screed | The screed is semi-bonded or wholly bonded directly to the base.
- Unbonded screed | The screed is applied to a damp proofing membrane or de-coupling membrane, when no bond is possible between the sand cement screed and base.
- Floating screed | A levelling screed laid on a compressible layer such as thermal or sound insulating material. Floating screeds are most commonly used with underfloor heating systems.
All our sand and cement screeds are reinforced as standard using polypropylene fibres within the
screed mix. For further strengthening we can also install mesh within the screed.
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Types of Sand and Cement Screed - A Compatible Floor Finish Substrate
Sand and cement screed is site or factory batched. Ready-mixed product ensure an even dispersion of materials throughout the mix providing good a quality product and a consistent mix. Site mixed screeds are normally used on larger contracts or for highly specialised mix designs.
Advantages of Sand Cement screed vs liquid screed
- Post completion laitance removal via sanding and/or keying i.e., scabbling of the screed surface is not required saving customer’s time and extra expense.
- Traditional screed requires very minimal preparation and does not require time consuming taping and sealing of tanking membranes.
- Dependent upon the job specification, traditional screeds can be accelerated to dry vastly quicker than liquid screeds.
- Ideal for all building projects including both domestic and commercial, traditional screed is often used in large commercial applications.
- ∙Unlike poured liquid screeds, sand/cement readily lends itself to the formation of falls, in order to marry up to existing levels or differing thresholds.
- Traditional screeds do not require specialist/costly floor finish adhesives and glues.
- Thicker screeds provide a “solid feel floor underfoot” with zero bouncing effect.
- Traditional screed is often far more cost effective than using liquid screed in terms of material cost.
Sand cement screed is the most widely used screed in the UK. A tried and tested method of levelling substrates sand cement screeds can be accelerated far quicker than liquid screeds.
Carrying excellent abrasion and impact resistance to site traffic sand cement screeds are durable and do not require any post-completion preparation in terms of sanding the screeded surface in preparation for floor finish application.
Laying Sand Cement Screed
Sand cement screeds are spread on the prepared base with adequate surcharge. We compact the screed material thoroughly and evenly over the whole area, either by tamping or by mechanical means and then level with a screed bar. For many floor finishes, the screed must be finished with a steel trowel to give it a smooth dense surface. For such a finish, the screed should be allowed to stiffen slightly and then worked with the trowel, which will make a ringing sound when correction action is being used. Excessive trowelling should be avoided should be avoided as this brings a layer of cement laitance to the surface to the surface where it may craze and dust.
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