When you are installing a flooring screed to cover the concrete substrate in a new building it is vital to get all the preparation right. A screed is not a legal requirement, but it is the perfect solution if you want a final floor that is flat and level.
Screeds are especially a requirement in the case where the final flooring is going to be something such as tile or stone. If these are not laid on to a flat and level base, they can crack as they are walked upon, and this can cause a considerable upheaval if the flooring needs to be taken up and reset.
But for any type of floor, you want it to be as level as possible, no matter what the final material may be. Now, you cannot get a concrete substrate level and flat – at least not flat enough for purpose – so the answer is a screed, which is a sort of finishing touch and can provide you with what you need.
There are two main types of screeds – those consisting of sand and cement and those that use calcium sulphate as the binder in place of the cement. The terminology can get quite confusing when talking about calcium sulphate screeds because they consist of anhydrous (dry) calcium sulphate which, when mixed with water, becomes gypsum. They are also mixed in a liquid form. Thus, they are also known as gypsum screeds, anhydrite screeds, flowing screeds, liquid screeds, and self-levelling screeds (because, being liquid, they level themselves out when laid) and probably several more names. But all of those names refer to the same thing, which most people call liquid screeds.
The Foremost Liquid Screed Providers In England And Wales
So, if you need a liquid screed installer, you might search for a flowing screed contractor in Northampton, or any one of the other names. In most cases, when you do, you will come up with us at UK Screeds because installing screeds, along with underfloor heating, is what we do.
In fact, we are regarded as the foremost installer of liquid screeds in England and Wales because we have no fewer than eleven branches that have teams that can provide you with what you need wherever your building project is taking place. We were founded in 2002 and are still a family run business, so we are dedicated to providing every customer with service that cannot be beaten. Very often, we are called out at short notice when a project requires a screed to be laid quickly, and we are always able to respond in order to keep your project going and avoid expensive and costly delays.
Our liquid screeds are delivered to the site ready mixed, and we pump them into position using a long hose and a pump attached to the delivery truck. This is just so much faster than using a traditional sand and cement screed that there is no comparison. How about 2,000 square metres of screed laid by one team in a single day? Try doing that with a sand and cement screed laid by a worker on hands and knees using a trowel to level it out! It isn’t going to happen!
Not only that, but our liquid screeds dry very quickly too. You might think that would not be the case since they are laid in a liquid form, but in fact they will be dry enough to walk on in as little as 24 hours, and certainly within 48, depending upon the temperature and the humidity. That means that where you have a project with other contractors who need to work on the site, they will not be unduly held up.
Furthermore, our liquid screeds do not curl as they dry, and they don’t crack either. That means that we can lay large areas without fear of that happening.
There are many other benefits to liquid anhydrite screeds, especially when used to cover underfloor heating. Because they are poured in liquid format, they totally envelop underfloor heating pipes, and the result is that the transfer of heat into the room above is perfectly even. That hardly ever happens with a traditional sand and cement screed.
They can also be laid far thinner than sand and cement, so saving on material costs as well. For more information, contact us by calling one of our local branches or clicking on the Contact Us link at the top of the page.
