Floor Screed Problems

Screeds are also used to increase the height of a floor.

Floor screed problems.

However the repair will be visible this isn t a problem if the screed is simply being used to level the floor prior to applying a finish but if you re intending to stain the screed and leave it exposed then this could be a consideration. We need to look at the possible reasons as to why it could fail and there is quite an extensive list but i think it is important to understand why. This is useful for applications such as floors that need to slope to a drain or internal ramps. A floor screed is usually a cementitious material made from a 1 3 or 1 4 5 ratio of cement to sharp sand.

With any screed problem we need to find out why your floor needs a screed repair in the first place and to treat the cause not just the symptom of why the screed has been damaged. Assess and prepare floor. Very dry screed mix or poor compaction however over wet screed mixes can lead to shrinkage problems and affect the flatness of the finished screed. Screed mix containing less than the required amount of cement.

The cured anhydrite screed will have a layer of laitance that will need to be removed after 2 6 days dependent on brand of screed used. It may be applied onto either a solid in situ concrete ground floor slab or onto a precast concrete floor unit. We have never had any problems we have just layed 250m2 of porcelain on the ground floor on liquid screed without any issues. Screed has been directly trafficked and damaged during the construction phase of a project.

An advantage of semi dry screeds is that they can be laid at an angle. There are many proprietary screeds on the market and information about these can be obtained from the manufacturer. Because of the problems experienced with sand cement screed flooring a unique test method was developed by the building research establishment bre in the uk. Ensure the floor is fully dry the residual moisture level should be less than 0 5.

Screeds provide a vital layer in a floor that bonds the finish people see and walk across to the concrete substrate of the building s construction. They developed the bre screed tester which is a penetrometer type device where a 4 kg mass is dropped 4 times at the same spot from a height of 1 metre on to a circular foot piece. Lately there s been a rise in popularity for leaving the screed raw and untouched.