Concrete Screeds
What is Concrete Screed?
A concrete screed is a flat, even layer of concrete laid over a subfloor that creates a smooth, level base for your chosen flooring. Concrete floors are essential for achieving a professional finish and ensuring the longevity of your floors, be it hardwood, tiles, LVT, or carpet.
At GM Floor Screeds, we specialise in delivering exceptional concrete screeds for both domestic and commercial buildings in Birmingham and the West Midlands area. Our expert team ensures a high-quality finish, eliminating the need for power floating, and saving you time and money.
Common Types of Concrete Screeds
Selecting the right type of concrete screed is crucial for your Midlands project's success. The type of screed may vary according to the floor covering, budget, building use, the deadline for the project, and more.
Here are the concrete screeding options that we offer at GM Floor Screeds:
- Standard Sand-Cement Screed: One of the classic choices, the sand-cement screed offers a reliable and cost-effective solution for most applications. It is typically the most affordable option and provides good durability for residential and light commercial use.
- Rapid-Drying Screed: Ideal for projects with tight deadlines, the fast-drying screed cures and dries much faster than traditional options without compromising quality. While often slightly more expensive than standard concrete screed, the time savings can offset the additional cost.
- Self-Levelling Screed: Perfect for achieving a high-quality looking, level surface, this type of screed is self-distributing for minimal manual intervention. It offers a high-quality finish and smaller labour work but tends to be more expensive due to the specialised materials and installation process.
- Anhydrite Screed: This calcium sulphate-based screed is known for its dimensional stability and fast drying times but requires specific conditions for installation. It is often used in large-scale projects and commercial settings due to its durability and long-term performance, although it can be more costly.
Other concrete screed options to take into consideration may include:
- Bonded Concrete Screeds: Bonded concrete screeding adheres directly to the subfloor, providing excellent strength and durability. They are suitable for most applications.
- Unbonded Concrete Screeds: Unbonded concrete floor screeds are separated from the subfloor by a layer of insulation or damp-proof membrane. This allows for better acoustic and thermal performance but requires careful installation.
- Wearing screeds: Designed to be the final floor surface, wearing screeds are highly durable and can be polished to a smooth finish. They are often used in industrial or commercial settings.
- Reinforced Screeds: For added strength, screeds can be reinforced with concrete fibres or mesh. This is beneficial for larger areas or where there are heavy loads.
Benefits of Concrete Screeds
A concrete screed offers numerous advantages for your project, these include:
- Level Base: Concrete screeds create a perfectly flat surface for your chosen flooring, preventing unevenness and ensuring a professional finish.
- Durability: Concrete floor screeds in general provide a strong and long-lasting foundation for your floors, capable of withstanding heavy foot traffic.
- Versatility: Suitable for a wide range of flooring types, including tiles, wood, carpet, and underfloor heating.
- Improved Insulation: Helps to regulate temperature and reduce heat loss, contributing to energy efficiency.
- Aesthetics: Can be finished to a high standard, providing a clean and modern look.
Concrete Screed Installation Process
Our concrete screed installation process is designed to deliver exceptional results to all projects under our care, be it in Birmingham or any area surrounding the Midlands:
- Subfloor Preparation: At GM Floor Screeds, we offer floor preparation services, so you can have it all with one provider! We carefully prepare the subfloor to ensure it is clean, dry, and level, creating an ideal base for the screed.
- Screed Application: Our skilled team expertly applies the concrete screeding, ensuring the correct thickness and consistency for your building and needs.
- Curing: We allow the screed to cure properly, allowing it to reach optimal strength and durability, no matter if it is a quick-drying screed or not.
- Finishing: We finish the screed to the desired level of smoothness, making it ready for your chosen flooring. If your chosen flooring happens to be LVT flooring, we can also get you covered!
Concrete Screed Specifications
To guarantee the highest quality, our concrete screeds adhere to the following specifications:
- Maintenance of fluidity: Two hours
- Compressive strength at 28 days: 35N/mm²
- Minimum thickness: 75mm
These specifications ensure that your screed is durable, reliable, and suitable for a wide range of applications. Please contact us for more information on our concrete floor screed installation.
Differences between concrete screeds and concrete flooring
While often confused, concrete floor screeds and concrete floors serve distinct purposes in construction.
Concrete flooring is the sturdy backbone of a building. It is a thick, robust layer typically used for structural support and load bearing. While it can be exposed as a finished floor, its primary function is structural integrity.
On the other hand, concrete screed is the refined finishing touch. It is a thinner, smoother layer applied on top of a concrete slab or other suitable base to create a perfectly level surface ready to receive your chosen floor covering, whether it's tiles, wood, or carpet.
Concrete Screeds FAQs
Drying time depends on factors such as thickness and environmental conditions but typically takes a few days.
It's best to avoid walking on the screed until it has cured sufficiently.
Yes, concrete floor screeds are an excellent base for underfloor heating systems.
Contact Us For More Information
Whether you are choosing a concrete screed or a liquid screed for your project, GM Floor Screeds can help. We offer a range of flooring services, including underfloor heating, acoustics, and LVT installations across Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Contact us today for a non-obligation quote and get your project running smoothly with expert flooring installations.
