Self Levelling Floor Screed – what is it and how is it used?

Self Levelling Floor Screed is an essential component used to form a level surface upon which you can apply tiles, natural stone and wood floorings. It is often used as a finishing product on top of a hard concrete base and can also be used to encase underfloor heating pipes.

Screed is made up of from a mixture of sharp sand, cement and water. The solution is either mixed by hand in a bucket using a mixing paddle or if the screed is being used for bigger projects, it can be mixed using a screed pump before being dispersed through a hose pipe attached to the pump.

You can also buy ready-mixed screed solutions which are often the easiest option, particularly if you haven’t worked with the material before.We have a range of concrete floor screeds suitable for all requirements. Our MaxiScreed is a semi-dry cement bound product containing polypropylene fibres for extra durability, whilst our MaxiGyvlon is a great self-levelling, self-compacting floor screed that helps provide an enhanced finish.

Feel free to visit our Screed Applications page for more information.

Laying self levelling floor screed …

You should always consult a contractor before screeding over a large area or before installing screed over underfloor heating.

The traditional way to lay screed is to mix the sand and cement on site with a mixer, however due to the extensive labour required in mixing the screed, there has been a gradual shift towards using ready-mixed screeds.

The finished mix should always be smoother and more workable than normal concrete but must also contain enough concrete to hold it together and avoid it cracking further down the line.

Screed can be applied as a smooth finish on new floors or to level out existing floors. The screed itself is made up of one part cement to four parts water and is normally applied with a straight-edge, wooden / plastic float and finished with a trowel or power-float.

When leaving the floor to dry you should generally allow for one week of drying time per centimetre depending on how deep the level of screed is.

For a screed thickness measuring more than 5 centimetres however, you should generally allow a little longer. Once the screed has been left to properly dry out, you can then begin laying the finished flooring on top.

Please do feel free to Contact if you need any assistance with your project.