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Sand And Cement Or Flowing Cement: Which Is The Best Screed?

When you are working on a building project in Birmingham, there is no law that says that you have to use a screed in order to level out the concrete substrate before adding the final flooring to it. However, with that said, using a screed before attaching the flooring makes perfect sense since you want the floor to be as flat and level as possible.

This is critical in the case of final flooring using something such as tile or stone because if these are glued to an uneven surface, they can crack and break when people walk on them. That is not a good idea.

For many years, a screed has been made of a mix of just sand and cement which is then laid upon the substrate by a worker using a trowel. However, this has its’ own problems, not the least of which is that laying a screed by hand while working kneeling down and bending forward is very tiring and can be painful. It is also a skill which has to be learned in order to achieve the best outcome.

On top of that, it takes time. With the best will in the world, a skilled worker cannot manage more than 100 square metres in a day. So, if for example, there is an area of 2,000 square metres, it is going to take the best part of four weeks (allowing for weekends) to cover it.

Then there is the matter of drying time. This can vary but it can easily be another three weeks before the screed is cured enough to walk on.  All of which means that other tradesmen who need to work on the site cannot do so until that day arrives.

Flowing Cement Screed

By contrast, at Top Mix we produce flowing cement screed in Birmingham which is ready mixed and then delivered to site. Because it is in liquid format, all we need to do is to connect a pump and a long hose to the delivery truck, and then we pump it into position.

Because it is liquid, it is self-levelling. So, all we then need to do is to run over it with a dappling bar to remove any air bubbles, and the job is done.

On top of that, our flowing cement screed in Birmingham also cures very quickly. It will be able to take light foot traffic with 48 hours which means that other trades are not unduly interrupted and can get on with their work.