Screeding involves pouring a thick layer of a material similar to concrete over your floor, usually to level it and give your flooring or other surface something to adhere to. It’s used for several reasons, including laying underfloor heating or installing acoustic or thermal insulation.

A traditional screeding near me is mixed on-site from a dry mix of cement and sharp sand, with the ratio determined by what the final product needs to be used for. Ready-mixed sand and cement screeds offer added quality assurance, and can be delivered to your site to help minimise onsite mixing and blending.

Screeding Services Near Me: What to Look For

There are several different types of screed, depending on what it is being used for. Pumpable self-smoothing screeds are designed to be pumped through the area to be laid and spread, resulting in a smooth surface over which the specified flooring or finish can be laid. Reinforcement can be included, either in the form of polypropylene fibres or crack control steel mesh, which helps reduce microcracking in the final screed.

Bonded screeds are held down by being bonded to the slab or substrate below, with a membrane protecting the integrity of the base. The main way that a bonded screed can fail is for the bond to break down, although this can also happen due to movement in the substrate or building.

If a bonded screed is showing signs of lifting or curling, it’s important to investigate what the cause is before attempting a repair. Hairline cracks may not need to be repaired, however larger cracks should be opened up and filled with a low viscosity resin, which will penetrate into the crack and strengthen it.