Floor Screeding Downpatrick Northern Ireland (BT30): If you are renovating a property or basement, have a damaged or uneven floor or are hoping to install under floor heating, then you will need to find a specialist floor screeding company to assist you. To provide a firm foundation for you final flooring material, screeding is used to produce a smooth floor on top of a concrete sub-base. If you want your floors to last a long time then a floor screed is the most important factor in any renovation or building project.
FLOOR SCREEDING COMPANIES DOWNPATRICK
Having all of the experience and knowledge to help you achieve a perfectly finished floor in whatever shape or size of room you're renovating, a professional screeding specialist in Downpatrick is the ideal choice for your screeding project. When your flooring project has been properly evaluated, they'll be in a position to inform you of the appropriate kind of screed needed for your project, and how best to apply and install it.
It may be a requirement, depending on the intended use of the area, for a structural engineering survey to conform to building regulations on flex strength, point loadings and load requirements of the screed floor.
The training and skills that a qualified screeding technician brings to your project should guarantee a successful outcome and help in prolonging the lifespan of your floor. There are numerous kinds of floor screed and choosing the correct mix and laying technique is critical if you are to create a quality floor that is both fit for purpose and hard-wearing.
Ensure that you get two or three estimates for your Downpatrick based floor screeding project and also ask what standard of finish each price quote is for. The quote may be based on what's called the SR, or Surface Regularity calculation. Each of the three SR levels provide different standards of finish, with SR1 being the highest, with the lowest amount of deviation over the area of the floor. This means you may need to fix any areas that may cause problems when putting down your final flooring material.
British Standards BS8204 sets down the guidelines and regulations that all Downpatrick screeding installers must follow, and if using specialist screeding solutions, (Cemfloor, Gypsol, Flowcrete etc), they ought to be approved by the manufacturers as being trained and skilled in their use. The assessment and training of a screeding contractor by a manufacturer is underlined through the accreditation scheme, and offers assurances of reliability and safe working practices on any project involving their materials.
Downpatrick commercial screeders might be involved in the screeding of floors in shops, schools, warehouses, hospitals, restaurants and factories.
TYPES OF SCREED
Standard Screeds - Frequently used in residential flooring projects where the blend of cement and sand is perfectly acceptable for normal footfall use. The ratios involved in standard screeds are 5 parts sand to 1 part cement. The standard screed dries at a rate of 1mm thickness each day.
Fibre Reinforced Screed - Used with under floor heating and is the advised option in such projects. The increased strength and flexibility provided by the special fibres in this screed help protect the resulting floor from thermal cracking and shrinkage. It dries at the same rate as a standard screed of 1mm per day.
Polymer Screeds - When a decreased thickness of floor is needed because of construction factors, a polymer screed offers an extremely high strength resolution to the situation. Because of their different chemical compositions, these polymer screeds have varying curing times which you can verify by viewing manufacturer's own product guidelines.
Industrial and Heavy Duty Screed - A screed that is designed for heavy traffic and high load areas where maximum strength and durability is necessary.
Self-Levelling or Liquid Screeds - When the highest possible standard of finish is needed this mixture of latex and cement is used to achieve SR1 level floor screeding. It is primarily used to provide a smooth, level floor over the top of a damaged or poor quality substrate and enables all types of flooring materials to be used. These can be as little as one millimetre thick, and because of the latex polymers, will still provide a high strength finish.
Fast Drying and Advanced Drying Screeds - If there's a need to use the area in question as soon as possible a fast drying screed can be used. These are usually a fibre reinforced type of screed that dries out at a rate of between 3-7mm/day per day and are used in time dependent projects.
SCREEDING PREPARATION AND INSTALLATION
Good preparation is essential for a high quality screed surface that will be hard wearing and durable. Any debris, paint, grease and oil on the original floor surface can adversely affect the bonding of the screed, and must be removed.
Any cleansing products which are used in this stage should leave no residues, and the floor surface must be permitted to dry by itself naturally. If screeding over a stone or cement floor any cracks should be repaired to stop them from "travelling" up through the screed layer and resulting in deviations on the finished floor surface. A genuine Downpatrick screeding specialist will take note of these issues during a on-site survey and make sure all preparations are finished before moving on to the next stages of the screeding process.
To shield the screeding layer and flooring materials from dampness rising up through the ground, a DPM (damp proof membrane) will have to be installed. Different thicknesses of special polythene might be used as a DPM and also serve as a buffer for the screed and any insulation materials.
If your property is situated in an area where radon is present an extra barrier layer is required to stop radon gas from entering. This can be as simple as an air-tight membrane, or in severe situations a ventilation system is installed beneath the screed to take away any influx of air and gas from the ground.
Once the base has been prepared and any DPMs installed, a sealer or primer is then put on. These primers and sealers will make certain that the screed bonds properly to the base surface and help to create a good quality finished floor. Owing to their special nature, only qualified screeders in Downpatrick are capable of using them correctly, safely and through the use of bespoke equipment for this task.
If required, this is the time that under floor heating can be laid out in the correct manner and installed. The under floor heating system is laid out in the correct pattern and attached firmly to insulation panels to stop any movement during screed pouring. When professionally installed an underfloor heating system is an effective way to warm up a room and top quality screed retains its heat, creating an even heat across the floor surface.
Needless to say, if you aren't installing under floor heating, you simply skip this stage and apply the floor screed. The requirements of the room will dictate the type of screeding used. Don't forget that even quick drying screeds have a minimum of 24 hours before you can walk on any laid surfaces and at least 3 days before any flooring materials can be fitted. If you are aiming to end up with a well finished and long-lasting floor surface you must follow the manufacturer's guidelines with regards to heavy duty and standard screeds where the time period will be longer.
The SR level of your screeding can be verified once it's hardened sufficiently to be stepped onto. Through the use of a 2 metre straight-edge the floor surface is checked for any ridges, deviations and dips in the surface of the screed.
- SR1 - Deviations of 3 millimetres or less as measured across the whole area shows your screed floor to be of the finest quality and categorised as SR1.
- SR2 - SR2 is the classification for normal standard industrial and commercial floors and can deviate from the straight-edge by as much as five millimetres.
- SR3 - If the deviation is 10mm or less the screeding quality is categorised as SR3 and is suitable for utility and garage areas.
There might also be a requirement for a qualified structural engineer to conduct a soundness test. This test will establish the strength of the screed surface and the viability for its intended use. The screed will be subjected to what's known as a "drop hammer test" to determine strength and flexibility in different areas. The specialist testing and measurement tools needed mean this can only be conducted by a trained structural engineer obeying the British Standards BS8204 guidelines. (Tags: Floor Screeding Services Downpatrick, Floor Screed Downpatrick, Floor Screeding Downpatrick, Screeding Downpatrick).
What Does Screeindg Do?
The utilisation of screeding in construction projects serves several key purposes:
- Levelling and Smoothing.
- Support for Underfloor Heating Systems.
- Surface Protection.
- Stability and Structural Integrity.
- Even Load Distribution.
- Corrections to Subfloors.
- Compatibility with Floor Finishes.
- Improving Sound and Thermal Insulation.
Essentially, creating a stable, durable and level floor surface is a vital role played by screeding. It ensures that the floor finish will have a solid foundation, maintain its aesthetics and quality, and withstand the demands of day-to-day use over an extended period.
Latex Floor Screeds Downpatrick
When the characteristics of your floor's surface means that a level of flexibility is needed, it will be advantageous to use a latex screeding, rather than one with an unyielding finish. Latex screeds typically comprise two parts - a cement-based powder, and a liquid latex mixture. Whereby water is normally used in a screed mix, this is replaced with the latex liquid, making it quicker drying and more flexible than other types of screed.
Before the laying of your chosen decorative surface, this latex product is used for levelling subfloors. This screeding is suitable for use on substrate of sand/cement, stone tiles, wood, asphalt and concrete, to provide a resilient and smooth surface that's perfect for the application of adhesives. If your subfloor has any movement in it, this type of floor screed will still give you a crack-free, flexible finish, upon which your final floor coverings can sit.
When using a "floating" screed, for example when an unbonded screed is being laid over the top of a membrane of thermal or acoustic insulation, thicknesses of 50 to 75 millimetres may be needed, and latex flooring screeds are not appropriate for this purpose.
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Floor Screeding Near Downpatrick
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Screeding Related Tasks
There is a wide range of work that can be carried out by your local Downpatrick floor screeder including screed kitchen floors in Downpatrick, floor moisture testing, structural screeds, monolithic screeding, screed reinforcement, thin bed floor screeding Downpatrick, cellar floor screeding Downpatrick, final floor finishes, floor screed testing, wet room floors, subfloor repair in Downpatrick, acid etching concrete in Downpatrick, lightweight screeding Downpatrick, screeded bathroom floors, liquid screeding, granolithic screeding, sand and cement floor screed, anhydrite floor screed, screed floor removal, bonded concrete screeding, coloured floor screeding Downpatrick, polished screed flooring, industrial screeding, professional floor levelling services in Downpatrick, concrete pumping, screeding advice, floor resurfacing, smoothing compounds in Downpatrick, underfloor heating screeding, conservatory screeding Downpatrick, floor repairs, screeding quotes Downpatrick, bonded screed, polished concrete flooring, sand screeds, and more floor screeding tasks. These are just some of the activities that are undertaken by people specialising in screeding. Downpatrick contractors will let you know their whole range of screeding services.
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