Floor Screeding Southminster Essex (CM0): When you're restoring your Southminster property that has uneven or damaged floors, or maybe converting a basement or cellar into a useful living space, a competent floor screeding company should be your first port of call. To provide you with a good foundation for your choice of top flooring material, a screed is used to produce a smooth floor on top of a rough concrete sub-base. If you would like your floors to last a long time then floor screeding is the most important factor in any renovation or building task.
FLOOR SCREEDING CONTRACTORS SOUTHMINSTER
It doesn't matter how large or small the area you require to be levelled, a professional floor screeding contractor in Southminster will have the essential skills, equipment and know-how to give you an outstanding level of service. To determine the appropriate kind of screed you need, and how best to apply and install it, they will do a proper assessment of your project.
A professional screeding specialist will also tell you if a structural engineer is needed for your undertaking, to check on flex strength, load requirements and point loadings that your screed floor might need to conform with building regulations and British Standards.
The skills and training that a qualified screeding specialist brings to your project should guarantee a high quality outcome and help in extending the lifetime of your floors. The correct mix of screed and the way it is laid is also vital to guarantee the final intergrity of your floor surface.
Before selecting a screeding company from the many operating in the Southminster area, ask to what standard of finish they're basing their estimate, and also ensure that you get two or three quotes. For domestic properties a quotation will usually be given for an SR (Surface Regularity) level of SR1 or SR2. SR1 is the best level, and whilst SR2 and SR3 might be less costly at first glance, they do not guarantee a perfectly flat or even floor surface. An SR2 or SR3 level might mean there are flat spots or ridges that might cause issues when laying your final flooring surface (wood, tile, carpet etc).
All Southminster screeding companies must observe British Standards (BS8204) and should have some kind of accreditation from the manufacturers of specialised screeding equipment and materials, e.g. Cemfloor, Gypsol, Flowcrete. This accreditation program illustrates a contractor's ability and training in the usage of a manufacturer's screeding products.
Southminster commercial screeders may be involved in floor screeding in factories, hospitals, hotels, warehouses, schools and shops.
TYPES OF SCREED
Standard Screeds - A blend of sand and cement which is perfect for regular domestic use. Five parts sand to one part cement is the usual mixture for standard screed. After being laid a standard screed dries out at a rate of just 1mm/day.
Self-Levelling or Liquid Screeds - Used to provide the highest quality of finish, especially where SR1 levels are required, by a cement and latex mixture. Largely used to finish off a damaged floor or poor substrate level to enable the laying of a new flooring surface, like tiling over it. Even with a depth of just 1mm, the latex polymers within the screed provide a high strength surface for a variety of uses.
Polymer Screeds - These provide an extremely high level of strength with a lower thickness. Owing to their different chemical compositions, these screeds have varying setting times which you can verify by reading manufacturer's own product guidelines.
Industrial and Heavy Duty Screed - A screed that's designed for heavy traffic and high load areas where the maximum possible strength and durability is vital.
Fibre Reinforced Screed - Used mostly with underfloor heating systems and is the recommended choice in these projects. The increased strength and flex offered by the special fibres within this screed help protect the flooring from cracking and shrinkage due to heat. It's got a drying rate of one millimetre per day.
Advanced Drying and Fast Drying Screeds - If there is a need to use the area in question ASAP a fast drying screed can be employed. Drying at a rate of 3-7mm/day, depending on the mixture, they're generally a fibre reinforced type of screed and are perfect for flooring projects that have tight deadlines.
SCREEDING PREPARATION AND INSTALLATION
To make sure the screeding is of a good quality finish that's durable and hard wearing, time should be spent on carefully preparing the area prior to any screed being laid. Any grease, oil, debris and paint on the existing floor surface can adversely affect the adhesion of the screed, and should be eradicated.
Any cleaning chemicals that are used in this phase 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 a screed layer and causing deviations on the finished floor surface. During a site survey your Southminster screeding company will establish what preparation work is required before starting to work on the screeding.
Before any screeding can be poured a damp proof membrane (DPM) will have to be installed to shield the final flooring and screed from dampness. The damp proof membrane is made of thick polythene sheet and various layers could be used to act as a moisture barrier for the screed.
Another air-tight barrier could be required if your property is in a location that's regarded as prone to radon gas. This could be just a simple air-tight membrane, or in more serious cases an extraction and ventilation system is installed beneath the floor screed to take away any inflow of air and gas from ground level.
As soon as the floor base has been properly prepared and any DPMs installed, a sealant or primer is then applied. A primer assists in the screed bonding correctly to the base and membranes and different types exist depending on which type of screed is being used. Custom-made equipment such as airless sprays are used to apply a sealant or primer, which should be done by professional screeding installers in Southminster following the manufacturer's guidelines and safety advice.
If you are going to be installing under floor heating, now is the time that it will need to be set out and installed. Insulation panels will be put in position and the wires and heating pipes will be securely mounted to prevent any movement while the screed is being applied. When expertly installed an under floor heating system is an efficient way to warm up a room and decent quality screeding retains its heat, producing an even level of warmth right across the floor surface.
Obviously, if you are not putting in underfloor heating, you can just bypass this stage and apply the screeding. Your proposed use of the room will help your screeding company on which kind of floor screed is right for your needs. For advanced and quick drying screeds there'll be at least 24 hours delay before it is able to be walked over, and a further 72 hours minimum before you are able to lay any flooring materials. Manufacturer's drying guidelines for standard and heavy duty screeds should be followed so as to achieve a quality finish and provide a stable and long lasting floor surface.
You can assess the SR level of the completed screeding once it's hardened enough for walking on. The test involves the use of a 2 metre long straight-edge laid down upon the floor surface and any deviations from true are calculated.
- SR1 - Over the entire screed area, if there are no disparities greater than 3 millimetres from the straight-edge, then you've got a top quality SR1 specification surface.
- SR2 - SR2 is for standard commercial and industrial floors and can deviate from the straight-edge by as much as 5 millimetres.
- SR3 - If the deviation is 10mm or less the quality of the screeding is categorised as SR3 and is highly suitable for garage and utility areas.
There may also be a requirement for a qualified structural engineer to perform a soundness test. This assessment will determine the strength of the screeded surface and the suitability for its intended use. A "drop hammer test" will be performed on various areas of the screed and the results noted. Any screeding that has load bearing requirements must be approved by a qualified structural engineer applying the British Standards BS8204 regulations. (Tags: Floor Screeding Services Southminster, Floor Screed Southminster, Floor Screeding Southminster, Screeding Southminster).
Screed Reinforcement
To enhance the durability and strength of concrete screeds, screed reinforcement is utilised. Screeds are thin, flat layers of concrete that are applied to a base layer to create a level surface. They find common use in construction projects as flooring, but they can also be utilised as a finishing layer for walls and ceilings.
Embedding reinforcement materials, like polypropylene fibres, steel mesh or wire, into the screed mixture during installation is done to enhance strength and prevent cracking. Load and weight are evenly distributed across the surface by this reinforcement, which also improves its ability to resist impact, thermal changes and abrasion.
By utilizing screed reinforcement, building professionals can guarantee that their projects will provide a high-quality, functional surface that will last for many years to come.
Latex Floor Screeds Southminster
When the characteristics of your floor's surface means that a bit of flexibility is required, it will be an advantage to apply a latex self-levelling screed, as opposed to one with a more rigid finish. Latex screeds come in two parts - a bottle and a bag - with the bottle containing latex liquid and the bag containing a cement based compound. The latex liquid solution actually replaces the water which would typically be used for mixing screed, and is much more flexible and quicker drying than other types of screed.
This latex product is used for levelling subfloors prior to the installation of the final decorative covering. Suitable for sub-floors of concrete, asphalt, quarry tiles, sand/cement and wood, this gives the ideal surface for the application of flooring adhesives which is also durable and smooth. If your subfloor has any movement in it, this latex screeding will produce a flexible, crack-free finish, upon which your final floor coverings can sit.
When using a "floating" screed, for example when screeding is being laid on top of underfloor heating, depths of 50 to 65 millimetres may be required, and latex floor screeds are not suitable in this instance.
Floor Screeding Near Southminster
Also find: Dengie screeding, Maylandsea screeding, Old Montsale screeding, Ostend screeding, Mayland screeding, Steeple screeding, Eves Corner screeding, Bradwell-on-Sea screeding, Monsale screeding, Deal Hall screeding, Asheldham screeding, St Lawrence screeding, Stoneyhills screeding, Northend screeding, Tillingham screeding, Creeksea screeding services and more. Most of these locations are catered for by companies who do floor screeding. Southminster home and property owners can get price quotes by going here.
Screeding Related Tasks
There are a wide range of tasks that can be carried out by your local Southminster floor screeding specialist including coloured floor screeding Southminster, bonded concrete screeding, acoustic flooring in Southminster, hospital floor screeding, monolithic floor screeding, fibre reinforced screeding, floor preparation, floor screed testing, unbonded screed, wet room floors Southminster, structural screeds, screed reinforcement, floor resurfacing, flow screeding, waterproof floor screeding in Southminster, domestic floor screeding, basement floor screeding, shop screeding, concrete pumping in Southminster, floor noise reduction, rapid strength screeding, screed floor removal Southminster, acid etching concrete, underfloor heating screeding, damp proof membranes, underfloor insulation, garage floor screeding, thin bed floor screeding Southminster, screed testing & surveys, floor screeding advice, final floor finishes, floor screeding tools in Southminster, latex screeding, external screeding, floor smoothing compounds, and lots more floor screeding tasks. These are just an example of the duties that are conducted by people specialising in floor screeding. Southminster providers will tell you about their full range of services.
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