Floor screeding is a key stage in the construction process, ensuring a level and even surface ready to receive other flooring materials such as carpet, tiles or floor boards. Whether you’re renovating your property, adding underfloor heating or just installing new floorboards, it’s important to get this stage right to avoid costly and time-consuming repair work later down the line.

While DIY enthusiasts are increasingly taking on the task of applying their own floor screed, there are certain elements of this process that should always be left to professionals. Using the right screed mix, applying the correct thickness and allowing sufficient drying time all help to reduce potential problems later down the line.

What is a Floor Screed?

A floor screed is a cementitious material which can be applied to a solid in-situ concrete ground floor slab or on top of a precast concrete floor unit. It may be bonded to the base or laid unbonded and float over an impermeable damp-proof membrane (DPM).

There are a variety of different types of floor screeds available, each with their own benefits and drawbacks, but they all share a similar structure. Typically a ratio of 1:3 cement to sharp sand is used and some varieties are self-levelling so that the finished product has a smooth surface without the need for additional finishing materials such as sand or grit.

To prepare the floor for a screed layer, it is best to divide the room into sections with long, straight pieces of timber cut to the height of your desired screed layer. These are then kept in place using a piece of wire tied to each one. This helps to keep the dividers in position whilst making them easy to remove once your screed is dry and ready for the final floor covering.