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Don’t ruin your screed job by rushing to move onto the next stage. Take a look at our aftercare advice and keep your project looking professional.
If you have taken the time to complete a screed job well then, the last thing you want is to do is ruin it by not following the aftercare advice. Whether you have laid screed in your home as a DIY project, or as a contractor you have laid screed as part of a bigger construction plan, you need to make sure you build the aftercare timeframes into your project. If things are rushed following laying the screed, you are likely to be disappointed by the results.
Once the task of laying the screed is finished, it is important to vacate the room and where possible, leave it sealed for at least two days. During this time, you should ensure the flooring is completely clear as anything resting on the screed will stop it from drying properly. You should also make sure the screed is not exposed to direct sunlight or frost during these first couple of days.
It is necessary to leave your screed alone as much as possible after it has been laid. The following tips will help prevent you from prolonging the drying time:
If you follow the helpful tips to make sure your screed dries successfully then our screed is designed to dry at an average rate of 1mm per day for any thickness up to a maximum of 40mm. If your screed is thicker than 40mm, then it should dry at a rate of 0.5mm each day. This is important when factoring the drying time into your project.
If your screed is part of an underfloor heating project, then you must wait at least seven days after installation before you begin laying any flooring, such as tiles, on top. The screed must be heated before applying any floor finishes, and the heating cannot begin until seven days following installation.
After seven days, you can begin to increase the heat in your underfloor heating system gradually. The heating should be increased in increments of 3-5oC and at no point should the temperature rise to 50oC.
If you intend to tile over the underfloor heating, there is a 3-week cycle that we would recommend you implement to ensure your screed and heating stay in the best condition possible. This includes gradually increasing the temperature of your underfloor heating over seven days until it gets to the operating temperature. This temperature should then be maintained over seven days before allowing the system to cool down for a further seven days. Once this process has finished, you are free to apply any floor covering you like.
After tiling, the underfloor heating should remain off for 14 days and then the temperature should be increased gradually up to the operating temperature of your choice.
If you have any other questions about the aftercare of your screed, get in touch and speak to our friendly experts today.
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