The anhydrite screed: actually not so bad at all

This allows you to create larger floor areas without day seams or dilatations, minimizes the risk of cracks and allows you to apply large quantities in one go. Yet a poured screed is still too rarely prescribed by architects. Van Rijbroek Vloeren, specialist in screeds, would like to clear up some misunderstandings.

Construction companies are familiar with an anhydrite poured screed, but still often resort to the traditional sand-cement screed. A shame, according to Van Rijbroek Vloeren, because as a result, many construction companies still do not make sufficient use of the many advantages a poured screed can offer. This can be explained by the fact that people actually always assume that sand-cement is the standard and take the disadvantages for granted. Reason for Van Rijbroek Vloeren to have an independent survey conducted among contractors, flooring companies and architects. As it turns out, in almost all cases the choice is made based on unjustified assumptions. People are insufficiently aware of the differences between both screeds.

Drying time

The first misunderstanding is about the consequences of a long(er) drying time of a poured screed compared to a sand-cement floor. In principle, it doesn't have to be a problem, if careful thought is given beforehand. In fact, the drying of a poured screed does not necessarily take longer than a sand-cement screed, the drying process is mainly different. By taking this into account at the beginning in the construction planning, this does not pose any problems. It can even lead to efficiency gains. On-site production also ensures that the mortar is always constant and tailored to local conditions. So the time of unpredictable drying is also over.

Loadability

Generally, an anhydrite floor is walkable the next day, while a sand cement floor takes a little longer to come to strength. However, as with the anhydrite floor, walking on the sand cement floor the next day is not a good idea. This creates the chance of the floor being walked on broken. However, the chance of damage is considerably less with an anhydrite floor because it has a higher strength faster. The consequences of this are encountered by the floor finishers when they lay the final finish on it.

From 50 m2

Another major misconception that emerged from the study is that poured screed is only profitable for large projects. While this was indeed the case in the past, this is now an outdated notion. Today, poured screeds are also profitable for small-scale projects. Projects of 50 to 50,000 m2? No problem. A single living room to an entire residential neighborhood or a residential tower 100 meters high? Whether new construction, transformation or renovation, anything is possible. 

No difference in preparation

The study also shows that it is wrongly assumed that a poured screed requires more preparation work than a sand-cement screed. People are referring, among other things, to sealing holes. The latter is indeed true, but this is no different for a sand-cement screed if you want to achieve at least the established energy standards. An important conclusion from the survey, therefore, is that people are afraid of change. Many companies have never tried the anhydrite product and base their opinion on (horror) stories from others. Sin.

As a specialist in cast screeds as well as sand-cement screeds, Van Rijbroek Vloeren is always happy to provide honest and clear advice for every project. Together with its sister company GIMOC Gietmortelcentrale, Van Rijbroek Vloeren keeps the logistics chain under its own control, ensuring optimum planning, lead time and quality. Questions? The specialist in screeds will be happy to help.