Is Liquid Screed better than Concrete?

Concrete is an extremely versatile material, which boasts a huge range of use cases.

This extremely durable, affordable and high performance construction material can be used across a huge variety of different projects, spanning everything from roads to residential flooring.

Liquid screed is a prime example of concrete’s versatility and utility. This sophisticated concrete variety is highly specialised, and boasts a wide variety of unique properties.

If you haven’t used the material before, keep reading. Below, our concrete experts have shared their complete guide to liquid screed, including its benefits, use cases and specific qualities.

What can liquid screed be used for?

Liquid screed is a type of concrete, which is also commonly referred to as flow screed or self-levelling screed.

Thanks to its specific ratio of cement, sand and water (alongside a number of specially formulated additives), liquid screed achieves an extremely high quality standard for flooring projects.

It can be used for a huge range of different applications, including:

• As a base layer for underfloor heating systems – liquid screed creates an even and extremely thermally efficient base layer, significantly improving the performance of underfloor heating systems
• As a surface for flooring – thanks to its self-levelling capabilities, liquid screed is ideally suited to creating a smooth, level surface, for tiles, wooden flooring or carpets
• As a commercial concrete floor – the high strength, affordability and ease of installation of liquid screed makes it a great choice for flooring in commercial sites. These commonly include factories, warehouses, offices and other heavy duty sites
• As a domestic concrete floor – concrete flooring is also becoming an increasingly popular choice in modern domestic properties. Using liquid screed, concrete specialists can create a perfectly level, smooth and flawless concrete floor
• Sports facilities – screed is widely used in the construction of modern sports facilities, including indoor gymnasiums, sports halls and courts
• Hospitals and healthcare sites – in addition to its other properties, liquid screed is also very hygienic and easy to clean. As a result, it makes a great choice of flooring for hospitals and other buildings in the healthcare sector

What are the benefits of liquid screed?

Liquid screed is a widely popular flooring solution, and it’s easy to see why.

Liquid screed is renowned for its wide range of benefits, which include:

• Easy to install – when installed by a professional concrete or screed specialist, liquid screed can be installed quickly and easily
• Extremely smooth and even finish – as a result of liquid screed’s self-levelling properties, it achieves a perfectly smooth, even and flawless finish
• Thin and lightweight – liquid screed is designed to be installed in a very thin layer (as low as 12mm depth). As a result, it requires less material (than traditional screed) and so reduces the weight load on the building
• High strength – liquid screed is extremely strong and durable. So, in addition to sleek domestic flooring, it can also be used in heavy duty settings and applications
• Rapid drying – liquid screed boasts a significantly reduced drying time (compared to traditional screed). In fact, you can walk on liquid screed within 24-48 hours after it is laid and can fully cure in just 28 days
• High thermal conductivity – liquid screed can transmit heat evenly across a floor span, and improve the efficiency of underfloor heating. This, in turn, can also help to keep heating bills down
• Improved sustainability – liquid screed contains cement alternatives, making them a great choice for businesses or individuals looking to minimise their environmental impact

What are the benefits of using liquid screed over concrete?

Concrete is another extremely versatile, high performance construction material.

But, depending on the application that you have in mind, liquid screed boasts a number of unique benefits over traditional concrete.

Although different jobs are better suited to each material respectively, there are several benefits to using liquid screed over traditional cement screed. These include:

• Improved coverage – liquid screed offers a better coverage, and achieves a more even, smooth result, while also requiring less material
• Reduced thickness – liquid screed can be installed at a far thinner depth than concrete. A key benefit of this is that it helps to keep the weight load on the building as low as possible
• Faster installation – liquid screed can be installed significantly faster than concrete. Not only can it be poured and levelled more quickly, but it can also have a faster drying time too
• Superior thermal efficiency – liquid screed boasts excellent thermal efficiency. It can conduct and transmit heat very efficiently, which makes it a much better choice for underfloor heating systems

What is Cemfloor liquid screed?

Cemfloor is one of the industry’s leading liquid screed brands.

This premium liquid screed is a cement based product as opposed to its anhydrite alternatives, meaning that drying times are significantly lower and is specifically designed for underfloor heating systems, and the creation of durable, stylish and top quality flooring.

What’s more, Cemfloor’s self-levelling, cement-based liquid screed boasts remarkable thermal conductivity and durability – with a compressive strength of over 30N/mm2.

At iMix Concrete, we are a trusted supplier of Cemfloor liquid screed. We deliver this premium liquid screed across the UK, including to London, Kent, Essex and the surrounding areas.

With our wide range of services, and the support of our accredited and experienced team of concrete professionals, you can achieve the highest possible standard for your upcoming project.

If you want to place an order for some liquid screed, or concrete, contact our team for a free quote today.