When it comes to floor screed mix in London properties, unless you have a trained eye, such as those screeding contractors have,ย it may be difficult to see the difference between concrete and floor screeds. T
Even though both materials are made from the same basic ingredients: cement, aggregates, and water, screeders in London are often the only ones who can genuinely see that difference.
Concrete and screed make up the basic chemistry for both, with the cement and water forming a paste that coats the surface of the sand or the aggregates, and the cement paste hardening by a process called hydration, forming a hardened mass of high strength and durability.
When screeding contractors in London do this work, they use different sizes of aggregates, different cement grades, and different floor screed mix consistencies, as well as different finishes, as screeders use both materials for different purposes.
Concrete has a much more coarse mixture than screed, consisting of larger, hard-core aggregates, which are the key elements responsible for its durability and long-lasting strength, favoured by screeders in London and screeding companies. As concrete has the potential to hit very high strengths, it is used across the construction industry for structural purposes, including floor slabs.
Concrete is the most used man-made material in the world. Ready mix screed, however, is a smoother mix, consisting of considerably less aggregates to that of the mix used for concrete. Screeding contractors in London apply screed on top of the concrete slab, with this screeding most commonly used as a finishing layer on internal floors, or to level the floor prior to final floor coverings carpet, tiles, natural stone, linoleum, wood flooring, resin coatings etc.
For a colourful or functional floor versus a bare concrete surface, such as industrial locations with heavy footfall, screeding companies in London recommend a more robust screed.