Floor screed
Floor screed and liquid screed contractors for new-build housing
JMC Drywall Ltd is a floor screed contractor based in Tiptree, laying liquid and traditional screed on new-build housing in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and East London. We work for housebuilders, housing associations and smaller developers. Floor screed is on four of our current schemes, among them 450 homes at Westcombe Park in Heybridge for Countryside Partnerships.
What the package covers
- Liquid calcium sulphate screed, pumped
- Cementitious flowing screed
- Traditional sand and cement screed
- Screed over underfloor heating pipework
- Floating screed over insulation, with membrane and edge strip
Where floor screed goes wrong on a new-build plot
Most screed failures start before the pump arrives. A membrane left untaped, or not turned up at the walls, lets liquid screed run under the insulation and lift it. A plot open to wind and sun dries the surface too fast, and it cracks.
The expensive failures show later. A floor finish laid on screed that is still wet lifts or blisters, and by then the kitchen is fitted on top of it.
- Membrane joints left open, so screed runs under the insulation
- Poured in a plot open to draughts and direct sun
- Floor finishes laid before the screed has been moisture tested
- Laitance left on a calcium sulphate screed whose maker calls for it to come off
- Threshold levels that do not suit the finished floor
- Underfloor heating covered before it has been pressure tested
Liquid screed or traditional sand and cement
The specification decides, and the floor build-up usually drives it. Liquid screed is pumped and finds its own level, so it suits large plots and floors with underfloor heating. Sand and cement is hand laid and compacted, and it can be laid to falls where liquid screed cannot.
Depth, drying and the point at which a floor finish can go down all depend on the product. The manufacturer's data sheet governs each of them.
| What matters on site | Liquid screed | Traditional sand and cement |
|---|---|---|
| How it is laid | Pumped into the plot and levels itself | Mixed, hand laid, compacted and ruled off |
| Over underfloor heating | Flows round the pipes and encases them | Has to be compacted round the pipes to avoid voids |
| Laying to falls | Not suited, as it finds its own level | Can be laid to falls |
| Before floor finishes | Calcium sulphate types need a compatible primer or adhesive, and some need the laitance removed first | Takes cement based adhesives once dry |
| Drying | Set by the product data sheet and site conditions | Set by depth, mix and site conditions |
| Labour on the day | Large areas laid by a small gang | Slower, with more hands per floor |
Where screed sits in the plot programme
Screed goes down once the plot is weathertight and the pipework in the floor is in and pressure tested. Insulation, membrane and edge strip come first. After the pour, the floor is kept clear of traffic and out of draughts for as long as the manufacturer sets.
Some calcium sulphate screeds can be force dried with the underfloor heating, following the manufacturer's heating up procedure. The floor finish goes down only after a moisture test the finish manufacturer accepts.
Sites differ on whether screed goes in before or after boarding. Tell us which order your programme follows and we price to it.
What we need to price your screed
Send the drawings, specification, inclusions list, scope and programme. Floor areas by house type, the screed the specification names and whether the plots have underfloor heating move a screed price more than anything else.
Your price arrives by the date the tender sets.
The record
Schemes where we carried out floor screed
The client, the place, the number of homes and the contract value.
| Scheme | Client | Homes | Tenure | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westcombe ParkHeybridge, Essex | Countryside Partnerships | 450 | Mixed tenure150 affordable | £3.5m | On site |
| Victoria GardensGreat Plumstead, Norfolk | Orbit Homes | 272 | Mixed tenure136 affordableHalf social housing | £2m | On site |
| Avalon PlaceEaston, Norfolk | Orbit Homes | 72 | All affordable47 affordable rent, 25 shared ownership | £450k | Handed over |
| Beaulieu ParkChelmsford, Essex | Countryside Partnerships | 66 | Mixed tenure26 affordable | £500k | Handed over |
- Westcombe Park
Heybridge, Essex
- Client
- Countryside Partnerships
- Homes
- 450
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 150 affordable
- Value
- £3.5m
- Victoria Gardens
Great Plumstead, Norfolk
- Client
- Orbit Homes
- Homes
- 272
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 136 affordable
- Value
- £2m
- Avalon Place
Easton, Norfolk
- Client
- Orbit Homes
- Homes
- 72
- Tenure
- All affordable
- Value
- £450k
- Beaulieu Park
Chelmsford, Essex
- Client
- Countryside Partnerships
- Homes
- 66
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 26 affordable
- Value
- £500k
Questions
What buyers ask us
- Who lays liquid screed on new-build housing in Essex?
- JMC Drywall Ltd lays liquid and traditional floor screed on new-build housing from its base in Tiptree, Essex, and works across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and East London. Floor screed is on four of its current schemes: Westcombe Park in Heybridge, Victoria Gardens in Great Plumstead, Avalon Place in Easton and Beaulieu Park in Chelmsford. It has traded since 1998.
- Is liquid screed better than sand and cement for a new-build house?
- Neither is better on every floor. Liquid screed suits large ground floors and underfloor heating, as it flows round the pipes and levels itself. Sand and cement suits floors laid to falls and small areas, and it takes cement based tile adhesive without a special primer. Your specification should name the screed, and the manufacturer's data sheet then sets depth and drying.
- When can floor finishes go down on a new screed?
- Only when the screed has passed a moisture test to the level the floor finish manufacturer asks for. Drying time depends on the screed product, its depth, the weather and whether the plot is heated and ventilated, so one figure for every floor would be a guess. The screed data sheet gives the manufacturer's guidance. A finish laid too early can lift or blister.
- Can you take floor screed on a scheme where you also do the dry lining?
- Yes. On all four current schemes with floor screed we also carry out the dry lining, so one named contracts manager runs the pour and the boarding around it. At Victoria Gardens in Great Plumstead, 272 homes for Orbit Homes, the screed sits in a package with dry lining, insulation, tape and jointing and through coloured render.
- What size of scheme do you lay floor screed on?
- Floor screed is on four of our current schemes, from 66 homes at Beaulieu Park in Chelmsford to 450 homes at Westcombe Park in Heybridge. We take complete builds only, and every enquiry is considered on its merits. Send the drawings, specification, inclusions list, scope and programme to estimating@jmcdrywallltd.co.uk, and the price arrives by your tender deadline.
Trades
Priced and managed as one sub-contract
- Dry liningDry lining for new-build housing across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. Walls and ceilings boarded plot by plot, on 21 live sites.
- PlasteringSkim and traditional plastering for new-build housing in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. On five current schemes, four for Orbit Homes.
- RenderThrough coloured monocouche render for new-build housing in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. On the K Rend and Saint-Gobain Weber installer registers.
Tender enquiries
Pricing your next scheme?
Send us the drawings, specification, inclusions list, scope and programme. You will get a fully compliant price by your tender deadline, and a straight answer on whether we have the labour to meet your programme.
- Ring
- 01621 810293
- Email the estimating team
- estimating@jmcdrywallltd.co.uk