Fast-drying screed from SMET: walkable in six hours

Many new build and renovation flooring projects demand fast turnarounds, from commercial and industrial projects where downtime must be minimised, to the self-builder or renovator, where home-owners simply want their floors completed as quickly as possible, allowing final floor covering. Traditional screeds require significant drying before the final floor covering can be installed, however, if this is not well planned for, it may well delay the completion of the entire project.

Smet advise the use of Sopro Rapidur B5 Rapid Drying Screed Binder, where floor completion is critical. The floor can be walked on in as little as six hours, and floor tiles laid in three days. The key to this product is not only its quick drying capabilities, but the fact that it also develops its full strength quickly, reaching 25 N/mm2 in 24 hours. “Unlike other quick drying screeds which take the usual 28 days to achieve similar strength,” said Smet director Joris Smet.

Made in Germany, Smet said Sopro Rapidur B5 Rapid Drying Screed Binder makes a “lovely workable screed. It’s also got that all-important long open-time and it finishes beautifully. Applicators tell us time and again how malleable it is compared to other regular rapid drying screed binders.”

Being a special polymer-modified binder specifically for use in rapid-set cement screeds, it allows early flooring installation to DIN 18 560 and BS 8204-1, and uniquely, it is particularly suitable for use with underfloor heating. Smet said the screed is easily laid to falls, and is pumpable too.

Sopro Rapidur B5 Rapid Drying Screed Binder is suitable for use on heated screeds, bonded screeds, unbonded screeds, screeds laid on the insulation layer and for floating screeds. Smet said the company’s trained and supported partners site-mix the Rapidur B5 binder with 0–8mm gravel sand, producing particularly economical high-strength, rapid-set cement screeds. It’s also suitable for producing grade CT-C60-F7 cement screeds to BS EN 13813 and, depending on aggregate quality and mixing ratio (sand/ Rapidur B5/water), higher-grade screeds can also be produced. Placed screeds incorporating Sopro Rapidur B5 are ready for tiling after approximately three days and ready to receive natural stone finish after around five days.