Liquid screed drying time
Liquid screed dries at about 1 mm a day up to 40 mm, then 2 days a mm, in good conditions. That's the rule for both calcium sulphate and cement-based liquid screed. So 35 mm takes about 35 days, 45 mm about 50 days and 50 mm about 60 days.
Heating, dehumidifiers and ventilation shorten it. A moisture test, not the calendar, decides when the floor finish goes down.
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Days to dry, by depth
| Depth | Calcium sulphate | Cement liquid (cement-based liquid screed) | Sand and cement (BS 8204-1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 mm | 25 days | 25 days | 25 days |
| 30 mm | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| 35 mm | 35 days | 35 days | 35 days |
| 40 mm | 40 days | 40 days | 40 days |
| 45 mm | 50 days | 50 days | 45 days |
| 50 mm | 60 days | 60 days | 50 days |
| 60 mm | 80 days | 80 days | 70 days |
| 75 mm | 110 days | 110 days | 100 days |
What good conditions means
Four things: a warm room, low humidity in the air (ventilation or dehumidifiers), a warm screed (the heating), and no water getting back in. Drying figures come from tests at 20°C and 60 to 65% air humidity. A cold, damp site is slower than that.
The first week
- First 24 to 72 hoursClosed up: no draughts, sun or heat. Protect it for 48 to 72 hours on calcium sulphate, 24 to 48 hours on cement-based.
- From 48 hours Open the building for air movement. Foot traffic from 24 to 48 hours on all three products.
- From 72 hours Dehumidifiers can go in, in a closed room, with the water emptied regularly.
- Day 7 The heating can be commissioned on calcium sulphate. On cement-based, windows and doors are opened now and then, and the heating waits to day 14.
- Day 7 to 10 On a traditional calcium sulphate mix, brush or sand off loose laitance, which helps it dry.
How to make it quicker
- Use the heating. Force drying from day 7 on calcium sulphate.
- Dehumidifiers in a closed room, from 72 hours.
- Lay it thinner, with more insulation under it.
- Take the laitance off early on a traditional anhydrite mix.
- Keep it dry: rain through an open window or a leaking roof sets it back.
What slows it down
- Cold and damp: winter on an open site.
- Gas heaters, which add water vapour.
- Fresh plaster in the same rooms: the moisture from the screed and the plaster both have to be got out by ventilation.
- Polythene or tools left lying on it.
Liquid screed poured by the contractor who takes your call
Calls on this site ring JAM Floor Screeding: James Mulhall, based in Portlaoise, 25 years laying floors. Lines open Mon to Sat, 7am to 6pm. These are his jobs.
“JAM were punctual, professional and efficient and did an outstanding job on pouring our new floor as part of a renovation. Very highly recommend!”
“Excellent work, laser level finish, neat and tidy worker, highly recommend.”
“Top class work by james and his crew, highly recommend”
Quoted word for word from JAM Floor Screeding's Google reviews. Read them on Google
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Liquid screed drying time questions
How long does liquid screed take to dry?
About 1 mm a day to 40 mm, then 2 days a mm, in good conditions. 35 mm: about 35 days; 50 mm: about 60 days.
Can I speed up liquid screed drying?
Yes: the heating from day 7 on calcium sulphate (day 14 on cement-based liquid screed), dehumidifiers from 72 hours, ventilation, and sanding off laitance early.
When can I walk on liquid screed?
After 24 to 48 hours.
How do I know it's dry?
A moisture test: 75% RH for most floor finishes, by hygrometer, carbide test or oven test. Moisture testing.
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