Liquid screed vs sand and cement
Liquid screed goes down thinner and faster: 35 mm floating in a house (calcium sulphate) against 65 mm for sand and cement, and up to 1,500 m² a day against up to 150 m².
Sand and cement can be laid to falls, needs no pump and no special primer, and is what most floors in older Irish houses already have. The rest is in the table.
Free, no obligation. One local screeding contractor prices it, not five.
Side by side
| Liquid | Liquid (cement, cement-based liquid screed) | Sand and cement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floating, house | 35 mm | 45 mm | 65 mm |
| Unbonded | 30 mm | 50 mm | 50 mm minimum, 70 mm specified |
| Bonded | 25 mm | Not given | 25 mm minimum, 40 mm specified |
| Over heating pipes | 25 mm | 25 mm | Within the 65 mm floating depth |
| Reinforcement, floating | None needed | None stated | D49 mesh or fibres |
| Laid per day | Up to 1,500 m² | Up to 2,000 m² | Up to 150 m² |
| Curing | Self-curing | No extra curing | Covered for at least 5 days |
| Dry, good conditions | 35 days at 35 mm | 50 days at 45 mm | About 2 months at 50 mm, about 100 days at 75 mm |
| Biggest bay, unheated | 1,000 m² | 80 m² | 36 m², 6 m long |
| Laid to falls | No | No | Yes |
When sand and cement is the better call
- A floor that has to fall to a drain, like a level-access shower.
- One small room, where a pump and a truck cost more than the labour they save.
- A bonded topping on an old slab where only 25 to 40 mm is available and a cement adhesive goes straight on.
- A fast-drying sand and cement screed, when flooring has to go down in days, not weeks.
Sand and cement, fast-drying and lime screeds for houses are covered on floorscreeding.ie. For larger jobs priced by the m², see screeding.ie's specification guide.
When liquid is the better call
- Underfloor heating, especially a heat pump, where every millimetre over the pipes slows the response.
- A big open-plan ground floor, where sand and cement would need joints every 6 m.
- A tight floor zone: a thinner screed leaves room for more insulation.
- Several houses or apartments, where a crew can pour a whole block in a day.
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 guides & price breakdowns
Straight answers to what people ask most: itemised costs, specifications, planning or grants, and what to check before you book.
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Liquid vs sand and cement questions
Is liquid screed better than sand and cement?
For underfloor heating and large floors, usually: it's thinner, faster to lay and flatter. For floors laid to falls, small rooms and bonded toppings, sand and cement often makes more sense.
Is liquid screed thinner than sand and cement?
Yes. Floating in a house: 35 mm calcium sulphate, 45 mm cement-based liquid screed, 65 mm sand and cement.
Does liquid screed dry faster?
Per mm, about the same at first: 1 mm a day to 40 mm against 1 mm a day to 50 mm (BS 8204-1). It dries sooner because it's thinner, and calcium sulphate can be force dried with the heating from day 7.
Does liquid screed crack?
It shrinks less than sand and cement: 0.02% at most for calcium sulphate, under 400 microns a metre for cement-based. Joints in the right places still matter.
Liquid screed across all 26 counties
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