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The Ultimate Guide to Floor Screed Pumps

What is floor screed?

Screed is a non-structural construction element that comes in two forms: liquid screed or dry screed. This versatile material significantly simplifies the installation of a variety of flooring structures, including ceramic tiles, carpet, hardwood, laminate, and vinyl flooring. Screed is also the perfect choice for projects involving underfloor heating.

Why is floor screed important?

Floor screed plays a pivotal role in numerous projects, especially flooring. It is frequently used as a finishing layer on top of a robust concrete base for internal floors, particularly in industrial settings. Additionally, it's used to level floors before laying tiles, laminates, or carpets.

The smooth, seamless finish, durability, and longevity offered by screed make it a popular choice among progressive architects and designers. They often paint directly onto a screed floor, making it a cost-effective material for all types of projects. Achieving the perfect finish is crucial, and this is where professional screed pumps become exceedingly handy.

Types of project benefiting from floor screed

Floor screed is incredibly versatile, and there are many kinds of projects that it can provide benefits to. Some of the most popular include:

Residential Buildings: Floor screed is a common material used in homes to provide a smooth, level surface for final floor finishes like tiles or carpets. It synergises well with underfloor heating systems, as the screed helps to distribute the heat evenly across the room.
Commercial buildings: In commercial spaces like offices, restaurants or shops, screed flooring is a durable and easy-to-maintain solution, since it can be applied in large quantities and be finished with a variety of materials to match your aesthetics.
Industrial spaces: Similarly, floor screed can be applied in large quantities in factories, warehouses and garages for a robust and durable floor. The screed can be left as is and still withstand heavy traffic and machinery.
Public buildings: In spaces where you’d expect to see heavy traffic but need to conform to strict hygiene requirements, like schools or hospitals, screed flooring is both durable and easy-to-clean.
Large scale projects: In larger construction projects like shopping centres and apartment complexes, floor screed is an efficient and cost-effective solution for covering large flooring areas.

What are the benefits of using a floor screed pump?

When it comes to construction, there are many tools that make the trade a little easier – one of which is a screed pump. Let's delve into what this machine does and how it can help with your project.

What is a floor screed pump?

Simply put, a screed pump combines cement, sand, and other additives to prepare a consistent screed that can be poured onto a prepared surface. Utranazz’s Transmat 27.45 Screed Pump is among our most popular models. It enables the user to pump and mix large volumes of traditional screeds, making it an ideal choice for large industrial flooring applications.

Why choose a liquid screed pump?

There are some projects that might specifically require a liquid screed pump over a traditional screed mix. Some of the reasons you might want to use a liquid pump for floor screed include:

Better Quality Screed Mix: Using a liquid screed pump typically results in a more thoroughly mixed material, resulting in a smoother finish. This is beneficial for projects that use screed as a finishing top layer as imperfections in the mixture will be easily noticeable. In addition, self-levelling pumps such as the Pro H CL create an even better quality finish than traditional screed pumps.
High-Efficiency Pumping: Laying and compressing screed manually can be time-consuming. A liquid screed pump can significantly reduce project completion times, resulting in lower labour and hire costs. The self-levelling screed pump models are perfect for ensuring screed is laid evenly in an instant, removing the need to manually level the material once laid.
Minimal Dust Pollution: It’s common to have to lay screed while other areas of the site are still a work in progress and therefore keeping dust pollution to a minimum is ideal. Manually mixing screed onsite can cause unwanted dust particles to make their way to other areas of the site or create an unhealthy environment for working. However, using a screed pump eliminates this problem as all materials are mixed within the contained unit.
Easier Access to Difficult Areas: Pumping liquid screed into hard-to-reach areas is made especially easy thanks to a range of hose lengths. The PRO H CL model, for example, has a reach of up to 100m horizontally and 50m vertically, making floor laying in multi-floor buildings or remote areas no hassle at all. Manually transporting screed materials is a difficult process and can often be impossible in some extreme locations. By investing in a screed pump, you can rest assured that your project will be complete in no time.

Liquid screed vs. traditional screed

Unsure about the type of screed you should use? Don't worry! We're here to help you understand the difference between liquid screed and traditional screed to aid you in making an informed decision.

What is liquid screed?

As in its name, liquid screed has a thinner consistency than traditional screed due to the reduced number of aggregates between sand and a binding agent. Its liquid-based nature means that the screed is poured as opposed to being manually spread, and this is where the use of screed pumps, such as Utranazz’s Pro H CL Liquid Screed Pump, can really excel.

What are the benefits of liquid screed?

While it is more expensive than traditional screed, liquid screed has plenty of great benefits to sway people to use it. Liquid screed is well known for being far quicker than its traditional counterpart, as it is poured onto the desired area as opposed to being manually applied. It also removes the need for the manual use of a float to level the surface; due to its free-flowing characteristics, liquid screed is a naturally self-levelling material.

What is traditional screed?

Traditional screed, or dry screed, has been in use by the concrete and construction industry for many years now, and, thanks to its origins of mixing sand with a small portion of cement mix by hand or by a paddle mixer, dry screed is often dubbed the more ‘traditional’ of the screeds. Once mixed, a thin concrete-like substance is formed which can then be manipulated to bind together. If you're looking for a machine that can assist in mixing traditional screed, you can't go wrong with the Apemat screed mixer and pump.

What are the benefits of traditional screed?

There are many benefits to using dry screed on projects, chief amongst them being the cost-effective nature of the materials and labour. As saving costs on materials and labour becomes even more of a priority in today’s day and age, traditional screed is the perfect material for cost effective projects. Utranazz has a wide range of new and used screed-pumps suitable for the application of traditional screeds. One of our bestsellers is the Transmat 27.45, which is fitted with a hydraulic loading bucket – making it ideal for large volumes.

How long does it take for traditional screed to dry?

It is common for at least a 50mm layer of dry screed to be used in any standard project. One of the biggest drawbacks to this standard 50mm layer, is that traditional screed typically dries at 1mm per day, which means the standard layer size could take up to 50 days to dry. Fast-drying screeds can speed up this process, drying at around 15mm per day.

How to choose the right floor screed for your project

There are various factors which can influence your choice of floor screed. Factors such as the type of flooring you want, the scale of your project, underfloor heating requirements, and expected foot traffic can all influence your decision. Before deciding, consider:

What type of floor finish is being installed? This can greatly influence your choice of floor screed. If you’re using delicate floor finishes like hardwood or vinyl, you’ll need a smooth and consistent base, making liquid screed a great choice. However, traditional screed might be perfectly acceptable for finishes like ceramic tiles or carpets.
What is the scale of your project? Large scale projects need to find cost-effective solutions for laying flooring in large quantities, which means using a liquid screed pump is an obvious choice. It saves valuable time and labour by being quicker to pour and self-levelling. For small-scale projects, like residential extensions or DIY work, traditional screed might be more manageable.
Do you have underfloor heating requirements? Liquid floor screed is often the preferred choice if you’ve got underfloor heating, since it provides better thermal conductivity and ensures heat is distributed evenly.
What is your expected foot traffic? This can be a difficult factor to consider, as traditional screed can be mixed to be stronger and more durable than liquid screed, making it a better choice for high-traffic areas. However, you need to consider the scale of the flooring and balance the cost of time and labour against the need for strong screed.
What type of screed mixer will you use? The choice of screed and the specifics of the project will influence the type of screed mixer used. For large volumes of traditional screed, a powerful mixer like the Utranazz Transmat 27.45 might be the best choice. If you're using liquid screed, especially for large, complex projects, a self-levelling screed pump like the Pro H CL is more suitable due to its efficiency and ability to pump screed into hard-to-reach areas.

Our top picks for floor screed pumps

At Utranazz, we offer a range of screed pumps that will be indispensable in creating level flooring. We’ve highlighted some of our favourite screed pumps below, available to buy today.

Apemat screed mixer and pump

The Apemat is perfect for mixing and conveying both traditional and insulating screeds, sand, mortar, plaster, and concrete. This mixing and conveying screed machine is equipped with a single-phase electric motor and can connect to any domestic power supply. It is low maintenance and reduces labour costs.

The Apemat 190 is available in three different models; the Apemat 190E is perfect for manual loading, Apemat 190EB, which comes equipped with a loading bucket, and the Apemat 190EBP, which comes with a loading bucket and scraping shovel.

Pro H CL liquid screed pump

The Pro H CL is a trailer-mounted self-levelling liquid screed pump, best suited for conveying large amounts of material. Fitted with a centralised greasing pump and special hydraulic circuit, the Pro H CL is an easy to maintain and fuel-efficient screed pump.

With radio remote control, automatic shutdown when the sieve is lifted, and sensors to protect the engine and hydraulic circuit, the Pro H CL puts safety first.

Transmat 250 mixer and pump

With a three-phase electric motor, the Transmat 250 is ideal for mixing and conveying screed. The Transmat 250 is a landmark machine for professional screed layers, guaranteeing full efficiency and quality mixes.

Available in three different setups, including manual loading (E model), a 270litre loading bucket (EB model), and a loading bucket and scraping model, complete with a pulling winch (EBP model).

Transmat 27.45 screed and mortar pump

The Transmat 27.45 is a user-friendly, high-performance mixing and pumping machine for large volumes of screed. Built with fuel efficiency in mind, the Transmat 27.45 has a 4-cylinder liquid cooler engine that automatically switches to idle speed at the end of each cycle.

Available with a diesel engine and built in compressor as standard (DC basic version), or with a loading bucket attachment (DCB version), and a scraping shovel (DCBP version).

Utranazz’s floor screed pumps

As we wrap up this comprehensive guide, it's clear that when it comes to floor screed – from understanding its nuances to selecting the right screed and equipment – there's a wealth of knowledge required. Throughout this article, we at Utranazz have aimed to demonstrate our deep understanding of floor screed, its application, and the equipment that facilitates its use.

Our experience and dedication to industry innovation allow us to not only supply top-tier screed mixers and pumps, but also to serve as a knowledgeable partner in your construction journey. If you’re interested in learning more about floor screed pumps and mixers from Utranazz, you can browse our selection of new equipment and stock equipment, or contact us by phone (01280 820770), email ([email protected]), or enquiry form, and a member of our team will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.