How long for concrete screed to dry in a conservatory
 

We have just had a conservatory build and the concrete screed is going down tomorrow. How long do i need to leave it for until I can lay a laminate floor? I really want it down before Christmas.

Thanks

doubt it will be christmas, what thickness is it?

4-6 weeks summer so 8-10 weeks winter
Forget Christmas throw a rug down for Xmas day otherwise your flooring would stop it drying properly and buckle with the damp and be ruined

If i recall,

Five things affect drying time of screed

Ambient temp
Humidity
Water content of screed
Thickness of screed
Surface area covered

Concrete screed will go off no matter how wet, :) but it really is time dependant.

If your that desperate to dry it before christmas, you need to get the

ambient tempt up to evap the water content, a space heater would be

ideal :) however, you run the risk of cracking the screed if its dried too

rapidly. you could shut all the doors pop in a convetor heater and leave

for a few days, (and keep your fingers crossed)


Mart

Best not to rush it anyway.

Les

I would leave it for 6 weeks.

If you lay a permanent floor before the screen has fully cured and dried out, then you will ruin the flooring. Blowing air across the surface and using a de humidifier will speed up the drying process. But only use these once the screed has had a few days to cure, or you might risk cracking the surface!

Andy

There are graphs to look out but generally the screed will go hard in about 3 days, a lot harder in 7 days and OK to work with after 28 days. There are things to speed this up such as rapid hardening cement but I very much doubt if they used this. I would be spraying the surface to keep it damp for a few days or else it could dry out too quickly and leave hairline cracks. Don't let the frost get to it.

Messing around with it before Christmas is not recommended. dl

If it's a concrete floor then ideally 28 days.

If it is a sand and cement screed (some call this concrete screed) then 1 week per inch thick.

Classy ;)

It takes ages to dry properly, even though the top of it may look like it has dried the stuff underneath will still be drying out. Give it a month at least.

Personally I would tile a conservatory (marble, travertine, granite or something else nice). They are just too humid for laminate/engineered/solid wood floors, it'll be knackered within a few years.

I think it is the Hoover dam in USA where concrete in base is still setting after 50 years :eek:

Bit thicker than your floor though :lol1:

dl