This large, new build housing development on the western edge of Leamington Spa in Warwickshire was employing a relatively new flooring system by NuSpan, consisting of precast concrete slabs with built in insulation. As a result, the client required a thin section floor topping to fit within the limited 20mm depth allocated within the building design.

The chosen solution would need to be quick to install and cost effective to fit within their build programme and budget and avoid delays to other trades.

Following initial problems sourcing the right product, the screeding contractor approached Tarmac’s technical sales representative to discuss the available options.

After exploring the options, TOPFLOW Screed A FINIO, a new addition to Tarmac’s popular range of free flowing, anhydrite screeds, was recommended as the ideal solution. Developed as an ultra-thin liquid screed, it can be installed at depths down to 20mm in unbonded applications.

This would help deliver the thin section floor that the client needed, but also avoid the costly and time-consuming preparation and moisture testing associated with a bonded screed.

TOPFLOW Screed A FINIO has all of the benefits of other ready mixed Screed A anhydrite floor screeds including a free flowing and self-compacting consistency which allows it to be pumped into place and low shrinkage characteristics that minimise the risk of cracking.

The first three deliveries of TOPFLOW Screed A FINIO were completed in May 2021 with up to 6m3 being delivered to the site via a mixer, allowing up to five houses to be completed in one delivery.

The client and contractor were impressed with the finish and the efficiency of this solution. Although the contractor could have chosen to use a bagged floor levelling compound, this would have involved additional cost and required more space on site to store and mix, more labour time and manual handing on site and meant lots of packaging waste for disposal.

Like other products in the TOPFLOW Screed A range it is also made from gypsum and is completely cement free, with a binder made from 98% recycled material.

This gives it a lower carbon footprint than alternative cement-based screeds, making it a more sustainable choice.