CEMEX introduce Supaflo Rapide screed

New screed floor offers significant drying time, site productivity and sustainability benefits

CEMEX have added a new, pumpable, self-smoothing, levelling screed to their portfolio –Supaflo Rapide. Based on an enhanced calcium sulphate binder, the product is said to offer considerable time-saving benefits during installation, while also significantly cutting down drying time and offering an improved carbon footprint compared with traditional screeds.

Extensive laboratory testing and plant trials have demonstrated that floors installed with Supaflo Rapide screed, at typical thicknesses, achieved a moisture condition of <75% Relative Humidity (RH) at between 10 and 15 days under controlled conditions.

This mean that it is often possible to apply moisture-sensitive floor coverings, such as adhered vinyl and engineered timber flooring, at around two to four weeks after the screed is installed; around half the time that it would take for a standard calcium sulphate-based flowing screed to dry.

Supaflo Rapide is laid at reduced thicknesses and up to 2,000 square metres can be installed in a day, providing significant productivity benefits and improved resource efficiency.

Suitable for all domestic and light commercial applications, Supaflo Rapide retains all the benefits of standard calcium sulphate-based flowing screeds, such as ease of placement, dimensional stability, minimal plastic shrinkage and reduced potential for cracking, and improved thermal conductivity. The product is self-compacting and can be installed on large-scale projects.

Steve Crompton, director of quality and product technology for CEMEX Materials West Europe, commented: ‘Our technical expertise has enabled us to develop a new, more sustainable, premium-quality screed that will help increase the efficiency of the job site, allow effective use of labour and improve the climate impact of projects.

‘Supaflo Rapide uses an enhanced calcium sulphate binder and the latest admixture technology to cut down on drying time while maintaining the speed of installation associated with these types of screeds.

‘This will greatly benefit construction companies as they juggle the ongoing challenges of site working requirements alongside increasing demand for fast and safe completion of jobs with a lower environmental impact.’