Concrete Screed Flooring for Indoor Spaces

First things first, let’s get the terminology right: Cement is a binding substance used in construction that sets and hardens and can bind other materials together. Concrete on the other hand, is a building material made of broken stone or gravel, sand, cement and water.

Got that? Ok. Now, next: a concrete screed is a thin, top layer of material (traditionally sand and cement), poured on top of the structural concrete, on top of which other finishing materials can be applied, or it can be left bare to achieve a raw effect, aka a concrete screed flooring.

Concrete screed flooring has become quite popular in recent years, particularly for indoor spaces with a contemporary, industrial or minimalistic interior design theme. It does have its advantages too – it’s easy to maintain (only needs damp mopping), and it doesn’t retain odours such as pets’ urine nor harbour dust, fleas and mites which can lead to allergies.

But concrete screed flooring also does have its problems. For starters, it is expensive, compared to resilient flooring and wood laminates. Because it is a hard material, it won’t cushion under bare feet and hence may not be very comfortable to walk on. In addition, concrete floors can be loud and produce an echo effect.

The biggest problems with concrete screed flooring though is that it is prone to cracking and flaking. By nature, cement is not flexible. So movement and temperatures causing expansion and contraction may cause hairline cracks. Additionally, in humid Singapore, too much moisture can cause concrete floors to flake from the surface. And even if you topped the floor off with a concrete sealer, you’ll never really be able to get rid of that dusty feeling beneath your soles.

But I really like the concrete and stone-like look of concrete screed floors!

I know, I personally love it too.

So what can one do? There are alternatives to concrete screed flooring. For example, one can use slate tiles which, though expensive, can really add depth to your indoor space. Some choose to use very dark colours for their floors to create that interior design feel, and they do it using ceramic tiles, or resilient or laminate floor planks.

One product range you could consider is Ambient from Floor Xpert’s Luxurious Resilient Flooring (LURF) product category.

A collection of beautiful resilient tiles with an expressive, tactile stone structure and fascinating colour variations, Ambient can give you the authentic concrete screed look and feel you desire. It Is available in a range of four colours and textures – from the very light-coloured and smooth Light Concrete, to Warm Grey Concrete, or Dark Grey Concrete, or even Black Slate.

To check out our special LURF-Ambient range of luxurious resilient flooring, visit us at our showroom, or make an appointment for a free on-site consultation today!

About Quick-Step
Since its introduction in Belgium in 1990, Quick-Step has grown to become a globally recognised brand that is a category in its own right, bringing a wide variety of design floors that are visually stunning, technologically advanced and easy to maintain.

About Floor Xpert Pte LtdEstablished in 2010, Floor Xpert is one of the largest flooring solutions providers in Singapore, serving its customers’ resilient flooring, laminate flooring, outdoor decking and turf needs. Offering premium quality and workmanship, Floor Xpert works closely with both home owners and commercial partners to deliver customer satisfaction and product guarantee. For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.floorxpert.com/ .