How much does a screed weigh on the structure?
About 20 kg per m² for each centimetre of thickness. A 6 cm screed therefore weighs 120 kg/m², before insulation and the final covering.
About 20 kg per m² for each centimetre of thickness. A 6 cm screed therefore weighs 120 kg/m², before insulation and the final covering.
In new construction, the question doesn't arise: the structure has been sized for it. In renovation, it sometimes becomes the deciding factor for the entire technical solution.
A cement screed weighs about 2,000 kg per cubic meter, which is 20 kg per square meter per centimeter of thickness. So, you can do the math in your head:
A anhydrite screed falls into the same order of magnitude. To this weight, you must add the insulation and then the final flooring: bonded tiles add another 25 to 40 kg/m².
On a concrete slab or on hollow-core slabs, this permanent load is absorbed without difficulty. The issue becomes more complex with old wooden floors, which were designed at a time when neither screeds nor tiling were planned for upper floors.
You must then think in terms of added permanent load, not live load: the weight of the screed is added to that of the structure, even before a single piece of furniture is placed. When in doubt, only a verification by a structural engineer is definitive. Our guide on screeds on wooden floors details the process.
When the structure cannot support the load, there are two options. The lightweight screedfilled with polystyrene beads or lightweight aggregates, drops to 6 or 12 kg per m² per centimeter, at the cost of lower mechanical strength and conductivity. The dry screed in panels remains under 40 kg/m² all-inclusive, insulation included, and introduces no water into the building.
Your expert in screeds, thermal insulation, and acoustic floor insulation.
