Tiling

Sand, Cement, Mortar & Concrete Mixes

Bagged cement, sand, pre-blended mortars, rapid-set concrete and screed mixes for tiling beds, bedding, patching and general construction work.

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Sand, Cement, Mortar & Concrete Mixes products

Sand, Cement, Mortar & Concrete Mixes buying guide

Screed beds under tiling

A sand and cement screed bed under floor tile needs the right mix and the right compaction. Too rich and it shrinks and cracks; too lean and it never develops strength. Pre-blended screed mixes remove the batching variability that causes most on-site screed failures, and are worth the cost on anything other than the smallest patch.

Bonded and unbonded screeds

A bonded screed is laid onto a prepared, primed slab and can be relatively thin because the slab carries it. An unbonded screed sits on a membrane or isolation layer and must be thicker to carry itself, typically 50mm or more, often with reinforcement. Laying a thin screed over a membrane as if it were bonded is a common and expensive error — it will crack and become drummy under traffic.

Storage

Cement products are hygroscopic. Bags stored on a slab in a humid shed will take up moisture and start to hydrate, and lumpy cement has already lost strength. Keep bags off the ground on pallets, covered, and rotate stock rather than working from the back of the pile.

Curing

Screeds and mortars need to retain moisture to gain strength. A screed left to dry in a windy, sunny room will be weak and dusty at the surface regardless of the mix. Cover with plastic or apply a curing compound for the first few days, keeping in mind that a non-dissipating curing compound must be removed before tiling or the adhesive will not bond.

Frequently asked questions

What mix ratio for a screed bed?
Commonly 4:1 sand to cement by volume for a bonded screed, but follow the tile adhesive manufacturer's requirement — some systems specify their own screed product.
How long before I can tile on a new screed?
Typically at least seven days for a thin bonded screed and considerably longer for thick unbonded screeds. Check moisture content against the adhesive's requirement rather than working to a calendar.
Can I use bagged concrete for a screed?
No — the aggregate is too coarse to screed to a fine tolerance. Use a purpose-blended screed or sand and cement.

stocked at both jaden services trade counters — fairfield heights and prestons — with australia-wide delivery and trade pricing for regular accounts. Get in touch