SMET featured in Northern Builder Magazine with LiteFlo® Lightweight Flowing Floor Screed
LiteFlo® Lightweight Flowing Floor Screed in latest Northern Builder Magazine.
The construction industry is often thought of as slow to respond to changes, however the development of self levelling floor screed quickly gained acceptance for its speed of laying, fast drying, ease of labour and, that holy grail of building – a level surface. Concrete floors are heavy though, and the self levelling screeds currently available often require a correspondingly robust structure to support them. The development of innovative SMET LiteFlo® Lightweight Flowing Floor Screed, a new alpha hemihydrate screed from SMET changes that. Developed by leading German flooring specialists, LiteFlo® is made from specially selected aggregates; which make it 30% lighter than conventional calcium sulphate flowing screeds and 70% lighter than traditional sand & cement or concrete.
LiteFlo® is really unique in the industry, offering a plethora of benefits over traditional lightweight screeds. Currently, lightweight screed is solely available in a semi-dry application format; whereas LiteFlo® is pump applied – and it’s this ‘pumpability’ – combined with excellent flowability which makes this lightweight screed particularly unique.
The significant reduction in weight, combined with excellent pumpability makes LiteFlo® ideal for timber frame builds, suspended timber floors, high-rise towers, apartments and multi-storey buildings. Joris Smet, Director of Smet Building Products Ltd, tells us how the company’s innovative, CE marked LiteFlo® Lightweight Flowing Floor Screed combines improved thermal performance with reduced environmental impact, making it possible to install underfloor heating (UFH) in applications where it may have been ruled out – such as restorations, renovations, retrofits, multi-storey and timber frame buildings.
‘SMET LiteFlo® is undeniably unique, being the first pumpable, lightweight, calcium sulphate based flowing screed available,’ Joris says, ‘It’s made from specially selected aggregates, making it 30% lighter than conventional flowing screed, meaning less material is required per m2. Additionally, LiteFlo’s low weight enables UFH to be installed in multi-storey timber frame buildings at reduced thicknesses, meaning UFH could be retro-fitted without substantially raising floor levels.’ Joris says, ‘When LiteFlo® is mixed on site to create a self-levelling, pumpable screed, it takes up water much more readily than a conventional screed, mixing smoothly and almost completely crystallising – up to 95% in 24 hours. Furthermore, LiteFlo® can be placed in reduced thicknesses, thereby delivering improved floor U-values.’
SMET LiteFlo® Lightweight Flowing Floor Screed complies with EN 13813:2002 and is CE marked. It may be applied as a levelling screed directly onto a load-bearing floor, unbonded on a separating barrier (polythene) – or as a floating floor and can be used in conjunction with UFH or cavity floors. Its excellent flowability means full encapsulation of UFH pipes. The fully dried screed should be finished with a floor covering, such as tiles, linoleum, wood, parquet, cork or carpet.
Smet Building Products Ltd has a pool of Smet Supported Partners who can install any residential, commercial, industrial, new build or renovation project across the UK and Ireland. State-of-the-art SMET LiteFlo® Lightweight Flowing Floor Screed is designed for application at thicknesses of between 20 and 90mm and conveniently supplied to site in pre-mixed bags (27kg).
Among other projects, Smet Building Products Ltd delivered excellence in supply and service to The Tower at Great Western Quarter (GWQ), Brentford, London, with innovative LiteFlo®. SMET supplied LiteFlo® in partnership with the sub-contractors Stanmore. This was the iconic final phase of the acclaimed Great Western Quarter in Brentford. In total, SMET supplied 14,000 m2 of SMET LiteFlo® Lightweight Flowing Floor Screed to the project which completed in 2014.
Benefits of SMET LiteFlo® Lightweight Flowing Floor Screed
- Lightweight – high yield, 43kg per m2 @ 40mm thickness
- Pumpable – first of its kind available
- 30% weight reduction compared to standard calcium sulphate screeds
- 70% weight reduction compared to traditional sand & cement
- Ideal for application in high-rise buildings, over timber suspended floors in new builds and renovations
- Smooth laitance free finish
- For application at thicknesses of between 20 and 90mm
- Under Floor Heating – full-encapsulation
- Perfectly level floors – every time
- Installed by Smet Supported Partners
- German made
- CE EN 13813: 2002
Why Choose Screed from Smet Building Products Ltd?
- Bringing European Innovation at SMET
SMET is dedicated to delivering the leading names in flooring materials direct from mainland Europe to Ireland and the UK. The company’s strength is in delivering a comprehensive range of innovative high quality calcium sulphate and cement-based self levelling floor screeds, compounds & binders, supported by exceptional customer service.
- Partner in Construction
The complete range of innovative quality flooring materials are backed up with the expertise of a technical adviser. With SMET, customers become Smet Supported Partners. SMET continue to delight their Supported Partners by being site-focused, providing them with flooring industry specialists who will deliver exceptional customer service. The company don’t believe in ‘sell and forget’, the SMET policy is to continue to monitor the scheme to ensure a first class finish.
- Innovation in Partnerships
As true innovators, SMET became the first company in the UK and Ireland’s construction industry sector to partner with the NBS National BIM Library. Businesses adopting BIM will have a key advantage when contracts are being agreed, leaving non-adopters suffering. The UK government has endorsed BIM, whereby all new government-sponsored construction projects must use BIM from 2016. This will ensure SMET remains at the forefront of innovation, streamlining and efficiency improvements in the construction industry. Further, SMET demonstrates a commitment to excellence by ensuring all flooring products have NBS specifications alongside the new BIM objects and are CE marked.
- A Guarantee for Quality
SMET recognise that, as a supplier of superior quality building products and services, they must ensure operations are carried out to the highest of standards. In order to achieve this, SMET operate BSI registered EN: ISO 9001:2008 quality and ISO 14001: 2004 management systems which defines working procedures and processes. Similarly, Smet Supported Partners can rest assured that quality is our priority with all flooring materials (where required) are CE marked and comply with EN 13813:2002 and EN 13454:2004.
‘We pride ourselves on continually delighting our Smet Supported Partners with innovative products and systems, backed up by exceptional customer service’, Joris Smet, Director of Smet Building Products Ltd
For Further Information – Contact
Smet Building Products Ltd
93A Belfast Road
Newry
Co Down
Northern Ireland
BT34 1QH
T: +44 (0) 28 3026 6833
F: +44 (0) 28 3026 7619
E: info@smetbuildingproducts.com | W: www.smetbuildingproducts.com or www.smet.ie