Screed drying time - and pets!

[zaarin_2003]

Hi,

My extension floor is currently having screed put down over 150mm Celotex insulation. I don't know the thickness, but it would be a few cm of screed I'd say.

We have a cat - he has already tried to get over the wet screed whilst it was in progress. I understand that screed dries about a mm a day. How long would you say it would be before something about 3kg would be ok to walk across?

Thanks!

 

Matt

[jayc89]

What type of screed? Generally it's "dry" to walk over within a couple of days. It's the curing which takes time. 

 

We had Cemfloor screed which we could walk on the following day. 

[MJNewton]

Yeah, I bet even after only a few hours it'd be fine for a cat to walk carefully on. If sand and cement it is pretty dense and tampered down. 

 

Of course, cats being cats, they'll chase a mouse around on it, dig holes etc, so I'd keep it away for a day just to be sure. 

[Conor]

I'd say 6 hours or less if a heated house. Foot traffic 24hrs, working on another 2 days. I'd still put sheets down for ladders, scaffolds etc for a full week after.

[Canski]

No point in worrying about the one cat. All cats are attracted to newly laid concrete / screed. One of them will get it.

 

A couple of years ago I had just finished raising a wall to convert french doors into a window. Mixer washed out and loaded into the van and tools cleaned and loaded when the customer returned and their Dalmatian charged up the stairs and tried to jump through the new opening. The clumsy bugger knocked the wall down and everything had to come back out.