Gypsol® Diamond Set to
revolutionise the polished
floor market
When Anhydrite screeds were first
introduced they were offered as a simple
levelling screed to take a subsequent floor
covering as they were not considered a
wearing surface. Gypsol® Diamond screed,
from Francis Flower, is set to completely
revolutionise this position by offering the
UK’s only anhydrite screed that can be
polished and used as a wearing surface
without the need for subsequent floor
coverings. The Gypsol® Team have been
working with Coleshill based national
contractor Midland Flooring Ltd who have
developed a finishing technique that
hardens, densifies and subsequently
polishes the screed surface to a silk or semigloss finish using their exclusive Micro Polish
system.
Spokesman and Director for Midland
Flooring Ltd, Steve Sale, said “We have for
some time been offering polished traditional
concretes but have recognised the
demand for more functional, responsive
and thin toppings. We approached the
Gypsol® team because of their wealth of
experience, technical expertise and the
dynamic approach they take to
innovation. They responded quickly by
designing and supplying research
materials which led to the development
of Gypsol ® Diamond which works
(Continued on page 2)
(Continued from page 1)
perfectly with our Micro Polish system. We believe that the
versatility and beauty of the Micro Polish system using
Gypsol® Diamond screed will be embraced and specified
very quickly by designers, main contractors and clients
alike”.
In the pursuit
of
continuing the quality of
it’s products Francis
Flower have made a
further investments of
£500,000 at it’s Runcorn
plant.
3 new silos have
increased the capacity of
the storage capabilities
by 450 tonnes and this
now gives Runcorn a
total of 10,000 tonnes
storage capacity.
Offering a highly durable floor with good abrasion
resistance to AR1 and a mean thermal conductivity of 2.3w/
mK (maximum 2.5w/m2K) Gypsol® Diamond is also perfect
for underfloor heating. No floor coverings are required
which means that no extraneous interfaces are present
which can impede the flow of heat. Gypsol® Diamond is,
therefore, the most responsive and thermally efficient
screed system in the market.
Specification and Technical Manager for Gypsol®, Alan
Jackson, said “The Gypsol® team remain at the forefront of
the anhydrite screed technologies and are constantly
looking for new and innovative ways in which to use our
screeds. The development of Gypsol® Diamond represents
yet another indication to why we are the binder supplier of
choice for the UK anhydrite screed market.”
2 new mills added to the
existing 4 mills has
increased
the
manufacturing capacity
by 50,000 tonnes.
This
continued
investment gives it’s
customers the confidence
that Francis Flower is the
company to grow their
business with over the
coming years.
2
Air
We as a company have
specialised
in
traditional
screeds for thirty years and
were
approached
Aggregate
diversify
by
Industries
towards
to
liquid
screeds. After making the
Aircraft Hanger Eaglescott Airfield
investment by purchasing a
new pump and getting our
first liquid contract, Ian
Mitchell from Gypsol® and
Sean Baker from Aggregate
The biggest issue that has always been
associated with sand and cement screeds
is the long drying period that stands as a
major hurdle in the early completion of
flooring. For any kind of flooring, the
final floor finish (vinyl, tiles, wood
paneling, carpets etc.) cannot be laid to
perfection, unless the screed on which it
is laid has dried.
According to British Standards, it takes
nearly four months (110 days) for a
standard 75mm screed to dry to an
acceptable level for taking up the final
floor finish, provided a relative humidity
of 60% and a controlled temperature of
200 C.
This extended drying time can be greatly
reduced by choosing the correct depth of
an Anhydrate flowing screed, typically 40
-50mm
Gypsol® based screeds offer this
opportunity by adjusting the depth of
insulation; a Gypsol® based screed at
40mm will at the same environmental
conditions of 60%RH and 20 0 C dry at
1mm per day up to 40mm and therefore
will be dry ready for floor covering in 40
days.
Once this stipulated waiting period is
over it is the responsibility of the floor
finishing contractor to ensure that an
accurate moisture assessment is done
before going on to lay the final floor
finish. This is because a flaw in the
assessment can lead to hasty decisions
like the installation of expensive DPM
where possible, or even end up in
premature installation of final floor
covering which can affect the quality of
the entire flooring that has been
installed.
Several methods are currently being
practiced for assessing the moisture
content in screeds.
Air Hygrometer Test: This is the
method recommended by the British
S t a n da r d s.
This
i nv o l v e s
t he
measurement of the moisture released
by the screed into a sealed area over a
time span of 72 hours (this is to reach
equilibrium with concrete substrate). An
accurately calibrated hygrometer is
placed on the screeded floor and sealed
for the prescribed time. The reading
obtained shows the humidity in the
sealed area, from which the moisture
content is calculated.
Although other methods of testing are
now available the British Standard for
flooring contractors BS 8203 states the
use of Hygrometers.
3
Industries supervised our
first pour. We have been
placing
Highflow
screeds
now for eighteen months
doing a variety of contracts
from self builds to blocks of
flats
and
Aircraft
recently
an
Hangar.
The
product is very good and
the Technical back up is
exceptional
especially
in
the South West where if a
problem arises it is dealt
with quickly and efficiently,
impera tive
for
busy
contractors. We intend to
continue
our
working
relationship with Gypsol®
and thank you for your
support
Nigel Anderson
NMA Flooring Ltd
Christmas Farm
High Bickerton
Umberleigh
EX37 9BN
Project
Centre Parcs, Woburn
Forest, Bedfordshire
Client
Centre Parcs
Main contractor
ISG
Screed
subcontractor
Mec-Serv
Concrete
subcontractor
Aggregate Industries
Material and
quantity
supplied
Highflow, 2,500 cu m
Overall project
value
£250m
The Project
The £250m construction of Centre Parcs’ fifth UK resort posed
a major logistical challenge. The project essentially involved
building a small town from scratch in the middle of prime
green belt land – Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire.
Construction of the resort was split into three main packages:
design and build for the main leisure and retail complex was
won by Bowmer & Kirkland; infrastructure was won by Birse
Civils; and accommodation was won by ISG.
Included in the £61m accommodation contract was the construction of 625 woodland
lodges in a mix of two, three and four-bedroom layouts, built using offsite
manufactured timber frames, structural insulated timber panels and tiled roofs. Each
lodge also had a concrete floor.
Birse Civils was the first firm on site in May 2012, building the network of roads, paths,
drains and lighting needed for both the construction phase and after, as well as
levelling earth and carving out the giant lake at the centre of the development.
In November, ISG began construction of the lodges, with Aggregate Industries
providing and pouring
Providing value
The screed subcontractor was Mec-Serv and Aggregate Industries was able to use a pre
-existing relationship with the firm to secure the screed contract for Centre Parcs.
“We had targeted this as a job we wanted to win for some time,” explains Aggregate
Industries regional specification manager Ian Farrar, who oversaw the concrete works
on the lodges at Centre Parcs.
“We had a good relationship with Mec-Serv and we had the capacity required to
complete the job.”
Early on in the process, a change in materials was proposed by Aggregate Industries.
The team originally intended to use a sand-cement screed for the floors, but the switch
was made to a thinner-flowing screed.
“Sand-cement is very labour-intensive,” Mr Farrar explains. “The flowing screed is more
efficient and is four to five times quicker to install.”
The new material was also far more cost-effective, with Mr Farrar estimating that it
saved £4 to £5 per sq. m of floor – no mean feat considering that more than 2,500 cu
m of concrete was supplied to cover 52,000 sq. m of floor.
4
Tricky transport
Aggregate Industries time on site lasted nine months, a reasonably tight programme
for the installation of 625 lodge floors. “The change to the flowing screed over the sand
-cement helped us to complete on time,” Mr Farrar says.
The entire screed was poured on site, with three or four pours taking place each week.
The number of pours meant the team’s biggest challenge was maintaining a sufficient
level of supply. During the last six weeks of the project, in particular, screed was
required almost every day.
“We had a local plant in Milton Keynes, just nine miles away, that allowed to us meet
the demands of the contract,” Mr Farrar says.
The logistics were tricky. Not only was the site large, with a total area of 350 acres, but
most of the roads used for construction were single carriageway.
“This obviously made it tricky when moving vehicles around, so we had to plan
everything carefully,” Mr Farrar says.
Every Aggregate Industries vehicle was fitted with a tracking device to closely monitor
where they were at all times. A single vehicle discharge took 30 minutes, with 20 to 25
minutes travel time from the local plant to the site. Each lorry carried 5 cu m of screed.
Access to the lodges would also change on an almost daily basis, meaning drivers
would be pulled across the site at short notice.
“Keeping up with that level of demand was tough, but the tracking allowed us to know
which vehicles had discharged when and maximise the level of supply,” Mr Farrar says.
“It was quite a big demand on our haulage, it took 60 per cent of our capacity in the
area to keep up with the demand at its peak."
Early finish
The contract for the lodge flooring was completed one week ahead of schedule, despite
early delays that were no fault of Aggregate Industries.
“Aggregate
Industries’
Anhydrite
Screed contract
for Centre Parcs’
new Woburn
Forest resort
was the
company’s
largest-ever
Highflow liquid
“We actually lost three to four weeks at the start due to some other issues, so we were
able to claw back that time and finish even further ahead,” Mr Farrar explains.
screed project
The teamwork on the project was highlighted by both Met-Serv and Aggregate
Industries.
and required
“Considering the size alone, along with the constantly changing site conditions and road
closures, the Milton Keynes plant never missed a beat,” says Met-Serv commercial
manager Warren Radford.
Aggregate Industries Milton Keynes plant supervisor Nicholas Benning echoes this,
saying the drivers in particular “contributed to the success of the project” despite lodge
access changes “almost daily”.
The project was the largest-ever Highflow liquid screed project for Aggregate
Industries, for a high-profile client on a huge development.
“We were able to keep up consistently with the required demand, while the change in
product and some good planning allowed us not only to keep up, but get ahead,” Mr
Farrar says.
5
careful planning
to maximise
capacity from
the firm’s local
plant.”
Reduce your carbon footprint and
improve H&S issues with CES
Liquid Screed in conjunction
®
with Gypsol
CES Liquid Screed, available from CES Quarry Products Ltd, is a
high quality, free flowing, self compacting floor screed which
offers huge benefits to all aspects of a construction project
including screed installers, builders, underfloor heating
designers, main contractors and clients alike. The company’s
aim is to make it easy for specifiers to select CES Liquid Screed
as their flooring screed of choice.
The benefits of using CES Liquid Screed in conjunction with
Gypsol®’s binder include:
Sustainable excellence because the environment matters.
Low manufacturing carbon footprint.
Low embodied energy.
Low operating energy.
Low lifetime impact.
Low temperature under floor heating.
Low Toxicity.
Low Health and Safety impact.
The only locally manufactured and supplied calcium sulphate
based binder.
Gypsol® binder does not contain Portland cement as Portland
cement contains Chromium 8. This is well documented and
linked to both chronic and acute health issues for those exposed
to it. The use of Gypsol® binder avoids these issues entirely.
Hand applied sand cement screeds are well known and
documented for their negative effects on the health and safety
of installers, particularly in respect of chronic musculo-skeletal
problems. The installation of CES Liquid Screed which is supplied
ready to use, avoiding most of the manual labour associated
with site mixed sand cement screed. Installation of CES Liquid
Screed is carried out using specialist pumping equipment and
does not require the installer to be on his hands and knees, and
as Gypsol® is fully self compacting, the effect on the musculoskeletal system on installers is significantly reduced.
Gypsol® binder is manufactured from a by-product of the
chemical industry. This material would previously have found its
way into landfill. As it breaks down anaerobically over time, this
can lead to the production of hydrogen sulphide gas which, if
released into the atmosphere, could be a risk to aquatic and
marine environments. Gypsol® removes this material completely
from the landfill cycle thus eliminating this issue completely.
6
Indeed, for every one tonne of Gypsol ® binder used, 0.98 tonnes of landfill is
avoided and for every four tonnes of gypsum waste removed from the landfill cycle,
one tonne of hydrogen sulphide gas is avoided. The carbon footprint for CES Liquid
Screed compared to typical 1:4 sand cement screed is very impressive. The
calculated ex-works Carbon Footprint for Gypsol® anhydrite binder processing
operations is no more than 15.44kg of CO2 per tonne of product output compared
with 900kg of CO2 per tonne of product produced for typical sand cement screed. It
can be seen from these figures that using CES Liquid Screed can offer a reduction of
around 95% in terms of the CO2 emissions associated with the screed itself. Add to
this the reductions in landfill, the improvements in the thermal performance, with or
without under floor heating, and it can be easily seen that CES Liquid Screeds are
the perfect choice for any environmentally responsible construction project helping
to achieve their BREEAM rating.
This project consisted of a 26
Storey block of Apartments
which all required a resilient
acoustic membrane and screed
which had to achieved a
minimum of 80kg/m2.
The in-situ slab was cleaned
prior to the installation of the
resilient acoustic membrane,
underfloor heating and 50mm
screed. The screed used was
Gypsol based and was installed
by PCS Stanmore and was fully
sanded prior to the installation
of loose lay carpets, tiles and
vinyl floor coverings.
The materials were chosen for
use on this project for the
speed of installation and
reduction in drying times along
with a reduction in site set up
and storage due to a single
pump locality on the ground
floor.
7
GYPSCREED
A
self
compacting
free
flowing floor screed
Hopeflow Gypscreed™
Product description
has been designed by Hope Construction
Materials, the largest independent supplier to the UK construction industry.
HOPEFlow Gypscreed™ is a
combination of high quality
binder, specially selected
Our
product
development
strategy
is
customer-centric
and
we
have
sands, water and special
comprehensive industry knowledge and technical know-how to ensure that the
additives where required.
resulting solutions are as unique as our customers.
Designed
to
meet
the
requirements
BSEN13813,
smooth,
it
of
offers
flat
and
a
level
The
Hopeflow™
range of products can be formulated to suit all customer
applications. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
surface for use in the vast
m a j o r it y
of
interior
applications
where
a
subsequent floor covering
will be used.
Uses
Bonded or un-bonded
construction
Timber frame
Concrete
and
steel
frame
Incorporation
of
electric or wet under
floor heating systems
Benefits
Enhanced drying rate
Cost effective compared to
traditional screed
No vibration or compacting
needed
No curing required
High recycled content and
low embedded CO2
Happy Customer
A 24m3+ Hopeflow Gypscreed™ pour from one our latest plants to be converted over
to Gypscreed™ - Greenhithe for a £1.5 million new build project.
Ashley from Express Liquid screeding was extremely pleased with the product and service received from Hope and is continuing to book on regularly.
Gypscreed™ was used due to its high thermal values with the underfloor heating and
quickness of application.
Contact information
Visit www.hopeconstructionmaterials.com to find
out more
If you have any questions you can email
[email protected]
8
The Gypsol® team are on the road again in the coming months at various shows.
Grand Designs at NEC Birmingham October 9th, 10th 11th and 12th
Homebuilder and Renovation Show Harrogate November 7th, 8th and 9th
Homebuilder and Renovation Show Bath November 22nd and 23rd
Grand Designs, we hope to follow up a very successful show last year. Not only did we have an
opportunity to speak to and help many people who came on the stand, we also went on to help
many of those people to go on and achieve the homes they dreamt of.
The importance of choosing the correct screed, particularly when you are planning UFH is often
overlooked and regretted later.
The modern self builder wants to have the best that their money will buy, and expects their
choices to be long lasting and value for money. Gypsol® Anhydrite screeds can be used in most
types of build and should lead to long term cost savings both in running coasts as well as
environmental.
Gypsol® was also awarded the Best Selected Exhibitor Award at Grand Designs 2013
The Homebuilder show at Harrogate was such a success we are attending again this year. We
at Gypsol® also attended the show at Sandown Racecourse and yet again this was a great
success. It was therefore a vey easy decision to make the Show at Bath this year an addition to
our commitment to covering as many shows as possible.
The Gypsol® Team look forward to seeing and speaking to as many people at these show as
possible.
9
Solida system makes a Solid Landing in South Yorkshire
The Gypsol® Solida system has been used as the floor zone in a hamlet of eight unique ultra-modern houses situated in
one of Sheffield’s finest residential districts. The developer designed the houses to have Underfloor Heating as the
main heat source on all floors, and wanted to offer the most thermally efficient screed system along with squeak free
solid floors for no additional cost to the home owners. In order to achieve this the houses were designed with a
220mm metal web engineered joist at 400mm centres, a 18mm OSB board, 25mm Kingspan, polythene slip membrane
and 50mm flowing Gypsol® screed. The houses which are almost all sold have a price range from £750,000 to
£900,000.
The builder who is well established within Sheffield building around 40 units per year, was very pleased with the overall
quality of the floors and said that now they had converted to the Solida system they would use it wherever and whenever possible.
Minimum 50mm of GYP SOL screed (minimum 25mm cover to heating elements
Minimum 500 gauge polythene Damp
Proof Membrane underneath
Underfloor Heating Pipes
75mm of Minimum Kingspan TF70
Depth and Grade to be specified
according to requirement
In- situ concrete or other
suitable sub base as specified
Minimum 1200gauge polythene damp
proof membrane
10
York University
passes out
Calcium sulphate based flowing screeds are based on binders that harden to form
gypsum, which is calcium sulphate dihydrate. Whatever the initial type of calcium
sulphate, the end result, that is the binder or “cement” producing the strength, is
always the same, it is always the dihydrate. In other words, whether the initial binder
is anhydrite or hemihydrate, the finished floor screed is always the same dihydrate.
As discussed above, the initial binder may be one of two types. Generally it is
anhydrite, which is produced as a secondary product in many plants throughout the
world that produce important chemical materials, intermediaries in the production of
medical gasses, refrigerants and many important plastics. Some of these materials are
essentials to modern living, particularly the medical gasses, and it is indeed fortunate
that the secondary product of their manufacture, anhydrite, is such a good cementing
material, as this means that their production is truly green, with no unwanted byproducts going to waste.
A second, much rarer type of calcium sulphate is produced in reasonably large
amounts in only two plants in Europe, with the largest, in the industrial Ruhr in
Germany, having by far the largest output. This plant is attached to an old coal fired
power plant, of the type that is being phased out due to environmental and carbon
dioxide emission issues. In order to reduce the sulphate fumes that are a by-product
of burning most coals, a chemical plant may be incorporated into coal fired power
plants.
This equipment, known as a flue gas de-sulfurization plant, extracts the sulphur
dioxide from the “dirty” flue gasses and the by-product is a form of calcium sulphate.
This may then be processed by mixing, then autoclaving in a high pressure vessel,
then crushing to form calcium sulphate hemihydrate.
The whole of this process is energy intensive; the limestone first has to be quarried
and transported to a processing plant, it may then be heated in a kiln to form calcium
oxide, slaked to form calcium hydroxide, transported to the power plant and fed into
the de-sulfurization process. (Some plants may omit one of these steps, the
intermediate production of calcium hydroxide, and just use quarried limestone, but
this is not as reactive).
It is unclear for how much longer European and other legislation will permit the
production of energy by burning coal and producing large amounts of carbon dioxide;
it is also unclear how long some of the old coal fired plants in the Ruhr valley will
continue in production. The hemihydrate plant itself has been in production for over
two decades and the remaining life is also unknown.
GMI are about to hand over
the second phase of York
University’s student campus
scheme which saw around
250m 3 of Gypsol flowing
screed used.
The screed
which was supplied from the
Wetherby Plant of Hope
Construction Materials over a 3
month period and was installed
by Mec-Serv.
The screed was installed in
both timber frame houses and
cluster flats, was installed on
top of the Metsawood
Soundbar board as an acoustic
screeded floor solution. When
the system was PreCompletion Tested, the results
were seen to surpass the
impact sound requirements by
14dB and the airborne sound
requirements by 7dB. These
results were found to be an
overall improvement on those
seen in Phase 1 where a
competitor’s material was
used.
TimBRE
11
Paul Pepper
Mobile:
07581 151 045
Email:
[email protected]
Daniel Gordon
Daniel Gordon
Scotland & North
East England
Mobile:
07889 810 046
Paul Pepper
Managing Director
email:
[email protected]
David Lamb
Mobile:
07817 525 987
email:
David Lamb
Ireland, North & North
West England
[email protected]
Alan Jackson
Eastern Central
Area
Alan Jackson
Mobile:
07966 651 006
email:
[email protected]
John Fry
Mobile:
Ian Mitchell
Western Central Area,
Wales and South West
John Fry
South East
075880 035 043
email:
[email protected]
Ian Mitchell
Mobile:
07971 868 608
email:
68
“The team between them have over
years of experience in Anhydrite screeds”
[email protected]
12
Daniel
has
worked
with
architects,
local
Since joining the company
authorities, and main and sub- contractors in the
refreshed from his recent
construction industry for almost 25 years.
holiday
his
feet
have
hardly touched the ground.
He has made a point of
Principally with Rockwool insulation for the first
getting
decade, he was involved in helping specifiers
select new and bespoke systems and roofing solutions for acoustic, thermal and fire
around
Scotland
and the North East of
England
meeting
his
insulation. Since 2000, he has worked for a couple of Scandinavian manufacturers of
customers , Architects and
aluminium/timber window, doors and cladding systems; again introducing and taking
Screeders impressing them
these desirable products to market through a process of presentation and
specification assistance with architects and their clients in Scotland. He managed a
with
his
enthusiasm,
knowledge and not least
his fashion sense.
small Central Scotland supplier, designer and installer of these systems in
partnership with the manufacturers therefore understands and values close
relationships and contract management with the chain of designers and the
Daniel’s
hard
is
already paying off with
numerous
contractors involved in delivering successful projects.
work
specifications
already totalling in excess
of 20,000 square metres of
He has recently joined Francis Flower to continue the development of the Gypsol ®
business.
business in Scotland and North East England and is excited about the prospect of
developing and growing the close ties with our customers and offering the
Daniel is confident that as
he relaxes more into the
construction market; specifiers and contractors alike, the technical and commercial
role this is just the tip of
benefits of the Gypsol® brand’s superior benefits in the flowing screed market
the Iceberg.
A father of two, he enjoys free time with the family and also has been involved with
administration and coaching of children’s and youth football in the Central Scotland
area with Forth Valley Football Development League.
He has recently acquired a garden allotment so the “Good Life” beckons at
weekends!
13
Gypsol® flowing floor screeds are becoming increasingly popular in all types of
construction project from traditional to modular, from timber frame to masonry and
from large to small. Gypsol® screeds are available in different formats making them
ideal for almost every scenario and in every configuration including bonded, floating,
unbonded, heated, acoustic and even in hybrid systems such as timber frame
apartments or light weight steel frame with underfloor heating.
This is due to their versatility and because of the huge benefit that can be obtained
from using the material. In order to maximise these benefits it is important to know a
little about Gypsol® screed and with that in mind we have developed a CPD presentation
which you and your team may benefit from receiving.
The presentation looks at the following aspects
1. Francis Flower – The Company
2. Floor Screed Binders in general
3. Why Specify Gypsol®
4. Steps to success
5. Building regulations
6. Underfloor heating
7. The Environment
If you would like to book an appointment for us to come and deliver this presentation
which takes approximately 1 hour to complete including 15 minutes for questions please
feel free to contact one of our technical team by e-mail or by telephone. Contact details
can be found on page 6.
Come and see the Gypsol®
team at the Grand Designs
Show. Stand B66
At the NEC Birmingham
on
9th, 10th, 11th and 12th
October
Homebuilder
and
Renovation Shows.
At Harrogate
On 7th, 8th and 9th
November.
At Bath
O n 2 2 nd
a nd
23 r d
November.
Advertisement
For all your flow screeding requirements
and
Stockists of Sureflo bagged Gypsol®
Francis Flower (Northern) Ltd
Percival Lane
Runcorn
Cheshire
WA7 4UY
www.gypsol.co.uk
14