An Brand

ULTRA TILE raises a burning question.

ANHYDRITE: product innovation or the
next tile industry swear word?
Anhydrite (calcium sulphate) /
gypsum based screeds are here
in the UK. Following years of
exponential growth throughout the
rest of Europe, this alternative to
standard sand/cement screeds is
now growing in popularity across

...UK screed giants

LAFARGE to grill them
on this hot topic...

the UK much to the dismay,

it would seem, of numerous tile
xers and contractors. Some see
anhydrite as an instant problem
when beginning any oor tiling
project, acting with uncertainty over
surface preparation techniques.
Working over an anhydrite or
gypsum based screed does NOT
have to be a problem. The ULTRA
TILE team, always a pro-active
force in education within the UK
tiling industry, decided to meet
with UK screed giants LAFARGE
to grill them on this hot topic, and
ask them to provide the answers.
ULTRA TILE produce high
performance tile adhesives, grouts
and ancillaries based around the better to get on board with this than
30+ years manufacturing expertise LAFARGE, the UK market leader in
of its parent, INSTARMAC Group the production of anhydrite screeds.
plc. Frequently award-nominated
and ever the industry innovators, Paul Luff, ULTRA TILE Brand
they are very keen to put peoples Manager, met with Technical
minds at ease over the anhydrite and Specication Managers:
issue. They could think of no-one Alan Jackson, John Fry,
Jonathan Plews and Commercial
Manager, Paul Pepper to ask:
With the variety of
screeds available
whats the rst
wha
thing you would
recommend to do
before commencing
a tiling project?
 An
Todays market is somewhat
different to that of a few years
...ask what type of
screed...
ago because there are now
several types of screeds available
for contractors to choose from.
Therefore, we advise that you
should always ask what type of
screed has been used before
beginning any tiling project. This
may seem very simple but its vitally
important to receive complete
conrmation as it is essential
that you know what substrate
you are going to be working
on so the appropriate surface
preparation steps can be taken.
What is anhydrite
and how do you
recognise it?
LAFARGEs increasingly popular
product, Gyvlon, is a owing
calcium sulphate based screed,
Brand
designed to provide a smooth
level surface in both commercial
and domestic applications, prior
to the application of oor nishes.
As it is not always possible
to visually recognise calcium
sulphate screeds from their colour
or appearance, the most precise
way to identify which type of screed
has been used on a contract, is to
simply ask the main contractor,
supplier or the oor layer.
What if its an
old screed or
refurbishment?
Due to the low shrinkage of
calcium sulphate screeds during
curing, compared to that of cement
based screeds, they can be laid
in much larger areas without
expansion joints. It may therefore
be possible to identify the type
of screed by assessing the size
of the bays (expansion joints).
In fact anhydrite is commonly
used in constructions that are
smaller than 40m without the use
of bays. However, the lack of bays
alone is not enough clarication
that an anhydrite screed has
been used, so as previously
mentioned, ask the question
to gain complete conrmation.
What is the correct
way to prepare
and tile onto an
anhydrite surface?
Whether the screed material
can or cannot be identied, its
standard procedure to follow
the essential steps to perfect
surface preparation, therefore
avoiding repercussions.
The essential steps are:
1) Ensure the screed has been
conrmed dry via consistent
moisture readings observed across
the whole surface and not just in
one location. Anhydrite screeds
must have a moisture reading
of less than 75% RH before
any work should commence.
It is fair to say that anhydrite and
...anhydrite screeds
will dry quicker than
sand/cement based
screeds...
sand/cement based screeds have
a similar drying rate. Equally
it can be stated that anhydrite
screeds will dry quicker than sand/
 An
cement based screeds but only if
applied correctly - using a reduced
thickness. Anhydrite screeds
can be applied a lot thinner than
sand/cement based screeds and
so consequently will dry quicker.
For example, a 75mm deep sand/
cement based screed will take 75
days to dry but a thickness of only
40mm is required when using an
anhydrite screed, therefore only
40 days drying time is required
(these drying times are intended
as a guide only and assume
good drying conditions. No
screed will dry until it stops being
wetted so beware, for example,
of other trades using water).
It is vitally important to
remember that an anhydrite
screed has to be completely dry
before any tiling commences.
2) Ensure that the surface of
the screed is free from laitance
or surface skins and then prior
to continuing, the surface
should be sound and dust free.
The removal of loose material such
as laitance or dust is normally a
Brand
straight forward procedure. This
leaves the question of abrasion
or sanding the surface. Some
producers of calcium sulphate
screeds have mix designs such
that no laitance is evident, however
the manufacturers of some
adhesives (tiles or vinyl) insist that
abrasion or sanding takes place in
order to provide a key to bond to.
ULTRA TILE recommends that
abrasion is an essential procedure
prior to tiling onto a calcium
sulphate or sand/cement screed.
Please also be aware that if under
oor heating is present, LAFARGE
would always recommend that
it is commissioned prior to the
xing of any oor coverings.
Can you tile onto
anhydrite screeds?
Once the screed has been
prepared as indicated, in order to
x tiles, the surface must rstly be
primed with a calcium sulphate
screed compatible primer.
LAFARGE recommends that you
seek the advice of a tile adhesive
manufacturer. INSTARMAC state
that an acrylic based primer
such as, ULTRA FLOOR Prime
IT AR is most appropriate. Such
primers also act as a separating
barrier between the calcium
sulphate and ordinary portland
cement based tile adhesive.
Calcium sulphate screeds
have been used extensively in
...the surface must
rstly be primed...
Europe for a longer period than
in the UK. Typically, of the oor
screeds installed in the French
market, approximately 50% are
Gyvlon screeds, of which around
80% received tiles as the oor
nish. This equates to around
2.7million m
m of tiles tted to
calcium sulphate screeds in 2008.
In the UK, the market penetration
of calcium sulphate screeds
currently stands at 15-20% and is
...to not see anhydrite
as a problem...
growing, with some big names in
construction realising the benets
of such ooring systems. These
big home names include Urban
Splash, Bellway Homes, Laing
Homes, Barratt Homes and ECO
Homes who are all already seeing
scores of new build projects
through with LAFARGEs Gyvlon.
 An Brand

Would it be wrong
to assume that
anhydrite is going
to become preferred
over sand/cement
screeds?

The best advice both ULTRA TILE

and LAFARGE can give is to not see
anhydrite as a problem. Following
the simple steps to perfect surface
preparation will ensure a smooth
running project and, lets be honest,
on most screeds you would use
a suitable primer wouldnt you?

The cost effectiveness of these

screeds means that every tiler
or contractor is going to come
across anhydrite very soon, if not
already. The larger names are
using them with ease, so why
not consider them as an open
gate for more potential work?

For further information on tiling over anhydrite screeds, or indeed any tiling installation, please contact the
ULTRA TILE team on +44(0)1827 871871 or visit www.ultratileadhesives.co.uk where technical datasheets
can be downloaded free of charge with no registration or log-in. Please also call LAFARGE GYVLON on
+44(0)1925 428780 or visit www.gyvlon.co.uk to see that anhydrite is certainly not as scary as it currently seems.