Inspection and construction of building screed: a case study

Abstract

Floor is one of the most important subsystems of a building, as it offers support and serves as a basis for carrying out activities inside the building. Many of the floor’s properties are related to support surfaces on which they are laid, and screed is the most frequently used substrate to intermediate the structural base and the final coating. Moreover, such a subsystem can suffer from pathological manifestations, caused by several factors. In this context, the aim of the present study was to identify the pathological manifestations in screed of a selected building and to evaluate its recovery based on the good execution practices and repair of this subsystem. For this, the main aspects of the screed and its potential pathological manifestations were analysed, as well as the principal procedures for a screed construction was identified. A case study was also presented in which the pathological manifestations observed on the floor of a building were treated by reconstructing the screed. Therefore, it was concluded that the screed, built according to technical recommendations and also considering the building conditions, showed a satisfactory performance to act as a basis for the final coating.