Anhydrite grades for Cambridge apartment floors
On the drawings for a Cambridge block, the screed appears as a code from the European screed materials standard. CA marks a calcium sulphate binder; the number after C is compressive strength and the number after F is flexural strength, both in N/mm2. You will usually meet one of three. Light domestic floors take CA-C20-F4. Houses, flats and offices mostly take CA-C25-F5. Areas with heavier use take CA-C30-F6.
The engineer chooses the grade for a block of flats, and we pour exactly what was chosen. Where a quicker dry or a slimmer floor is needed, a few specifications swap in an alpha hemihydrate product; its own data sheet then fixes how thin it can go and how long it takes to dry, and that sheet is what we work to.
Flats are where this material earns its keep. Calcium sulphate shrinks very little as it sets, so large areas can be poured as single bays with few joints. That keeps the floor flat across an open-plan flat and reduces the risk of cracks showing through tiles. We still set joints at thresholds and where heating zones meet, and settle the layout of the bays with you before pouring.
Our own team prepares the full build-up, from insulation and membrane to edge strip, and we cover the whole city, including Newnham, High Cross and Trumpington. More detail on the binder is in our anhydrite screed guide.
Sanding and testing Cambridge calcium sulphate floors
A dry looking anhydrite floor in a new Cambridge flat may still be some way from ready. Curing brings a soft, thin crust called laitance to the top, which we sand away before priming with a product that works on calcium sulphate. Leave out the sanding or the primer and tiles or LVT can come loose further down the line.
Moisture testing needs care. Flooring makers often hold calcium sulphate to a stricter dryness figure than cement screed, so a reading acceptable on sand and cement may not pass on this floor. We test with a hygrometer, take readings in more than one part of a large floor, and hand over the drying and laitance advice in writing. If underfloor heating is in, force drying can normally begin at around 7 days.
Water is the one thing this material cannot live with. For a shower room, or a utility where a leak is possible, use a cement based flowing screed or hand-laid sand and cement shaped to fall to the drain. For large pours, see our screed pumping service.
Anhydrite & Flow Screed prices in Cambridge
Liquid flowing screed (which includes anhydrite): £24 to £31 per m² supplied and laid (MyJobQuote, August 2026), so £960 to £1,240 for 40 m². MyJobQuote does not say whether these figures include VAT. See our floor screeding cost guide or screed calculator.
Who lays your anhydrite and flow screed in Cambridge
K & B Screeding’s own team, led by director Donatas Bardisevicius. Founded 2019, company 12298780.
See what customers say in our Google reviews and on our testimonials page.
Anhydrite & Flow Screed from Slough to Cambridge
Cambridge is about 56.9 miles north-east of our Slough base as the crow flies, with postcodes including CB2, CB4, CB1 and CB3. The nearest towns to it are St Ives (11.6 miles), Royston (12.4 miles), Newmarket (12.4 miles) and Soham (12.8 miles).
More on anhydrite screed, part of our screeding services.