With the modern home full of risks especially with regard to fire, concrete floors upstairs providea barrier to fire unlike traditional floors. This makes concrete flooring an essential consideration for every house owner.
Sound & Insulation
The benefits of concrete for reducing sound transfer have been realised and used in Irish house construction for years. The use of concrete floor slabs between levels has proven to cut noise transfer by over 50%. Using concrete floors instead of timber also eliminates creaking floor joists.
Fast Construction
A standard size house can usually be covered with SpanWright flooring slabs in less than half a day. Floors can be grouted the same day and ready for use as a working platform the following day. This quick turn around enables greater turnover than with the traditional timber joist system at first floor level or fill and pour at ground floor level.
Safe Working Platform Provided
A grouted SpanWright floor provides a safe working platform for following trades which simplifies health and safety management. The time and material required for scaffolding will be reduced.
Minimal Waiting Time - Available ex-stock
SpanWright slabs are available ex-stock giving a faster response time. Lengths are available in 50mm increments from 1.0m to 6.5m. Approximately 20,000 square metres of SpanWright concrete flooring are held in stock at all times.
User Friendly - No Camber
The design of SpanWright floors (reinforced concrete rather than prestressed) means that they are level both above and below, hence greatly reducing the cost involved in finishing both ceilings and floors. In most domestic spans, a SpanWright slab can carry the required load without the need for a structural screed. This gives the home builder a greater variety of options when choosing the finished floor surface.
Unlike the smooth underside of traditional prestressed flooring, the underside of SpanWright flooring is textured allowing plaster to be directly applied to the surface. Slabs can generally be finished with one coat of bonding followed by a skim finish. The facility to plaster direct eliminates the need for plasterboard and battens, proving to be cost effective when compared to traditional methods.
Easy Installation
SpanWright flooring slabs are narrower and therefore lighter than most other concrete flooring products. This enables the majority of SpanWright slabs, supplied to both ground and first floor level, to be placed by our lorry mounted cranes.
Secure System - Grout Keys
SpanWright flooring units have a special shear key that enhances load transfer between units. This special grooved system, once filled with the appropriate concrete mix, enables the floor to act as one panel. As well as being a major influence in the reduction of cracks in ceilings, the grout key also provides a facility for easy fixing of suspended ceilings. The v-shaped key allows a moulded batten to be secured between adjacent slabs. This batten can then be used to carry counter battens below.
Underfloor Heating Made Easier
Concrete floors such as those manufactured by SpanWright are the preferable option when using an underfloor heating system. Underfloor heating manufacturers recommend that placing the heating pipes within a concrete screed offers “the highest thermal capacity” as against timber alternatives.
