Engineered and solid wood
When Can You Lay Wood Flooring on a Liquid Screed?
Wood is the finish least forgiving of a damp floor. Here is how to tell the difference between a screed you can walk on and one you can lay timber on.
Wood going down on your new floor?
Name, phone, email — we'll reply the same working day with a fixed price.
Or call our landline on 01392 237700
The question behind a lot of calls is simple: the kitchen is booked, the oak is in the garage acclimatising, and the fitter wants to know when he can start. Wood — engineered or solid — is where impatience with screed drying costs the most, because timber takes moisture from the floor below and responds by cupping, gapping or lifting.
The key distinction is between trafficable and ready. A liquid screed can usually be walked on after 24–48 hours. That is not the same as ready for flooring. Readiness is a moisture figure set by the flooring manufacturer, confirmed by a test on the actual floor, not a number of days on a calendar.
This guide explains how we approach it on our own jobs, which screeds suit wood, and what to agree with your fitter so nobody is guessing.
Why wood is the strictest finish
Tiles bonded with the right adhesive and primer tolerate a floor that is close to its target. Carpet on underlay is forgiving. Timber is different: it is hygroscopic, so any moisture still leaving the screed moves straight into the boards. The result is the cupping and gapping covered on our timber-flooring problem pages — and by then the floor has to come up.
That is why the wood-flooring manufacturer's figure, not the screed's walk-on time, sets the date. Many manufacturers ask for a relative-humidity reading at or below around 75%, and some ask for tighter. Whatever their document says is the number to work to.
Walk-on versus lay-on, as we state it
| Stage | What it means |
|---|---|
| Trafficable | Around 24–48 hours — light foot traffic only |
| Other trades return | Protected floor, no heavy loads or standing water |
| First heat (anhydrite, UFH) | From 7 days per current Anhydritec guidance, or 21 days by default |
| Ready for wood | When a moisture test meets the flooring manufacturer's figure |
Choosing a screed with wood in mind
- Anhydrite (Gyvlon or Gypsol) is a common choice under engineered wood on foam underlay in dry residential rooms
- Anhydrite has a surface laitance that must be sanded off before bonded finishes — including glued-down wood
- Cemfloor, a cement-based liquid screed, suits programmes where the cement chemistry or wet areas matter
- Fast-drying options exist when the kitchen or flooring date cannot move
- Underfloor heating helps drying once commissioned, but the heat curve must follow the UFH designer's schedule
How to get from pour to boards without a callback
- 1
Tell us the finish at quote stage
Knowing it is wood from the start changes the screed we recommend, whether we plan a sanding visit and how we talk about the programme.
- 2
Protect and ventilate
Keep the floor covered from other trades, keep the building weather-tight and let moisture escape. A sealed, cold house dries slowly.
- 3
Commission the heating properly
Where there is UFH, run the first-heat cycle as scheduled rather than turning it up hard to rush the floor.
- 4
Test, don't guess
A calcium carbide spot test or hygrometer readings give a figure that can be checked against the flooring document and kept on file.
- 5
Prime and lay to the flooring spec
Once the figure is met, the fitter primes and lays using the system the wood manufacturer names.
What we will and will not promise
We will not give you a guaranteed day for laying wood, because drying depends on depth, weather, ventilation and heating that are outside the screed itself. What we will do is tell you honestly which screed makes the date easier, plan the sanding if it is needed, and explain how the floor should be tested so the fitter and you are working from the same number.
Frequently asked
Wood going down on your new floor?
Tell us the flooring and the date it's booked for — we'll recommend the screed and programme that gives it the best chance.