How long before laying laminate on a concrete or screed?
Concrete floors or screeds need sufficient time to dry before you can start installing your Quick-Step laminate floor on top. As a rule of thumb, you should wait one week per cm of screed(thickness) up to 4 cm. Wait twice as long for every additional cm (thickness) up to 6 cm and wait 4 weeks for every additional cm beyond 6 cm.
As the drying times are really depending on the climate conditions and the ventilation of the building, these timings are only indicative. Moisture measurements should always be taken and must follow the restrictions defined in our installation instructions. Tip: always measure, record and keep your moisture content results.
Moisture migrates from the bottom to the surface. This takes time. For new concrete floors, you should always lay a plastic foil on the concrete floor before installing the Quick-Step Laminate panels. All Quick-Step underlays have built-in plastic foil. Use Quick-Step underlays to avoid problems later on.
| Screed thickness | Advised drying time |
| <4 cm | 1 week per cm |
| 5 cm | 6 weeks |
| 6 cm | 8 weeks |
| > 6 cm | + 4 weeks per additional cm |
An example: for a 6 cm thick concrete floor, you should count on at least (4 x 1 week) + (2 x 2 weeks) = 8 weeks of drying time. For concrete floors thicker than 6 cm, respect 4 weeks of drying time per additional cm.
Tip: always make sure the building is sufficiently ventilated.