Simple and robust
Lime screed is used wherever particularly diffusion-open floor structures are required. By installing a lime screed, the incoming, rising moisture is absorbed over the entire surface. Walls are thus permanently dehumidified, as the moisture can be distributed over a larger area and thus dry out without any problems.
The strength of a screed without cement is perfectly adequate for normal living areas. Only the setting time is delayed. A little more drying time must be allowed for a lime screed. If this is possible during the construction process, this floor protects the building permanently against rising damp.
The naturalness of the lime ensures a natural floor. The appearance and surface texture of a levelled lime floor cannot be compared with a seamless floor made of polymer-based or cement-based materials with a PU sealant.
Feuchtigkeitstransport
Moisture from the soil can dry out completely via the permeable floor structure. This also permanently dehumidifies the neighbouring walls.
Fertiger Kalkestrich – das Kholao®-Sortiment von Saint-Astier
If you'd rather not mix the lime screed yourself from NHL 5 and sand, you can turn to the Kholao® range from Saint-Astier: a coordinated system of ready-to-use lime products for floors. Mix, lay, done. Particularly practical when there is no space for a mixer and material storage, or when things need to move quickly.
KHOLAO® Béton de Chaux – Kalkunterbeton
Kholao® Béton de Chaux is the ready-to-use lime concrete for the
floor slab – the alternative to cement concrete in older buildings. It consists of natural hydraulic lime from Saint-Astier, sand and gravel (grain size 0/10 mm) and is just as vapour-permeable and moisture-regulating as a hand-mixed lime sub-base floor.
Where it is installed:
- Non-load-bearing floor slabs on the ground floor of old buildings, natural stone buildings and timber-framed houses
- Cellars, vaults and hard-to-reach areas – bagged material means no concrete mixer truck is needed
- Restoration of existing floors in historic buildings
- Ausschließlich im Innenbereich
KHOLAO® Chape – the ready-mixed lime screed
The lime sub-base concrete is topped with Kholao® Chape – a ready-to-use lime screed mortar made from natural hydraulic lime from Saint-Astier. The Chape forms the wearing layer: level, vapour-permeable and suitable for period buildings.
Unlike with a conventional cement screed, there is no need to compromise on the indoor climate here. Kholao® Chape remains vapour-open – moisture from the ground can continue to dry out, just as described throughout this page.
Geeignete Untergründe:
- Kholao® Béton de Chaux (Kalkunterbeton)
- Old, sound, load-bearing concrete floors
- Kalk-Hanf-Unterbeton
Verarbeitung und Beschichtung
However, the longer setting time makes it much easier to work with the screed. Levelled floors or finely rubbed surfaces are possible with the lime - but beware, the lime also sets. Don't take too much time.
Trowelled floors are incredibly beautiful, the slight unevenness and the trowel stroke that plays in the light create structures that are beautiful and unique.
We recommend applying a coat of Aglaia Aquasol stone oil as a top coat. The variety of colours is almost unlimited, from transparent to bright pink, everything is possible. The diffusion capacity is not affected and the surface strength is increased. Painting makes it possible to save the additional costs for a floor covering.
You can find everything about application in our brochure:
Cement-free floors brochure
Natural stone and lime
However, flooring on the subfloor without cement is also possible. In order not to restrict the diffusion capacity of the material, we recommend using natural stone, terracotta, limestone slabs, sandstone or slate. Here, too, there is a wide choice.
Underfloor heating is of course also possible in a lime screed. In general, installation, connection to neighbouring components and processing work in exactly the same way as with a conventional cementitious screed.
Variants of lime screed can be made by using sand. A screed of brick chippings and brick sand mixed with Saint-Astier's NHL 5 makes a particularly absorbent screed. The moisture absorption of the ground brick is very high - significantly higher than with a normal screed gravel. These floors are called Cocciopesto.
The addition of selected stones and the grinding of the not yet hardened lime screed produces a terazzo.
Wooden floorboards on lime screed: Gutshofdiele as a natural complement
For everyone who appreciates the warmth and character of wood on a mineral lime screed, our Gutshofdiele floorboards are the ideal choice. As wood itself is vapour-permeable, it works perfectly with the properties of the lime screed and supports a balanced indoor climate.
For installation, we recommend fixing the floorboards to battens to ensure even support and a stable construction. The cavities should not be left hollow – ideally, they should be filled with hemp-lime loose fill, which additionally provides thermal and impact sound insulation.
Alternatively, the floor build-up can also be made with Gutex ThermoSafe-NF. This wood fibre board offers an excellent combination of impact sound and thermal insulation and is also made from natural raw materials.
The result is a durable floor build-up made of natural materials – vapour-permeable, warm and with the unmistakable charm of genuine Gutshofdiele floorboards
