Finished floors.. Concrete mixer and pump Vs sand cement and smaller pump

Finished floors..
Not interested in the easy screed type of floor so have two options

Option one Concrete mixer and pump
I have done this before with underfloor heating and find the heating works well, although when it went down it wasn't done perfectly level.
rough costs
€2250 concrete 30 m (mix with small 10mm smooth stone)
€800 pump hire (one day)
€1800 labour (2 days? 4-6 lads one floor a day)
€4850 total

Option two sand cement and smaller pump
some recon its better for underfloor, comes with his mixer and pump, 3 lads they mix on site and pump in, advantage is they do it at there own pace so will get it right first time.
rough cost
€2200 cement bags (no stone) and sand
€3500 labour
€5700 total cost

There's a bit in the price but does any one know which way is best to go?

It depends where you are with your build. Personally I would go for the screed option as its easier to get right and I personally think its a better job. Get all1st fix plumbing and electrics complete and tested before you do either job. (I might be teaching my granny to suck eggs here).

why do you find it better

for a finished floor i would go for sand and cement screed. You SHOULD have a better finish if done properly. I would recommend to get some plastic expansion triangles and set them level first. Then it is really just a matter of screeding off the tops of the triangles to have a perfectly level floor. I personally screeded a lot of floors years ago. Concrete is a harder material to work with and probably will not leave a good enough finish as a finished floor.

plastic expansion triangles


is there another name for these carnt find them online..

Hello Bluemac,
take a look at this site it will explain in more detail. The triangles can be bought from most builders merchants. They are well worth the cost if you set them perfectly level - Use a dumpy level if possible. [broken link removed]