Screeder – What You Need To Know

I’m Andy Parkin, Managing Director of the Multi-Award Winning Speed Screed. I’m here to talk about what a screeder will look at?

Hiring A Screeder

If you are a homeowner looking at laying some new floor screed you will want to look into hiring a screeder.  Flooring needs to be assessed and then apply screed suitable for you to be able to lay your final flooring layer on a smooth and level surface.

There are different types of screed that you may consider including:
• Sand and Cement
• Fast Drying
• Pumpable

Let’s take each of these in turn and look at how a screeder decides which product to use and then makes sure it is applied appropriately.

Sand and Cement

This is a traditional product and is widely used because it can take most types of floor coverings. If you have a slight slope and drainage is a concern then this is an ideal choice.
Laid by hand so hiring a skilled trades person is vital to make sure it is applied correctly. It often needs some time to dry naturally and is affected by environmental factors. However, your screeder will understand this and ensure that the product is suitable for the task and applied under optimal conditions.

Fast Drying

These may also be called ‘accelerated’ and your screeder may advise you use this if you need to complete the application rapidly. It is the perfect choice when you need to use the area quickly. Many of these products can dry to the point where they can be walked on within a few hours and a floor laid after 12-24 hours.

Pumpable

This form of cement is less prone to shrinking and cracking and thus is useful in larger areas. It is also less likely to curl and has a reasonably rapid drying time. Your screeder will probably recommend this if intend to place underfloor heating as it is particularly suitable for this. Arrangements will be made for a mixing truck to come to the site which will then pump the product into the area. This can be done very quickly meaning that the overall length of your project is reduced.

How your screeder will mix the screed:

There are 4 main methods which depend on the type of screed being used
• Hand mixing – usually only used for very small areas, it is labour intensive and it is harder to control the quality of the mix.
• Freefall mixers – these are standard mechanical mixers which are good for more fluid mix however, they don’t tend to produce as high a quality mix as other methods.
• Forced-action mixers – these are the gold standard and preferred by most screeders as they produce a good quality mix and makes it easier to introduce any additives needed.
• Ready-mixed  – if you need consistently reliable product these are the top choice, they cut out any risk of human error and can be delivered directly to your project quickly and easily.

I hope this has been helpful when considering choosing screeders for your project. Please get in touch for further information.