What is screeding?
Screeding is the process of levelling a freshly poured concrete floor or screed by drawing a straight edge (screed rail or levelling board) across the surface. The straight edge removes excess material and produces a flat surface at the correct height.
How does screeding work?
After pouring concrete or laying a floor screed, the surface must be brought to the desired level:
- Set screed rails — rails or guides are placed at regular intervals at the correct height
- Pour concrete — the concrete is poured between the rails and roughly spread
- Screed — the straight edge is pulled across the rails in a sawing motion, striking off the concrete level
- Top up — low spots are filled and re-screeded
For larger areas, a vibrating screed bar (vibra-screed) is often used, which compacts and levels the concrete simultaneously.
Applications
- Concrete floors — screeding is the standard finish after pouring
- Sand-cement screeds — the screed is brought to level with a straight edge
- Self-levelling screeds — even flowing screeds may be screeded to control thickness
- Foundation slabs — the top surface is screeded for a flat base
Related terms
- Concrete
- Floor screed
- Power floating
- Floor finish
- Levelling
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