Here in Serbia we do screed with a team of four people and everyone has their specific job: - Machine worker - ( Screed pump ) Feeds the machine with Sand, Cement and water - Planer - When screed exits the hose he distributes it evenly close to the level that is needed ( with his foots ) and makes a level points - Bar/Rule guy - Does exactly that what you do in the video just much, much faster - Polisher - We have machines with a disc (plate) that rotates, it compresses and polishes the slab. we are doing around 200-280 square meters a day. Tomorrow im going to learn how to do the Bar/Rule part so im watching videos to prepare. Thanks for the video
In Serbia we also often use a narrow-gauge rebar mesh (šulc), or polyester fibre, but it doesn't seem to be compulsory, I am not sure when it is or isn't used but most videos I watch don't seem to bother. Also some people leave expansion gaps but none of those here either.
Have got some screeding to do, have seen it layed on site but never done any myself, having looked at other similar videos this was by far the best in explaining the different steps involved. Thanks to the Plastering Guru for taking the time and trouble to help others.
Same here. A very good visual as to how it's done. I've only got to do the loo but having never done it before this was very helpful. Still not to sure how I get to the exact level to the door entrance and leave a little for carpet tiles etc. but I will be able to figure that out.
Thank you so much for these videos - I have an assignment on construction and there is nothing on google that explains the floor screening process this accurately. I understand it perfectly now and have managed to answer questions related to this topic easily!! THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME
Great video - thank you!! I have two questions: what would be the minimum thickness of screed that one could apply to a job? And second, how long did the job take - how do you stop the mix from drying out before you have finished screeding? Thanks a lot!!
I did a couple of inches yesterday and it dried well. Now I need to put down a damp course and top it up to the level I need. If it is DIY I would just manually make a little at a time, let it dry and make some more.
I looked at a lot of DIY stuff but this was the best. Like messing about with sand. A lot of other ones were far too complicated with gadgets far too expensive just for one DIY job.
i think, the most difficult and annoying thing when screeding is digging into your previous area with the end of your screed bar/rule and therefore throwing your level off. it takes alot of practice to get to the guru's level. nice vid, thanks!
Very kind of you to say Mike Wilkinson and you are absolutely right, it can be tricky at first but with a bit of practice it’s very satisfying indeed,thank you for your comment 👍
@@barkleycharles5465 Hi, yes, we used a 4x2" slightly shorter than the width of the pool floor. We ran it on two rails each about 2' long and pulled those with us as we went, filling the gaps they left as soon as we'd moved them. I can't remember whether we tamped the 4x2" up and down or wiggled it from side to side. I think it was side to side. Screeds are normally 2" thick I think but we only laid about 1 1/4" as it's a pool floor and wouldn't take the pounding of a house floor. Having said that we've since walked on it a lot rendering the walls and it's held up ok. We couldn't lay the last few feet, nowhere to put our feet, so that was done a couple of days later. As ever you need to get the mix about right, not too dry which will be harder to lay, not too wet which will produce a dusty floor. I'm not an expert, just an amateur, but our floor turned out reasonably ok. Watch a couple of videos by people who know what they're doing though! If I can answer any questions I will
Thank you, your comment is much appreciated. That’s a good idea for a future video and in the meantime if you put some mix in your hand, you should be able to to squeeze it together, open your hand back up and it hold its shape nicely without crumbing (too dry) or slipping out of your hand (too wet). I hope this helps 💪
Here in the US the mix is more watery. Is that an aluminum tool that you use to screed? I don't know why but, as a DIYer, the cement sticks to the wood 2x4 that I use to screed.
@@plasteringguru572 any chance you can do a dry screed floor for me in Cirencester? Local flooring firm reckons its a dying skill that I won't find anyone to do!?!?
Great video! Would it be ok to split the job 34m2 into smaller areas and to do them over few days, please? Only because I am doing it by myself. Thank you for the video!
Yep the labourers prepare the material and then need to wait so that there's space to put it. Can't do it before the last bit gets finished! I did notice same in the sped up vid also!
Thanks. Nice video. Can you mix small stones (aggregate 1/2- 3/4 inch) in the screed? Do you mix any glue/ polymer / sbr latex. Do you apply any glue polymer on surface? I have to screed my roof terrace.
Do you use normal cement and to what ratio to sharp sand. I Thu k it will also be helpful to show how wet the mix should be. And any other chemicals do you add? Thanks
Hi Nematullah Zamani, thanks for your comments. The ratio for screed is usually 3 sharp sand to 1 cement. There are a few additives that can be added but it all depends on the job specification. If speed is require you can use rapid cement, if you want to slow it down then add retarder, SBR could add an element of water repellent and fibres add extra strength. 👍
@@plasteringguru572 I think, your calculation is wrong. Bcoz 1/3 ratio means 1 m3 screed (2000 kg) has 600 kg cement. It is overdose. If you use 250 kg cement for 1 m3 screed, the ratio is around 1/7.
You made it look so easy ... if a pro like you was to do a 10 m x 3.5m place ... how much time would it take you ? (I can then multiply that by 100 and get an estimate for myself...)
I'm planning on laying sand/cement screed in my garage . The floor is currently made up of 16 oak railway sleepers which aren't very level hence the screeding. I'm planning laying damproof membrane over the sleepers then screeding then this will give me a level floor . Do you think this is a good idea
I have just ordered sharp sand from interline but they have given me coarse silver sand.Will this be ok to finish the last 60mm on top of my concrete base?
Very nice job indeed and thanks for sharing, I want to re tile a path with small mosaics but the existing tiles are shot so I will need to take up path. Would a screed be ok for this purpose, I need it flat, I think concrete would shrink too much, it's on a slight slope too? Does the screed shrink much? How thick can a screed be?
Thank you guorui ren and we’ll noticed, in a perfect world that would be the case however due to the drying times of screed more often than not they get the screeding done as soon as there is a roof on and not much else 👍
Interesting. I've never thought about screeds before. If I did a screed over a compacted dolomite driveway and then covered the screed with 20mm gravel, would it likely hold up for several years (uk weather) and take the stress of one car and a motorcycle?
Hello. I noticed the house we purchased the extention attached to the house - the flooring does not have insulation. There is a membrane and 4" concrete on the floor. However is there an option i could insalate the floor before we decide to put either laminate or carpet down? Thanks in advance
I'd love to get into flooring as a skill and eventually as a profession but I have NO idea where to begin... would you be willing to help a fellow out? Become a mentor of sorts?
Absolutely, I would suggest having a look in your local area for screeders….contact them and see if they need a labourer to help or if not volunteer your time for free for a day or two to help out just to see if it’s something that you might like to Perdue further 💪
Hi,about to convert my double garage and the concrete floor slopes towards the garage door from half way ,with a drop of around 70mm. Want to lay a floating floor. Would you say I would need to do this? Or would it be ok to just use sand to fill? Won’t be taking any great weight just want it to be stable .cheers
Very kind of you to say Stevesculptor, it’s a 3 and 1 mix…..although some people use 4 and 1, usually when it’s being covered by large tiles etc. a stronger mix is better if you are having carpet or a thin floor covering 👍
Here in the US this isnt really done. We use concrete to do this type of flooring. But I think Im going to start selling this option. Much easier to work with. I would think this would crack up really bad though..is that not the case?
There is enough cement in the mix to keep it hard enough for tiles to be glued on top later. Before laying screed good to put bondcrete or Semstick down so that screed sticks to slab.
If you don't have ready mixed screed arriving by vehicle...do you know what the measure of cement/sand/water would be to get that quality of mix you are using?
Thanks for the question, it’s a 3 and 1 mix but the amount of water varies depending on how dry or wet the sand is but it wants to be wet enough so you squeeze some in your hand then open your hand back up it holds its shape, if it starts to crumble….it’s too dry. Hopefully that helps 👍
We stopped knocking it up in a mixer - not long enough and it's not thoroughly mixed, too long and you end up with cement marbles. Ready mix is the way forward but you have to be fairly quick with it
Unbelievable this is 2020 England, no pump to push the ready mix, no Powerflot, no PPE, I really hope you are doing this occasionally, not for living....
Hi hope you are well, if you only had a small area around 1m x 1.5m and didnt have access to a mechanical mixer, how would you go about mixing the screed please thanks?
Is it Ur main job ? I skip the floater and use only the trowel . I fill all the small holes with the ruler . How much u do in 1 Day ?? And why dont u use knee cups instead ?
Thanks for your comment Nico Van Dooren, sounds like your maximising efficiency with skill. I’ve used knee pads however I personally find a sofa cushion much more comfortable. 👍
This screed usually goes on top of a concrete floor. Concrete is strong but will leave an uneven finish. Screed is weaker but leaves a very flat finish.
Hey nice work, I have a question when do you concrete a floor vs when do you screed a floor? I recently ventured on a DIY project where I removed the chimney breast but there was a small ditch (roughly the depth was 1 inch to 2 in some areas) in the floor where the breast was, and we have laminate flooring which goes around the chimney breast, I planned on screening the small ditch to bring it to level with the laminate and then put a carpet on top of this. I attempted to screed the floor by using, 1 part cement to 4 part sharp sand. to make sure the measurement was right I mixed in a very small scale by used an ice cream tub and level it off. I used very little water literally enough so I can make a compact ball in my hand and it held its shape (roughly 1 cup of water) I mixed it by hand and spent my time to make sure it was homogenous and had the consistency of slightly wet sand. I used flat wood to compact it, and steel trowels to level it off. It looked pretty good at the time as I took my time getting it level. The problem started when it dried up, the edges where the screed met the laminate flooring it started crumbling, and the general strength was very week if I placed an object like a chair, its legs would go through the screeding and it would crumble, it didnt feel strong like concrete
I am a fireplace installer so I encounter this all the time. Mix 1:4, but much wetter so you can pour it in and it sets much denser. It sounds like yours wasn't wet enough and didn't set properly.
Thanks for the question Taz Howden, it was actually mixed in the lorry using a 3 (sharp sand) and 1 (cement) mix, not sure exactly how much water but it wasn’t a particularly wet mix 💪
Why don’t you have knee pads you crazy man you need all your levels in before you start then one massive pullback to door nice beginner guide mate keep it up
Thank you ever so much for your comments leng, I have tried knee pads but I personally prefer a nice big old sofa cushion (very comfortable indeed) some people may prefer knee pads though. One massive pullback would have worked nicely if I had a big enough rule.....I was using a 3 metre one so found this way more efficient. 👍
I'm having my new conservatory screed on Monday but I'm just wondering how long after it is lain that it would be OK for my cat to walk across it. I know that it will be several days for human feet but it's the only way my cat can get into the house at night. Thanks for your help!
Thank you for your question ToadstoolGirl, it’s a good one and I have come across a few cat paw prints on screeds in my time. There are however many factors to consider in order to give an accurate time frame such as what type of cement used, any additives, the screed mix so all I can say is the longer you can wait, the better. 👍
Hi Roni O, the simple answer is experience. The more you practice the better control you will have. I would suggest a lighter grip to begin with getting firmer when you are closer to your guides. I hope this helps 👍
The two end areas of screeds are my guides (one side has a wooden strip) when ruling the screed rule glides over those ends, without digging in and as you are ruling the screed you will be able to see any lower areas that haven’t been filled in enough. You can also look down the length of the rule to spot any.
Fantastic job. What kind of float is that is it a polyurethane flit for render? Also could you say what tools you need to start with. What size level board is that. Is it an off the shelf or just some straight bit of weld work? Cheers
Very kind of you to say, thank you. Yes it’s the same polyurethane float that is used for rending. I find using them for screeds first helps wear them in nicely. As for the screeds rules you can buy them in different lengths, I’m using a 3 m length. On occasion you may need to cut one shorter to a particular job. It’s handy to have a few sizes. So to start, a trowel, float, and screed rules (plus a wheel barrow and shovel) and you are good to go. Some thing to cushion your knees is helpful too 👍
Thanks for your questions Laura Kennedy. Floating the surface helps fill any holes and tends to brings grains of sand to the surface. The floor can be finished like this if it’s having a thick floor covering over it. The trowel leaves a reasonably smooth finish which can be better for a thinner covering. I hope this helps 👍
Hi Tim noble, once you have used the rules to level the edges (forwards and backwards motion, tilting the rule ever so slightly) you fill the middle with screed and then you have the level guides ether side. 👍
We use laser levels to keep checking all the way through. Good job done there by the looks of it, It’s a hard day graft screeding glad I only do it 4-5 times a year.
Hi video is very good but I would also like to know what is the ratio for the water to sand3 and cement1 has been used as it looks quite dry but still a smooth floor. Pls reply, thanks
This was mixed on site in the lorry so couldn’t tell you how much water was in the mix but I could of had it slightly wetter although it was still fine…it was a hot day which helps dry it out quicker too. Thanks for your question 👍
