How to choose a screed board for floor screeds: manual or vibrating

To level a floor screed or mortar over a room or a small area, a manual screed (the screed rule) is enough, in aluminium if you have to carry it and move it around all day. For large floors or pours that need compacting, a vibrating screed is the better choice: the vibration levels and compacts at the same time, with less effort. In the collection the screed rules range from 2 to 5.4 metres in length, and cordless vibrating screeds spare you from depending on site power.

Types

• Screed rule and manual screed: a straight rule that is drawn along the guides. There are aluminium screed rules, which are light, and galvanised steel ones, heavier but rigid, like the galvanised steel screed rules CSC Edilizia. There is also the fixed version, of non-adjustable length, like the CSC fixed screed rule.
• Angle screed: with an angle profile, designed for working at corners.
• Cordless vibrating screed: with no cable and no petrol engine. For example the cordless vibrating screed MXF PSC by Milwaukee or the vibrating screed XGT by Makita.
• One- or two-handle vibrating screed: this is the Barikell type, for example the 1-handle screed. As a rule two handles give more control over the longer lengths.
• Power screed: the machine for large surfaces, like the Breaker SVL and STL (power screed SVL).
• Spares and accessories: pegs for fixing the guides, handles and spares for the vibrating screeds.

How to choose by job

The features to look at

• Length: the telescopic screed rules in the collection range from 2 to 3 m, from 2 to 5 m and from 2.10 to 5.40 m. The screed must be longer than the distance between the guides, but the longer it is, the more it weighs and the harder it is to handle.
• Material: aluminium is light; S235JR steel is sturdier but heavier; rubber is found on the parts that touch the material.
• Weight: from 2.8 to 21 kg among the products in the collection. If you use it for hours, weight matters more than power.
• Power supply: cordless (like the Milwaukee and Makita models) or engine-driven, where the product page gives the power: 1 and 1.5 HP appear in the collection.
• Profile dimensions: sections such as 50 × 50, 80 × 40 or 60 × 30 mm. A taller profile flexes less over long spans.
• Codes and models: for spares and compatibility, keep the article code of the model.

Common mistakes

• Taking a vibrating screed for a few square metres, when a screed rule would have done the same job.
• Using a screed rule that is too short and picking the level up in sections: steps and waves are left behind.
• Spreading the material flush with the guides: it should be spread slightly proud and then pulled off.
• Moving the vibrating screed too fast: it must be advanced slowly, letting the vibration compact the material.
• Not washing the screed at the end of the job: if material hardens on the profile, the surface will no longer be straight.

Frequently asked questions

Screed rule or vibrating screed, which for a floor screed?

Up to a few tens of square metres a manual screed rule is enough. The vibrating one is needed when the pour is large or has to be properly compacted.

Does the cordless screed replace the power screed?

For medium-sized surfaces and sites without power, yes. For very large surfaces the power screed remains the most suitable machine.

What are the pegs for?

They fix the guides at the finished level. You rest the screed on these and pull the material off.

How do I clean it?

Wash it right after use, before the mortar or concrete hardens.

All the models are in the Screeds collection: to choose the length and type suited to your site, ask for a quote or for advice from the AMES technicians.