Floor screeding: hand screed, vibrating screed or bridge?

Vibrating hand screed: one person, up to five metres

The hand screeds are the lightest and simplest. The drive unit sits on an aluminium profile that is pulled across the concrete:

• FBP/FBE — profile 1.5–3 m. FBP: Honda GX25, 1.0 kW, 1 500 N, 9 000 vib/min. FBE: 230 V, 500 W, 1 300 N, 12 000 vib/min
• FBP-H — Honda GX25, 1.0 kW, profile 1.5–4 m, 1 500 N, drive unit 15 kg
• FBP-HP — Honda GX35, 1.2 kW, profile 2–5 m, 2 000 N, drive unit 14.5 kg. Horizontal vibration via drive shaft

Single-beam floor vibrator

The SV23E is an electric single-beam floor vibrator: 350 W vibrator motor, infinitely variable 0–10 000 rpm, 130 kN centrifugal force, and aluminium profiles from 1.6 to 4.2 metres. The drive unit weighs 13 kg, and the profiles from 8.4 kg (1.6 m) to 22.1 kg (4.2 m). Sound pressure at the operator's ear: 73 dB(A).

The SVF vibrating screed, a fixed double beam, is available in standard lengths from 2.2 to 7.2 metres in aluminium, with a 400 V three-phase electric motor and 120 mm profile height.

Modular screed bridge: up to 25 metres

SVM 25 is built in sections that can be assembled to a length of up to 25 metres. The vibration depth is stated as approx. 150 mm and the centrifugal force as 500 N per metre. It can be angled by up to 6 degrees between sections and is pulled by a manual winch as standard. With an electric winch, available as an accessory, one person can control its progress.

The modules weigh 22 kg (0.5 m) to 64 kg (3 m), the drive unit 61–63 kg. This is equipment that needs rigging — but in return it does a wide industrial floor in a single pass.

Vibration in the hands is a working environment issue

Swepac states the hand-arm vibration for the equipment: SV23E 2.0 m/s², FBP-HP 4.03 m/s², SVF and SVM 25 4.5 m/s², FBE 6.67 m/s² and FBP-H 6.9 m/s². If someone is going to work with the equipment all day, this is a figure to take into account, not a footnote.

What we need to know

The width of the pour, how many people are in the crew, and whether there is mains power or only petrol on site. With that, the choice is usually obvious.