What is Screeding in Painting?

Screeding is a method of smoothing and flattening a wall surface by applying a band of plaster or mortar.

This usually helps with deciding the thickness level of the plaster that has to be applied.

Screeding is done before painting to prepare the wall and maximize oil, emulsion, and silk paint finishes.

How can you do it?

If you want to screed your internal walls, you’ll need to mix screeding paint, pop cement, and bond.

If you want total smoothness as a finished result, this process is practically unavoidable.

It should be done as a part of the prepainting process to get off to a good start.

To do this, you’ll most likely need to use a long, flat board to put the pop screeding paint on a pliable surface and start to smooth it out.

Advantages of Wall Screeding Before Painting

Screeding the surface before you paint ensures that the quality and beauty of the paint can shine, giving it a more attractive appearance than painting the wall alone will.

Without doing it, you may not be able to fully remove flaws, holes, or cracks in the wall, which lends itself to an imperfect result.

After properly leveling off the wall, before putting paint over it, it will not only improve the outcome of the painted wall but will strengthen the paint itself, so it won’t wear off easily.

The good thing is that the process can be done on just about any surface and is not limited to walls.

You can do this to any uneven surface such as walls before wallpapering or floors before painting.

For example, you might have a crack in a wall in your house that has been filled with cement to fix the crack and then was smoothed over by dragging a board across it for a smooth finish. This is a type of screeding.

A screed board is used to drag back and forth to get the wall level using materials like screeding paint, pop cement, or a multipurpose bond.

Once the screeding is complete, you can finish and polish it using polished paper or sandpaper before you paint.

Different Wall Screeding Materials, Paints, and Tools 

Screeding is a practice that has become more and more popular around the world as the years go by.

If you are ready to see why that is and want to screed the surface of your wall, it is important to know what materials will be needed to do the job.

1. Plaster of Paris (POP Cement)

This is one of the most popular and highest quality screeding materials you can use to give your walls a nice finish with a smooth appearance.

This mix requires you to use two ingredients, including pop cement gypsum powder and Accurate POP Screeding Paint.

It will quickly harden, so you have to mix it all up in small amounts to prevent that.

Here are a few things to look for when purchasing screeding paint:

• Easy to work with and handle
• Tolerant to humidity and heat
• Fair drying time
• Able to cover a wide area of space
• Waterproof and resistant to weather
• Offers 100 percent smoothness

2. Bonded Sand Screed

This is a traditional type of mixing material that is often used in buildings, houses, and other areas to fill in the small cracks in floors and walls.

This type of screed will fail if the material isn’t able to properly bond to the substrate.

This kind of bond screeding needs to be applied thinly to get the perfect outcome.

3. Cement Sand Screed

Cement Sand Screed is a traditional style of screed that can be used for a large number of applications.

You will have to be sure you properly mix the formula and are willing to wait the entire drying time before moving to the next step.

These screeds are not the best option in humid or damp weather or anywhere that might become wet.

Furthermore, the products and their quality can be different from brand to brand, so it is important to research before you buy.

4. Calcium Sulfate Self-Smoothing Creed

This material can be laid out across a much larger area than cement sand screed.

To get the best results, these also have to be appropriately mixed with the right percentages of each ingredient to get the best results.

They can be used on virtually all types of floors and walls so long as the material is durable.

Besides the essential materials, there are a few different types of screeding tools you will need to consider buying when screeding. These include:

• Wooden screed that is made of durable wood material and used as a surface smoothing bar in masonry
• Aluminum screed that is made to be pulled across a wet surface to smooth it over
• Motorized screed that offers high efficacy and takes much less time than completing the process manually

Essential Tips to Follow when Screeding the Old Walls 

There are a few final things to keep in mind when you are planning out the screeding process:

1. Maintenance and appearance of the wall
2. Flatness and levelness of the wall
3. Location of any cracks or joints
4. Any abrasions it may have
5. Ability to resist impact damage

Finally, you need to make sure all plumbing, electrical, and other such inner workings in the wall are completed before you begin screeding, so you don’t disrupt the order of the renovation.

The Bottom Line

Wall screeding is important due to how smooth it makes your walls.

Shiny and silk paints against a screeded wall will give the best outcome for interiors.

And it’s very easy for experts to tell the difference between walls that have been screeded before painting and those that haven’t.

So, if you are into the wall makeover process for your new home or apartment you should definitely give it a try.