Founded by Joe Baker in 2022 and based in the West Midlands, Second City Screed specialises in underfloor heating, liquid flowing screed, concrete, and floor preparation services. Their commitment to exceptional service and quality work has positioned them as trusted professionals in both commercial and domestic sectors.

Joe and his team install underfloor heating, floor screed and concrete bases daily and need high-quality tools to maintain efficiency and precision. And at a minimum of one job a day, often two or three, their dapple bars and screed tripods get constant use.

Underfloor heating pipes installed on a floor covered in black plastic sheeting — Image courtesy of Second City Screed.

Screeding with Quality Tools

Second City Screed have been using Metex screed tripods and dapple bars since Joe started his business on his own back in 2022. And as he often shares his work on social media at @screedpapi on Instagram and Tiktok, Metex tools tend to show up often.

At his old job before starting his own company, he describes using thinner, metal dapple bars with no coating: “They were nowhere near as good, as the bar diameter was a lot thinner.”

He was familiar with Metex’s zinc coated mild steel tripods, however Joe explained he would always recommend using the stainless steel version to his boss, to avoid them rusting. He also previously tried out a different make of tripods with a rubber seal which allowed a quick setup, but wouldn’t use them again: “They were not as accurate, and as soon as the screed got into the rubber seal you couldn’t move them properly.”

Why Dappling Matters

Reliable quality dapple bars and tripods are essential for Second City Screed to create a professional finish for their customers.

On a recent screeding job, Joe emphasised how important dapple bars were for floor levelling even though liquid screed is often called “self-levelling” – as without dappling the screed, the floor surface would end up looking rough and unfinished.

“We use Metex levelling tripods to set the screed level to the datum to ensure a flat and level install of flowing screed. Then we dapple the screed to remove air bubbles trapped in the mix.

When we give the screed a dapple, it’s a bit of manipulation on the floor to get the air bubbles up to the top and that gives you a lovely flat smooth finish. That’s the first dapple, and then we give it a second one.”

Collage of screed laying: Level set with screed tripods, screed being poured over tripods, screed being dappled with dapple bars — Images courtesy of Second City Screed.

Metex dapple bars also come in handy on their concrete jobs, and as Joe recently ordered a new set of Metex dapple bars, the old set was retired for use on concrete.

On a recent floor slab install Joe described the process: “After pouring C30 concrete into the floor slab, we rake it around to the desired depth. Then we check the level with a laser setup and a receiver set to the datum where the finished concrete is going to be. We then tamp the concrete with dapple bars to make sure it’s nice and flat, and level to the datum across the whole floor slab.”

Collage of Metex dapple bars being used to tamp down a brown slab of concrete outside a red brick house

Customer & Staff Satisfaction

Both Joe and his team have been happy with the performance of the dapple bars and tripods:

“I would definitely recommend them and do so on a regular basis. They are fairly priced and very good quality. By far the best on the market, and the customer service that goes with it is impeccable. The lads also like using the dapple bars and tripods, they get on with them as well as I do.”

According to Joe, his customers don’t always know much about screeding or understand the purpose of dappling and screed tripods but appreciate the result: “Once they see the dappling being done and tripods used, and I explain to them why, they’re happy that the job’s being done properly and that we’re using the correct tools for the job.”

See more of Second City Screed’s work on their Instagram, or on their website!

Metex screed tripods and dapple are available on Amazon as well as from our trusted stockists.

For more information, please give us a call on 0800 130 3646 or drop an email to [email protected].

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