Latex over plywood and old tiles in Amersham kitchens
Ask a flooring fitter for latex screed and you get a smoothing compound supplied as a pair. One part is a cement based powder, the other a container of latex liquid, which is stirred in where an ordinary compound would take water. The latex gives the cured layer a little flexibility and a stronger grip, so it is chosen for the awkward bases that turn up when an Amersham kitchen or bathroom is stripped out.
Timber is the first of those. Latex never goes straight onto boards, because boards move with every footstep and every change in humidity. Loose boards are screwed down, flooring grade plywood is fixed over them at close centres, and the primed plywood takes the latex. A board that still flexes after that has to be put right first, since no compound will stiffen a springy floor.
Old tiles come next. Quarry or ceramic tiles that are still firmly bonded can stay where they are, once the glaze is cleaned and given a primer made for tiles. Any that ring hollow are lifted.
Uneven older concrete and sound old adhesive complete the list. Homes built from 1973 to 1999 account for 23% of Amersham's stock, and a refit in a house of that age typically lifts vinyl or tiles laid decades earlier, leaving a patchwork of adhesive and filler. Thin, hard residue can be primed over. Thick or loose adhesive is taken off by diamond grinding before the latex instead of being buried under it.
When latex is the wrong fix in Amersham
Think of latex as the last coat before the flooring. It smooths a floor; it does not repair one. Three conditions rule it out until something else has been done.
Damp is the first. Some of the early concrete floors in Metro-land houses were laid with no damp proof membrane, and a thin compound over a damp base fails together with the flooring on top. A moisture check comes before any primer, and a wet floor needs a membrane and a new build-up, not a smoothing coat.
Movement is the second. Springy boards crack a cement based skin within weeks, however much latex is in the mix, so loose timber is fixed and overboarded before we begin.
Level is the third. Spread a few millimetres thick, latex cannot rescue a floor that drops badly across a room. That floor needs a new screed or a deeper product, and the floor levelling page for Amersham sets out how compound and screed differ.
Plywood, tile, concrete and adhesive bases each call for a primer of their own. Calcium sulphate screed always has its laitance removed and is primed before latex touches it. A damaged patch is cut out and made good first through our screed repairs service. Nearby homes are covered on our page for latex screed in Chesham.
How we price latex screed in Amersham
A fixed written price within 24 hours, once we know the area and the base. See our floor screeding cost guide.
Who lays your latex screed in Amersham
K & B Screeding’s own team, led by director Donatas Bardisevicius. Founded 2019, company 12298780.
See what customers say in our Google reviews and on our testimonials page.
Latex Screed from Slough to Amersham
As the crow flies, our yard in Slough is about 10.1 miles from Amersham, which lies to the north. Postcodes here include HP6 and HP7, and Chesham (1.9 miles), Chorleywood (4 miles), Beaconsfield (4.9 miles) and Berkhamsted (6.2 miles) are close by.
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.
