Awkward bases in Barnet's converted houses and flats
Latex screed is a trade name, not a separate family of screed. It arrives in two parts: a bag of cement based powder, and a latex liquid that is stirred in where an ordinary compound would take water. The latex gives the cured layer a firmer grip and a little give, which is why it is chosen for bases that a plain compound might let go of. It goes down thin, normally a few millimetres, and it only ever works as a finishing coat over something sound.
In Barnet's converted flats, these bases tend to surface during a refit. Lift the old vinyl in a room like that and you may find quarry tiles still stuck fast, a concrete floor scarred where a pipe was chased in, or a film of old adhesive that has never let go.
Each of those can usually take latex if it passes a few checks. Tiles must be firmly bonded with no hollow ones, and their glaze is degreased and primed so the compound has something to key to. Adhesive residue has to be hard and well stuck, not soft or powdery. Concrete must be dry and free of dust, and anything loose is taken back as part of floor preparation before latex.
Timber is where people go wrong. Latex cannot go straight onto floorboards, however flat they look, because board joints open and close and crack it. The boards are screwed down and covered in flooring grade plywood first, and the latex goes over the ply.
Which Barnet floor finishes need a latex base
Thin, glued finishes are the ones that show every flaw. Sheet vinyl, LVT, lino, rubber and the slip resistant safety flooring fitted in many bathrooms will print a grout line or a plywood joint through to the surface within weeks. Carpet hides more, but a smooth latex face still stops ridges wearing through the pile.
One Barnet home can hold several bases. A kitchen may run from old tiles onto a plywood-covered timber section, and a latex coat ties the two into a single smooth surface for the fitter.
Primer is picked for each base before any latex is mixed. If the floor is a calcium sulphate screed, its laitance is sanded off and a compatible primer applied every time, with no exceptions.
Latex is not the answer to every floor. It will not stop springy boards moving, it does nothing about damp, and it cannot pull a floor that is badly out of level back into line. Those faults are fixed first: boards stiffened or overboarded, damp traced, and a deep dip filled with a full levelling pour for Barnet floors or a new screed. Where paint or a hard coating sits on the concrete, grinding the slab in Barnet takes it back to a clean surface. In the neighbouring borough, see latex screed in Haringey.
How we price latex screed in Barnet
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 Barnet
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 Barnet
Barnet is about 19.9 miles east-north-east of our Slough base as the crow flies, with postcodes including EN5, N11, HA8 and NW11. The nearest towns to it are Haringey (4 miles), Borehamwood (4.4 miles), Brent (4.7 miles) and Camden (5.2 miles).
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.
