Latex over old bases in Berkhamsted's Victorian villas
Latex screed is the trade's name for a particular levelling compound. Instead of mixing the cement based powder with water, it is mixed with a latex liquid supplied in the same pack. That gives a thin layer with better grip and a little flexibility, so it suits surfaces a plain compound might not hold on to.
The villas built south of the High Street from 1868 show why that matters. Not every refit there lifts the ground floor out. Where an owner keeps the original suspended timber floor in a hallway or back kitchen, the boards are fixed firmly and overlaid with flooring grade plywood, and the latex goes over the ply, never onto the boards themselves. Older solid floors elsewhere may still have quarry tiles bonded hard to the slab. If none of them is loose or hollow, they can be degreased, primed and covered.
Old adhesive is handled in a similar way. Where lifted carpet or vinyl leaves a thin, hard film that is firmly stuck, latex can go over it after priming. Soft, tacky or flaking residue has to come off first, and our diamond grinding for Berkhamsted floors removes it.
Every base takes its own primer. A calcium sulphate screed, which a newer extension may have, always has its laitance sanded off and is primed before any latex is poured.
In Northchurch, where some historic buildings are listed, any new layer over an original floor should be agreed before work starts, and we price the approach that is approved.
Safety flooring and limits on Berkhamsted High Street floors
About three quarters of Berkhamsted's shops are independents, and a shop refit can call for a sheet finish: safety flooring in a kitchen area, lino, rubber or LVT across the shop floor. All of them show the base underneath, so a thin, smooth layer of latex is a sensible part of the work. It has firm limits, though, and it is worth knowing them before booking.
It will not hold back damp. With the River Bulbourne and the Grand Union Canal running along the valley, older ground floors without a working membrane need checking before anything thin goes on top. A damp reading means a membrane and new screed first.
It will not stiffen a floor. Boards that flex will crack the latex above them, so the joists and boards are put right and overboarded before any compound goes down.
And it will not correct a floor that is badly out of level. A few millimetres smooths a surface; a floor that runs downhill across a shop needs proper floor levelling or, if it is far out, a new screed. Where broken or hollow patches turn up under the old covering, our screed repairs come before the latex.
How we price latex screed in Berkhamsted
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 Berkhamsted
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 Berkhamsted
As the crow flies, our yard in Slough is about 16.3 miles from Berkhamsted, which lies to the north. Postcodes here include HP4, and Tring (4.3 miles), Hemel Hempstead (4.5 miles), Chesham (4.5 miles) and Amersham (6.2 miles) are close by.
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.
