Latex over timber and tiles in Brighton and Hove flats
Upper floors in a converted Regency or Victorian house usually sit on timber joists, and the boards on top have often been patched, cut for pipes and nailed down many times. A thin flooring like vinyl or LVT laid straight on those boards shows every edge within months. The fix is two steps. First the boards are screwed down firmly and covered with flooring grade plywood, fixed at close centres. Then latex is spread over the plywood to bury the screw heads and sheet joints and leave a single smooth face.
Latex is never poured onto the bare boards themselves. Timber moves with the seasons and the gaps between boards open and close, and a thin cement layer above them simply cracks along each line.
Kitchens and bathrooms bring a second kind of base. Old ceramic or quarry tiles that are still firmly stuck can stay, which saves breaking them out and raising dust in a shared building. We tap them for hollow spots, take out any loose ones, degrease the surface and prime it, then latex fills the grout lines so they cannot print through.
The low build matters in flats. A few millimetres of latex keeps the new floor close to its old height, so internal doors, the threshold at the flat entrance and kitchen plinths can usually stay as they are.
A conversion floor that has dropped badly towards one wall over the years is beyond a thin latex coat. That calls for a wider levelling or build-up job, which our Brighton and Hove levelling work explains.
Moulsecoomb and Whitehawk refits: when latex suits
Kitchen and bathroom refits are among the more common reasons for floor work on the Moulsecoomb and Whitehawk council estates. Once units and old flooring come out, the base might be concrete with scars from a removed wall, a film of old adhesive or a few broken tiles. If it is sound and dry, that is latex territory: patch the holes, prime, and lay a thin smoothing coat ready for the new vinyl.
Damp is the exception. In Kemptown and Hove, many basement and ground floor flats sit on solid floors that were laid without a damp proof membrane. Latex over a damp slab loses its bond and lifts the flooring with it, so those floors need a membrane, insulation and new screed instead, as described in our guide to sand and cement screeding locally.
A springy floor is the other no. Fix the joists or boards first, then overboard and smooth.
Primers are matched to what lies underneath: plywood, dense concrete, old tiles and sound adhesive each take a different one. A calcium sulphate screed always has its laitance sanded off and is primed before latex goes on. Proud ridges or a thick coating may need diamond grinding first.
How we price latex screed in Brighton and Hove
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 Brighton and Hove
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 Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove is about 53.6 miles south-south-east of our Slough base as the crow flies, with postcodes including BN1, BN3, BN2 and BN41. The nearest towns to it are Southwick (4.2 miles), Shoreham-by-Sea (5.7 miles), Peacehaven (6.7 miles) and Lewes (7.6 miles).
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.