Latex over old bases in Arbury and King's Hedges
Arbury, King's Hedges and East Chesterton grew as council estates over five decades from the 1930s. Houses of that age have often had several kitchens and bathrooms by now, and each refit leaves its own layer underfoot: perhaps quarry tiles from the original build, ceramic tiles from a later one, or perhaps a patch of new concrete where a pipe was rerouted. A thin finish such as sheet vinyl or LVT laid over that patchwork shows every edge.
Latex screed is made to bridge those differences. It comes as a cement based powder and a separate latex liquid, which is mixed in where water would normally go. The latex gives the cured coat some flexibility and better grip on dense or mixed surfaces, and the compound flows out to a smooth layer only a few millimetres deep.
It only works on a sound base. Tiles have to be firmly bonded, so we tap across the floor and lift any that sound hollow, fill the gaps, degrease the surface and prime with a product suited to glazed or non porous tiles. Old adhesive can sometimes stay if it is thin and hard; soft or powdery residue is removed. Worn concrete is cleaned and primed so it does not suck water out of the mix.
Where an extension floor is calcium sulphate, the laitance is sanded off and a matching primer applied before any latex. Our guide, anhydrite screed explained, covers why that material needs the extra step.
Timber floors and damp in older Cambridge houses
Upstairs in a Victorian house, and on the ground floor of some, the floor is timber boards on joists. Boards shrink and swell with the seasons and flex as you walk, so latex poured straight onto them cracks along the joints. The answer is to screw the boards down, overboard them with flooring grade plywood and lay the latex over the ply. A bathroom in a Victorian house in Romsey Town that is getting sheet vinyl or safety flooring is a typical candidate for this build-up.
Latex has limits, and they are worth knowing before the fitter is booked. It does not stop damp: a solid ground floor without a membrane needs that fixed before any thin coat, usually by digging out and relaying, as on our page about relaying floors in sand and cement. It will not steady a springy floor. And it cannot correct a floor that is badly out of level, where a deeper levelling compound or a new screed is needed.
If a Cambridge floor is sound, dry and close to flat, a latex coat is a quick route to a surface ready for the finish, whether that is in Newnham Croft, Orchard Park or Cherry Hinton.
How we price latex screed in Cambridge
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 Cambridge
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 Cambridge
Cambridge is about 56.9 miles north-east of our Slough base as the crow flies, with postcodes including CB2, CB4, CB1 and CB3. The nearest towns to it are St Ives (11.6 miles), Royston (12.4 miles), Newmarket (12.4 miles) and Soham (12.8 miles).
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.