Latex over old boards and tiles in Grays
The name confuses people, so start with what it is. Latex screed is not a screed in the usual sense. The powder is cement based, but it is mixed with a latex liquid supplied alongside it rather than with water, and the result is spread only a few millimetres deep. The latex gives the cured layer a little give and helps it grip surfaces that ordinary compound struggles to hold.
Those surfaces turn up when an older Grays house is refitted. Lift the lino in a bathroom built between the wars and there may be red quarry tiles set solidly in mortar underneath. If they are sound, we keep them: they are cleaned, primed and covered with latex, which saves the noise, dust and time of breaking them out. Old ceramic tiles are handled the same way, provided none rock or ring hollow when tapped.
Timber needs another approach. Latex never goes straight onto bare floorboards, because boards flex with every step and a thin layer would crack along the joints. The boards are screwed down first and covered with flooring grade plywood, and the latex is laid over the plywood.
Worn concrete is the third case. A kitchen slab that has carried several coverings over the decades may keep patches of old adhesive. Where that residue is thin and well stuck, the right primer lets latex bond over it. Where it is soft or flaking, it has to come off first, often by grinding the concrete back.
When latex is the wrong answer in Grays
Latex makes a sound floor smooth. It cannot make an unsound floor sound, and three faults rule it out until they are dealt with.
Damp is the first. Many of the semis built between the wars around Little Thurrock and Stifford Clays still have cold ground slabs with no insulation, and a slab like that should have its moisture checked before anything thin is laid on it. Latex will not hold back rising damp, and a vinyl or LVT floor stuck over a damp base can blister or lift.
Movement is the second. Boards that bounce need fixing and overboarding, and a weak joist needs a carpenter, before compound goes anywhere near them.
Level is the third. A room that falls away by more than a few millimetres is outside what latex can correct, and a deeper compound or a new screed is the fix. How that is judged is set out under levelling floors for LVT and tiles. Cracked or broken concrete goes through concrete floor repair first.
Every base gets its own primer, and calcium sulphate always has its laitance removed and is primed before latex goes on. Get those steps right and the finishes that need a smooth bed follow: sheet vinyl, LVT, lino, rubber, safety flooring in a bathroom, or carpet. The same work in a neighbouring town is described on latex screed in Gravesend.
How we price latex screed in Grays
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 Grays
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 Grays
As the crow flies, our yard in Slough is about 42 miles from Grays, which lies to the east. Postcodes here include RM17 and RM18, and Tilbury (2 miles), Swanscombe (2.6 miles), Northfleet (2.9 miles) and Gravesend (3.2 miles) are close by.
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.
