Latex over awkward bases in Hillingdon refits
Ask a flooring fitter what goes under sheet vinyl and the answer is often latex. The material is a powder based on cement, mixed with a latex liquid in place of water. Once cured, it is thin, hard and slightly flexible, and it bonds well to bases that have seen a few refits.
Think about a typical bathroom in a house built between 1973 and 1999, a period that accounts for 17% of Hillingdon's homes. By now it has probably been refitted at least once. Lift the vinyl and you might find ceramic tiles from the first fit, a patch of new concrete where the soil pipe was moved, and plywood over the boards in the doorway. Thin coverings will show every edge and change of material unless something smooth goes between them.
That is where latex earns its place. Each surface is cleaned and given its own primer, then the latex is poured and spread so it flows into a single even skin. Firm tiles can stay put, which saves time and mess. Sound old adhesive can sometimes be left too, though loose or soft residue has to come off first.
In flats the same applies on a smaller scale. Converted flats make up 3% of the borough's homes, and where a timber floor has already been boarded in plywood, latex gives the new finish a smooth base. Whether you are in Hillingdon Heath, Cowley, South Ruislip or Northwood Hills, we check the base before agreeing a price. For a bigger change in floor height, see our Hillingdon floor levelling page.
Checking the base first in Ruislip and Eastcote homes
Latex sits on top of whatever is there, so the base has to be right. Inter-war and post-war semis in Ruislip and Eastcote often have cracked old concrete floors, and those need more than a skim before anything is laid over them. Before any latex goes down, we look at three things.
Is it dry? Latex does nothing to hold back damp. A moisture test comes before the pour, and a floor that fails it needs a membrane or a rebuild, otherwise vinyl will lift and adhesives will soften.
Is it stiff? Timber floors have to be overboarded with flooring grade plywood, screwed down at close spacing, before latex goes on. Bare boards move with every footstep and would crack a thin layer along their joints. A floor that still springs once the ply is down needs a joiner before anything else.
Is it close to level? Latex smooths, it does not correct. A floor that falls badly across a kitchen, or has a hollow where an old slab has sunk, needs proper repairs to the concrete floor or a new screed first.
A calcium sulphate screed in a newer flat is a special case: the weak laitance on top is sanded off and a matching primer applied before latex goes over it. When a full new floor is the answer, our sand and cement screed in Hillingdon page covers that.
How we price latex screed in Hillingdon
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 Hillingdon
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 Hillingdon
As the crow flies, our yard in Slough is about 8.4 miles from Hillingdon, which lies to the east. Postcodes here include UB8, UB3, HA5 and UB9, and Harrow (5.6 miles), Ealing (6.1 miles), Hounslow (6.4 miles) and Slough (6.6 miles) are close by.
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.