Choosing a screed across Kensington and Chelsea
Census 2021 counted 143,375 people in London's smallest borough by area, one of the most densely built places in the country. That density shapes every floor job. Most homes share walls, floors or both, and much of the work is inside buildings that were never designed for today's finishes.
Lower ground floors in Chelsea and Kensington period houses are often solid floors laid with no membrane at all. Tanking, insulation and a new screed usually go in together, and in small rooms reached by a narrow stair a hand-laid sand and cement screed for lower ground floors is often the practical choice.
Where a period interior is getting underfloor heating, floor height becomes the deciding factor. A thin liquid or latex levelled finish keeps the build-up to a minimum, and our page on heated floor screed explains the pipe cover involved.
Flat conversions raise a different issue: noise. One owner's new stone floor must not carry sound to the neighbour below, so an acoustic floor build-up goes in before any screed. Larger, open floors in newer or rebuilt flats can take a pumped liquid screed, and where the drawings call for a calcium sulphate grade the anhydrite page covers the specification.
A floor that is sound but uneven may need no new screed at all. Self levelling compound for existing floors brings it flat for stone, timber or LVT far more quickly.
Homes in Kensington and Chelsea at a glance
Kensington and Chelsea is mostly flats (81% of homes), with terraced houses next at 13%. The largest group of homes here was built before 1919 (65%), and a further 10% between 1973 and 1999.
| Homes in Kensington and Chelsea | Share |
|---|---|
| Detached houses | 1% |
| Semi-detached houses | 3% |
| Terraced houses | 13% |
| Flats | 81% |
| Built before 1919 | 65% |
| Built 1919 to 1944 | 8% |
| Built 1945 to 1972 | 9% |
| Built 1973 to 1999 | 10% |
| Built since 2000 | 7% |
House types from Census 2021 (table TS044); building age from the Valuation Office Agency council tax stock of properties, 31 March 2026 (table CTSOP 4.1). Figures cover the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (E09000020).
Screeding services in Kensington and Chelsea
- Liquid ScreedOpen-plan flat floors across Kensington and Chelsea suit pumped liquid screed: flat, dense and walkable in 24 to 48 hours.
- Sand and Cement ScreedDamp lower ground floors in Kensington and Chelsea period houses, rebuilt with hand-laid sand and cement screed.
- Underfloor Heating ScreedUnderfloor heating in Kensington and Chelsea period rooms needs thin build-ups, correct pipe cover and a slow heat-up.
- Anhydrite & Flow ScreedAnhydrite flow screed to CA-C25-F5 and other grades for Kensington and Chelsea apartments, with laitance and moisture advice.
- Floor LevellingFloor levelling to SR1 for shop fit outs on Kensington High Street and the King's Road and uneven floors across Kensington and Chelsea.
- Latex ScreedThin latex screed for Kensington and Chelsea period rooms with tight floor heights, over ply, firm tiles or worn concrete.
- Concrete Floor GrindingEarls Court plots, King's Road restaurants and 1970s estate flats: diamond floor grinding in Kensington and Chelsea, dust extracted.
We also offer fibre reinforced screed, quick drying screed, high strength screed, bonded screed, floor preparation, screed repairs, concrete floor repair, screed pumping, insulation & membranes, commercial screeding and residential screeding in Kensington and Chelsea.
Parking, neighbours and timing in Kensington and Chelsea
53% of homes in the borough sit in council tax bands F to H, and higher-value interiors tend to arrive with specified finishes, long lead times on stone and timber, and several trades waiting on the floor. The screed sits in the middle of that programme. Wet plastering should be finished, windows and external doors fitted, and any heating pipes pressure tested before we arrive. The flooring can only go down once the screed has dried, so book the fitter around it.
Access needs planning just as early. A pumped screed needs the mixer and pump at the kerb within a hose run of the door, which on a residential street here usually means a parking suspension. A front area with steps down to a lower ground floor, a shared entrance or a lift in a block of flats all change how the hose is routed. Tell us about them when you ask for a price.
In a block, the managing agent or freeholder may set working hours and ask how common parts will be protected. Shops and restaurants along Kensington High Street and the King's Road have their own constraints, usually out of hours working and a fast turnaround; our commercial screeding service covers those fit outs.
Screeding prices for Kensington and Chelsea floors
Sand and cement £18 to £25 per m², liquid £24 to £31 per m², supplied and laid (MyJobQuote, August 2026). MyJobQuote does not say whether these figures include VAT. See our floor screeding cost guide.
Who lays your floor screed in Kensington and Chelsea
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.
Reaching Kensington and Chelsea
As the crow flies, our yard in Slough is about 19.6 miles from Kensington and Chelsea, which lies to the east. Postcodes here include SW7, SW3, SW5 and W10, and Hammersmith and Fulham (1.2 miles), Westminster (1.6 miles), Camden (3.4 miles) and Wandsworth (3.8 miles) are close by. Neighbourhoods we cover in Kensington and Chelsea include Brompton, Chelsea, Earl's Court, Kensal Town and Kensington.
See our screeding services for every screed type we lay.
