Bases under Loughton kitchen and bathroom refits
Latex screed gets its name from what it is mixed with. The powder is cement based, but the liquid in the pack is a latex emulsion rather than water. That gives the cured layer strong adhesion and a degree of flexibility, so it copes with surfaces an ordinary compound might struggle to stick to.
Pull up the old floor in a Loughton kitchen or bathroom and one of four bases usually appears.
Timber. Upstairs bathrooms in houses usually sit on boarded floors. Latex never goes straight on boards, which shrink, swell and flex. The boards are fixed down, flooring grade plywood is screwed over them at close centres, and the latex is laid on the plywood.
Old tiles. Quarry or ceramic tiles that are all firmly bonded can stay. They are cleaned of polish and grease, primed for a non-porous surface and skimmed, which saves breaking them out.
Concrete. Older slabs with shallow hollows, rough patches and patch repairs take latex well once they are clean and primed.
Old adhesive. A thin, hard, well bonded layer of old glue can sometimes stay under a compatible primer. A thick or soft layer comes off first, and our concrete grinding service removes it under dust extraction.
The finishes driving this are the thin and flexible ones: sheet vinyl, LVT, lino, rubber and the slip resistant safety flooring often used in bathrooms. Carpet is more forgiving, but it wears through over a ridge.
Damp, bounce and level checks for Loughton floors
A latex layer is only a few millimetres thick, so it takes on the character of whatever sits below it. Three checks come before any price.
Is the floor dry? Latex is not a damp proof layer. On a solid floor without a working membrane, moisture keeps coming up, and the compound and the flooring above it can fail. Some inter-war semis in the town have cold, uneven solid floors, and a floor in that state wants relaying, not a skim; our Loughton sand and cement screed page covers that work.
Is it rigid? Springy boards or loose plywood crack thin compound along every joint. They are refixed or replaced before latex is considered.
Is it roughly level? Latex smooths out shallow hollows and small steps. A floor that falls noticeably across the room needs a deeper compound or a new screed, as our Loughton floor levelling page explains.
Then comes the primer, chosen for the base: one for porous concrete and sand and cement, another for tiles and other closed surfaces, another for plywood. Where the floor is calcium sulphate screed, the laitance is always sanded away and the surface always primed first.
The checks are the same from Great Woodcote Park to South Loughton. For a property in Waltham Cross, see latex screed in Waltham Cross.
How we price latex screed in Loughton
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 Loughton
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 Loughton
As the crow flies, our yard in Slough is about 31.8 miles from Loughton, which lies to the east-north-east. Postcodes here include IG10, and Chigwell (2.5 miles), Waltham Abbey (3 miles), Epping (3.5 miles) and Waltham Cross (4.8 miles) are close by.
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.