What latex does on Newbury kitchen and bathroom floors
Latex screed is a trade name rather than a separate kind of screed. A bag of cement based powder is mixed with a latex liquid in place of water, and the latex gives the cured layer a little flexibility and a strong grip on awkward surfaces. It is spread thin, usually a few millimetres, and its only job is to give a flooring fitter a smooth, flat face to stick to.
That makes it a refit product. When a Newbury kitchen or bathroom is stripped back, the floor under the old vinyl is rarely one tidy material. You might find firmly stuck quarry tiles by the back door, ceramic tiles where a bath once stood, patches of concrete where a wall came out and traces of old adhesive. Latex bridges those changes so the joins and grout lines do not print through a thin sheet floor.
Upstairs, a bathroom floor is often timber. Latex never goes straight onto bare floorboards, because boards move and the thin layer would crack along every joint. The boards are screwed down and overboarded with flooring grade plywood first, and the latex goes over the plywood.
Homes built between the wars make up 7% of Newbury's housing, and a house of that age may have had several kitchens fitted over the years. Each surviving layer is checked: tiles are tapped for hollow spots, adhesive is scraped to see whether it holds, and anything loose comes up. Where the whole room is out of level rather than just rough, the page on levelling compound and flatness classes explains the next step.
When a Newbury floor needs more than latex
Latex is a finishing layer, and it has firm limits. It will not dry out a damp floor, stiffen boards that bounce, or lift a room that falls away by a large amount. Laying it in any of those cases just hides the fault for a few months.
Damp is the main risk in the oldest parts of town. In the older streets of Speenhamland and the town centre, the pre-1919 houses often sit on solid floors with nothing beneath to stop moisture. Latex and vinyl over a floor like that trap the damp, and the adhesive lets go. We test the floor first; if it fails, the answer is to dig out and relay with a membrane, insulation and a new sand and cement floor.
Springy timber is the second warning sign. Loose boards need fixing before any plywood or compound goes down. Where a floor has been patched with cement in one corner and boards in another, the base is made consistent first.
Primer comes before latex every time. Concrete, old tiles and plywood each take their own type, and a calcium sulphate screed must have its laitance sanded off and be primed with a compatible product. Our screed repairs service deals with cracked or crumbling patches found when an old floor is lifted.
How we price latex screed in Newbury
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 Newbury
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 Newbury
On the map, Newbury sits west-south-west of Slough, about 30.7 miles from our base in a straight line (postcodes including RG14), next to Thatcham (2.8 miles), Tadley (8.1 miles), Basingstoke (13.7 miles) and Wantage (13.7 miles).
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.