Awkward bases in Petersfield kitchen and bathroom refits
Kitchen and bathroom refits are where latex earns its keep, because the floor under the old units is rarely a clean slab. Lift a worn vinyl in a Petersfield house and you might find quarry tiles, a patchwork of ceramic, a skim of old adhesive or concrete that was never quite flat.
Each of those can take latex, provided it is sound. Quarry and ceramic tiles must be firmly bonded: we tap across them, and any that sound hollow or rock are lifted and the gaps filled before priming. Old adhesive can stay if it is thin, hard and well stuck; soft or flaking residue comes off first. Uneven concrete is cleaned, loose patches are cut out, and a primer suited to that base goes on.
Timber is the case that catches people out. Latex must never be poured straight onto bare floorboards, because the boards move with the seasons and the thin layer cracks above every joint. The answer is to overboard with flooring grade plywood, screwed down at close centres, and lay the latex on the ply. Homes built between 1919 and 1944 make up 10% of Petersfield's housing, and a house of that age can easily have boards in one room and a solid floor in the next, so each room is judged on its own.
Once the base is ready, the powder and liquid are mixed together and spread across the room a few millimetres deep. Once cured it takes sheet vinyl, LVT, lino, rubber, carpet or slip resistant safety flooring. If the floor is out by more than a thin coat can correct, our floor levelling page explains the thicker options.
Damp and movement near the Causeway rule latex out
Some of the oldest homes, the pre-1919 houses in the centre and along the Causeway, can sit on floors laid over bare earth or an old slab without any membrane. A thin latex coat over a floor like that does nothing to stop damp coming up. Moisture trapped under new vinyl or LVT can loosen the adhesive and mark the surface, and the latex fails along with it. Before pricing we check for damp, and where it is present the honest route is a dig-out, insulation, a membrane and a new sand and cement floor, with extra care if the building is listed.
Two other faults rule latex out. Springy boards will crack any thin compound, so loose boards and weak joists are fixed and overboarded first. A floor that falls away badly across the room is beyond a layer a few millimetres thick and needs a screed or repair before the finish goes on.
Calcium sulphate screeds need one more step. The weak, chalky laitance on top has to be sanded away first, then a primer made for calcium sulphate goes on, and only after that can latex be poured. Cracked or hollow patches in an existing screed are cut out and made good through screed repairs beforehand.
How we price latex screed in Petersfield
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 Petersfield
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 Petersfield
Petersfield is about 38.6 miles south-south-west of our Slough base as the crow flies, with postcodes including GU32, GU31 and GU33. The nearest towns to it are Horndean (7.3 miles), Alton (10.1 miles), Havant (10.4 miles) and Emsworth (10.8 miles).
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.
