Awkward bases in Selsey kitchen and bathroom refits
Latex screed earns its keep on floors that are not ready for a new covering as they stand. Strip out a dated kitchen in a Selsey bungalow and you might find old quarry tiles, a patch of concrete where a wall came out, and a ring of stubborn glue where the last vinyl sat. Sheet vinyl or LVT laid straight over that mix would show every edge and grout line within weeks.
The compound gets its name from the liquid. Instead of mixing the powder with water, the installer adds a latex emulsion, which gives a slightly flexible layer that grips difficult surfaces. It goes down thin and smooths out the texture of the base rather than rebuilding it.
Each base gets its own treatment first. Quarry or ceramic tiles must be firmly stuck, with any loose or hollow ones lifted and the gaps filled, and the glaze cleaned and primed. Old adhesive can stay only if it is hard and well bonded; where it is thick or soft, grinding it off the slab comes first. A calcium sulphate screed always has its laitance removed and is primed before latex touches it.
Timber is the base people wonder about in older houses. Bare floorboards move with every step, and the compound would crack along their joints, so boards are first covered with flooring grade plywood, screwed down firmly, and the latex goes over the plywood. If a floor still bounces after that, the trouble is in the joists and has to be put right before anything else.
Damp, sea air and latex limits in Selsey
Homes built before 1919 make up 7% of Selsey's housing, and floors that old may have no membrane at all. Latex sits on top of whatever is below it, so it cannot hold back rising moisture. If the slab under an old tiled floor is damp, the compound and the vinyl above it will both suffer. We take a moisture reading before pricing a latex job, and where the base fails, a membrane or a new floor comes first.
The same honesty applies to level. Latex is a smoothing coat for a floor that is broadly flat already. A kitchen that drops away towards the back door, or a bathroom with a hump where an old wall stood, needs more than a few millimetres. In those rooms, general levelling compound or a fresh screed is the right first step, and latex, if it is still needed, follows.
Finishes that suit a latex base include sheet vinyl, LVT, lino, rubber, safety flooring and carpet. For a holiday cottage being turned round between seasons, a latex base is a short job next to a new screed, though the maker's drying time still decides when the fitter can start. If the old tiles prove loose across the whole room, our floor preparation team can lift them and ready the base.
How we price latex screed in Selsey
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 Selsey
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 Selsey
As the crow flies, our yard in Slough is about 55.6 miles from Selsey, which lies to the south. Postcodes here include PO20, and Bognor Regis (6.4 miles), Chichester (7.2 miles), Emsworth (10.2 miles) and Havant (12.1 miles) are close by.
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.
