Skimming original floors in South Woodham Ferrers bathrooms
The name sounds like rubber flooring, but latex screed is a compound. It comes in two parts: a powder based on cement, and a latex liquid that is mixed into it instead of water.
It is thin work. A few millimetres is typical, enough to bury grout lines, screw heads and rough patches without raising the floor noticeably at the door.
That suits the jobs a planned town of this age produces. When an original bathroom or cloakroom is stripped, the old ceramic tiles are sometimes still fixed hard to the floor. If every tile is firmly bonded, it can be cleaned, primed and skimmed rather than broken out. Where a previous owner laid vinyl, a thin, hard layer of adhesive is often left; as long as it is sound and well stuck, it can stay under a latex skim after the right primer.
Upstairs, or in any room with a timber floor, the boards are covered with flooring grade plywood first and the latex goes over the plywood. Older concrete that is sound but rough can take it too.
Only 14% of homes in the town were built between 1945 and 1972, so the bigger share of these refits is in later houses whose original finishes are simply worn out. A covering such as sheet vinyl, safety flooring in a utility room, lino or rubber all benefit from that smooth face. For the wider choice between compound and new screed, see floor levelling in South Woodham Ferrers.
What latex cannot cure in South Woodham Ferrers homes
Latex sits on top of a floor; it does not repair one. Before mixing any, we check three things.
Is the base sound? Hollow sand and cement screeds are a known fault in houses of this age, and a latex skim laid over a drummy patch will crack when the loose screed underneath moves. That patch is cut out and relaid first under our screed repair work, or the room gets a replacement sand and cement floor.
Is it dry? Latex is not a damp proof layer. A ground floor showing damp needs the cause dealt with before a sheet finish seals it in.
Is it close to level? A skim a few millimetres thick follows the shape of the floor. A room that falls noticeably towards the garden or steps down at an old wall needs a proper levelling compound or new screed, and latex only goes on afterwards if the finish calls for it.
Priming is the last check. Concrete, sand and cement, old tiles and plywood each take a primer suited to them. Where a newer extension has a calcium sulphate screed, the laitance is sanded away and that floor is always primed. Nearby, Rochford has its own latex screed page.
How we price latex screed in South Woodham Ferrers
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 South Woodham Ferrers
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 South Woodham Ferrers
On the map, South Woodham Ferrers sits east of Slough, about 55.1 miles from our base in a straight line (postcodes including CM3), next to Rayleigh (4.1 miles), Wickford (4.9 miles), Rochford (5.7 miles) and Maldon (6.5 miles).
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.