Old floor tiles in Bedwell and Broadwater terraces
Lifting old floor tiles in one of these new town terraces can go one of two ways. Some come away cleanly and leave an original screed marked with adhesive and the odd crack. Others are stuck so hard that chiselling them out would tear pieces from the screed beneath. Latex suits both cases.
Where the tiles hold firm, leaving them in place is often the sounder choice. Each one is tapped, and any that sound hollow or rock are taken out and the holes filled. The glazed face is cleaned of grease and polish, a primer made for smooth, non-absorbent surfaces goes on, and the latex is spread to cover the grout lines completely. Grout joints left showing would print through thin vinyl.
Where the tiles have already gone, the screed underneath needs a firm test. Scratch it with a key or a screwdriver. If it is hard and stays in one piece, small cracks can be filled, the surface primed and a latex coat laid. If it powders or lifts, latex will only hide the fault, and the floor needs repairs to the old screed or a full relay first.
The finishes that suit a latexed floor are the thin ones: sheet vinyl, LVT, lino, rubber and carpet. Coverings like these show every grout line, chip and trowel mark, which is exactly why the latex is there. Thicker tiles and boards are less fussy and may not need it at all.
Timber, damp and bathroom refits in Stevenage
Not every floor in a Stevenage house is solid. Upper floors in houses of this era are timber joists and boards, and the bathroom is usually up there. For latex on timber, the boards are screwed down to stop squeaks and movement, sheets of flooring grade plywood are screwed on top, and the latex is spread on that, never on the boards themselves. If a board bounces underfoot, a joist or a fixing is at fault, and a carpenter deals with that first.
Damp is checked on the ground floor before anything is mixed. An older ground floor may lack an effective membrane, and a latex coat will not stop moisture rising; it can lift or blister the vinyl above instead. Readings come first, and a floor that fails needs a membrane or a new screed.
Calcium sulphate screed is a different case again. Where a newer home has an anhydrite base, the weak surface skin is sanded away and a primer made for calcium sulphate goes on before any latex goes near it, or the bond suffers. Our Stevenage anhydrite page explains that surface.
Where a room has dropped too far out of level for a thin coat, floor levelling in Stevenage covers deeper correction.
How we price latex screed in Stevenage
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 Stevenage
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 Stevenage
Stevenage is about 31.9 miles north-east of our Slough base as the crow flies, with postcodes including SG1 and SG2. The nearest towns to it are Hitchin (4.7 miles), Letchworth (5.3 miles), Baldock (6.1 miles) and Welwyn Garden City (6.8 miles).
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.
