Latex under new finishes in Tower Hamlets flats
The trade calls it latex screed, but it is really a two part smoothing compound. A cement based powder is stirred into a latex liquid rather than water, which gives the cured layer a slight flexibility and a firmer grip on surfaces that plain compounds dislike. It goes on thin, typically a few millimetres, and its job is to give a thin finish a smooth face to sit on.
Flats bring a predictable set of bases. In post-war estate blocks, the concrete under an old floor can be rough, patched and pitted, and latex smooths it once it is clean and primed. A kitchen or bathroom may still have quarry or ceramic tiles; if every tile is firmly bonded, they can stay, degreased and primed, with the latex filling the grout lines over them. Sound, well stuck adhesive from an old floor can sometimes be covered too, once tested.
Converted flats, 6% of the borough's homes, sit inside older buildings, where a timber floor is more likely. Boards there are screwed down and overboarded with flooring grade plywood, and the latex goes over the ply, never straight onto bare boards.
Newer blocks often have calcium sulphate screed. Its laitance is sanded off and it is always primed before latex goes on.
Latex also suits upper floors. It is mixed in small batches on the landing, with no pump or long hose, so a fourth floor flat is no harder to reach than a ground floor one, provided there is a lift or the stairs are clear.
When a Tower Hamlets floor needs more than latex
Latex is a finishing layer. It cannot make a poor base good, so a floor in Tower Hamlets is checked for four things before any goes down.
Is it dry? The small surviving pre-1919 stock can have solid floors with no membrane, and latex over damp concrete will not stop moisture reaching the vinyl. The damp is dealt with first.
Is it firm? Springy timber, loose tiles or crumbling patches will crack any compound. Broken areas are cut out and repaired, and timber is fixed down and overboarded.
Is it roughly level? Latex covers millimetres. A floor that dips or falls across the room needs deeper work, explained on our Tower Hamlets floor levelling page.
Is the surface clean? High spots, old paint and stubborn residue are taken off first, and concrete floor grinding in Tower Hamlets does that with dust extraction, which matters in shared blocks.
The same checks apply across the borough, in Mile End, Bow Common, Bromley, Ratcliff and St George in the East, and in postcodes such as E3 and E1W. Once we have seen the floor, you will know whether latex on its own is enough.
How we price latex screed in Tower Hamlets
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 Tower Hamlets
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 Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets is about 26.2 miles east of our Slough base as the crow flies, with postcodes including E2, E14, E3 and E9. The nearest towns to it are Hackney (2.5 miles), Newham (3.2 miles), Southwark (3.5 miles) and Islington (3.6 miles).
More on latex screed, part of our screeding services.
