Retrofitting underfloor heating in Westbury semis
Retrofitting warm floors into a lived-in house normally waits until the ground floor is being lifted for some other reason. Homes built between 1973 and 1999 make up 30% of Westbury's housing, and a floor of that age that is being replaced is a natural point to add pipes.
Floor height is the constraint. Insulation, pipes and screed all have to squeeze into the depth available and still finish level with the adjoining rooms. With liquid screed, the minimum is 25mm above the pipes, so the screed itself ends up about 45 to 50mm deep. A hand-laid mix wants about 45mm over the pipes, making for a thicker floor. Where every millimetre counts, liquid screed for retrofit floors is often the answer.
The screed also has to surround the pipes completely. Poured screed runs into every gap round the loops and leaves no trapped air, a big reason heated floors tend to get it. A hand-laid screed can do the same job but needs careful compaction around the pipes, and it takes longer before the heating can be used, so it tends to suit smaller rooms or areas that need a cement substrate.
Insulation underneath is not optional. Without it, the heat goes into the ground. Before the pump starts, we go over the insulation, the membrane and the perimeter strip, and our insulation and membranes service can provide any that are missing. Fitting the pipework itself stays with your heating engineer.
Commissioning heated floors in Westbury, step by step
Once the screed is down, the heating cannot simply be switched on. Warmth has to come in gently, letting the screed dry evenly. Rushing this stage risks cracking the screed.
Timing depends on the material. Calcium sulphate can generally be warmed gently from about 7 days, whereas sand and cement must rest for at least 21 days first. After that, the flow temperature goes up a little at a time across several days, stays there for a while, and comes down again before the flooring is fitted. We give that schedule in writing so everyone on the job works to it.
Some newer houses in Westbury will have heating designed in from the start, and the specification may name a calcium sulphate grade. For a plot like that, see our page on anhydrite flow screed specifications.
For budgeting, heated liquid screed floors are listed at £20 to £35 per m² in 2026 published figures. For how drying and heat-up interact, read our drying time guide. Projects a few miles away can be priced as underfloor heating screed in Warminster.
Underfloor Heating Screed prices in Westbury
Liquid screed over underfloor heating: £20 to £35 per m² supplied and laid (trade2base, June 2026), so £700 to £1,230 for 35 m². trade2base gives these figures excluding VAT. See our floor screeding cost guide or screed calculator.
Who lays your underfloor heating screed in Westbury
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.
Underfloor Heating Screed from Slough to Westbury
As the crow flies, our yard in Slough is about 69.1 miles from Westbury, which lies to the west-south-west. Postcodes here include BA13, and Warminster (3.9 miles), Trowbridge (4.2 miles), Frome (6.3 miles) and Melksham (8 miles) are close by.
More on underfloor heating screed, part of our screeding services.