Most people searching for a liquid screed price want one number per square metre. That number exists, and it is below. But liquid screed is pumped from a truck mixer through a hose, and the pump, the crew and the delivery cost much the same whether the floor is 15m² or 60m². So the honest way to price liquid screed is by the job, not just by the metre.
Short answer: liquid screed typically costs £24 to £31 per m² supplied and laid in 2026 (MyJobQuote, August 2026), or £20 to £35 per m² laid over underfloor heating pipes (trade2base, June 2026). Small rooms often cost more per m² than large floors because of minimum charges and pump costs.
For prices across every screed type, see our floor screeding cost guide. This post covers liquid screed only.
What liquid screed costs per m2 in 2026
These are published UK market figures, not our price list. We give every floor its own fixed price, but these ranges are a fair starting point for a budget.
| Item | Typical 2026 price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid (flowing) screed, supplied and laid | £24 to £31 per m² | MyJobQuote, August 2026 |
| Liquid screed over underfloor heating, 25 to 40mm over pipes | £20 to £35 per m² | trade2base, June 2026 |
| Sand and cement screed, supplied and laid | £18 to £25 per m² | MyJobQuote, August 2026 |
| Screed pump hire | £300 to £600 per day | trade2base, June 2026 |
| Minimum charge for jobs under about 20m² | £300 to £500 | trade2base, June 2026 |
| Labour only, screeding generally | £10 to £12 per m², or £120 to £200 per day | MyJobQuote, August 2026 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
trade2base gives its figures excluding VAT; MyJobQuote does not say whether its figures include VAT, so check whether any quotation you receive includes it.
MyJobQuote says floor screeding in London and the surrounding areas typically costs 25% to 35% more than elsewhere in the UK, and depth, access and preparation can push a price outside any of these ranges.
Liquid screed price by floor size
Here is what the MyJobQuote per m² range works out to for some common floor sizes. The last column shows how much a single day of pump hire, at trade2base's £300 to £600, adds to each square metre if it is spread across the floor. It is there to show the effect of fixed costs, not as a separate charge you should expect to see.
| Floor | Area | At £24 to £31 per m² | Pump day spread per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small room or utility | 15m² | £360 to £465 | £20 to £40 |
| Kitchen extension | 30m² | £720 to £930 | £10 to £20 |
| Open plan ground floor | 60m² | £1,440 to £1,860 | £5 to £10 |
| Larger house or two floors | 100m² | £2,400 to £3,100 | £3 to £6 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Two things stand out. First, a 15m² room at the headline rate comes to about the same as the £300 to £500 minimum charge trade2base advises for small jobs, so a small room is often priced at the minimum rather than by the metre. Second, a fixed cost such as a pump day adds £3 to £6 per m² on a 100m² floor but £20 to £40 per m² on a 15m² room, which can come close to doubling the rate.
To work out the quantity for your own floor, try our screed calculator.
Why small floors cost more per m2
A liquid screed job has a set of costs that do not shrink with the floor.
- The pump and crew. The screed is fed into a line pump at the road and pushed through a hose to the room. Setting up the pump, running and protecting the hose, then washing everything out afterwards takes about the same time for a small room as for a large one. Our screed pumping page explains how this works on site.
- Delivery by volume. Liquid screed is batched at a plant and delivered in a truck mixer, ordered by the cubic metre. A small pour still needs a truck to turn up.
- The volume itself is small. One cubic metre covers about 20m² at 50mm deep, or about 28m² at 35mm. A 15m² room at 50mm needs only around 0.75m³, so the delivery and pump costs are spread over very little material.
- Preparation and levels. Edge strip, membrane laps and depth markers have to be set out whatever the size.
By contrast, flowing screed is quick to place once it is moving. Cemfloor lists installation of up to 2,000m² per day for its screed, and MyJobQuote puts a typical liquid screed job at 6 to 8 hours. On a big floor, the pump time is a small share of the bill.
Depth changes the price more than people expect
Because the screed is bought by volume, every extra 10mm of depth adds material across the whole floor. On a 60m² floor, going from 40mm to 50mm adds 0.6m³ of screed.
Typical minimum depths for calcium sulphate liquid screed are:
| Build-up | Typical minimum depth |
|---|---|
| Floating over insulation, domestic | about 35mm |
| Floating over insulation, commercial | about 40mm |
| Over underfloor heating pipes | at least 25mm cover, so 45 to 50mm in total |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Cemfloor, a cement based flowing screed, also gives a minimum of 35mm for domestic use. The product's own data sheet always sets the final figure. The cost trap is depth that creeps up because the insulation below is uneven or set too low. That extra depth is paid for in material and in drying time. See our anhydrite and flow screed page for how designations and depths are chosen.
What a liquid screed quote should include
Two quotes at the same per m² rate can be very different jobs. Before you compare them, check each one for these items.
- Depth. The thickness the price is based on. A quote at 35mm is not comparable with one at 50mm.
- Pump and delivery. Whether the pump, hose run and delivery are in the price or added on the day.
- Minimum charge. Whether a small area will be charged as a minimum rather than per m².
- Insulation. Who supplies and lays it, and whether joints are taped.
- Membrane and edge strip. A polythene slip membrane lapped and sealed, and edge strip around every wall and upstand. Liquid screed finds any gap, so this matters more than with sand and cement.
- Underfloor heating. Pipes clipped securely and usually filled with water before the pour so they cannot float. Make clear who does this. We screed over heating pipes but do not install them.
- Access. Hose length, upper floors, and any parking suspension the pump needs.
- Laitance removal. Calcium sulphate screed forms a surface layer, called laitance, that must be sanded off once dry before priming and flooring. Ask whether the quote includes it or leaves it to your flooring fitter.
Anything missing from this list is not necessarily a problem, but it should be a known cost rather than a surprise.
Liquid screed vs sand and cement on price
On the published 2026 figures, sand and cement is cheaper per m²: £18 to £25 against £24 to £31 for liquid (MyJobQuote). For a 60m² floor, that is £1,080 to £1,500 for sand and cement against £1,440 to £1,860 for liquid.
The per m² rate is not the whole comparison, though.
| Liquid screed | Sand and cement | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per m², 2026 | £24 to £31 | £18 to £25 |
| Typical floating depth, domestic | about 35mm | about 65mm |
| Cover over heating pipes | at least 25mm | about 45mm |
| Heating can be used to help drying from | about 7 days (calcium sulphate) | at least 21 days |
| Small rooms | often hit a minimum or pump charge | often cheaper |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
The thinner section can leave room for more insulation in the same floor height, and the earlier start on drying with the heating can shorten the wait before flooring. On a large open floor with underfloor heating, those can outweigh the higher rate. On a small room, sand and cement is usually the cheaper floor. Our guide to liquid screed vs sand and cement screed compares the two in full.
How to keep the cost down without cutting corners
- Pour everything in one visit. If an extension and an existing room both need screed, doing them together spreads the pump and set-up cost over more metres.
- Get the insulation level. A flat, well fitted insulation layer at the right height stops the screed going deeper than specified.
- Be ready on the day. Pipes clipped and filled, rooms cleared and edges sealed avoid a wasted or second visit.
- Sort parking early. If the pump needs a parking suspension, apply in good time so the pour is not delayed.
- Do not go below the minimum depth. A screed laid too thin to save a few pounds can crack, and repairs cost far more than the saving.
- Compare like for like. Use the checklist above so each quote prices the same depth and the same scope.
Get a fixed price for your floor
We supply and lay liquid screed with our own team and pump, from our base in Slough across London and the Home Counties. We do not hire out pumps, so the price you get is for the finished floor.
To get a fixed liquid screed price within 24 hours, send us:
- the floor area in m², or drawings;
- the depth available, or the finished floor level;
- whether there is underfloor heating, and who is fitting the insulation;
- the floor finish going on top;
- your postcode and any access notes.
Use our contact form or call 07466 650936. We call back the same day, and the price we agree before work starts is the price you pay. More detail on the material itself is on our liquid screed page.
Sources
- Floor screeding cost guide, MyJobQuote, updated 12 August 2026, accessed 1 October 2026
- Floor screed costs UK: what to charge for sand and cement, liquid and underfloor heating screed in 2026, trade2base, published 8 June 2026, accessed 1 October 2026
- Domestic floor screed, Cemfloor, accessed 1 October 2026
- Cemfloor liquid floor screed, Cemfloor, accessed 1 October 2026
