Cost guide
How much does floor screeding cost?
Sand and cement screed costs £18 to £28 per square metre laid. Liquid anhydrite screed costs £22 to £35 and goes down thinner and flatter. Latex levelling over an existing floor is £12 to £20. A day rate applies below about twenty square metres.
Typical prices
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on your room.
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Sand and cement screed, per m² | £18 to £28 |
| Liquid anhydrite screed, per m² | £22 to £35 |
| Latex levelling compound, per m² | £12 to £20 |
| Screed over underfloor heating, per m² | £25 to £38 |
| Minimum charge, small rooms | £450 to £700 |
Ask how long before you can lay a floor covering on it, and get that in writing. A screed that is walked on at a week and tiled at three is the commonest cause of a failed tiled floor.
What moves the price
- Which screed. Liquid anhydrite costs more per metre and goes down thinner, faster and flatter than sand and cement.
- Depth, which is set by whether there is underfloor heating in it and by what the floor build-up allows.
- Area. Below about twenty square metres a day rate applies whatever the metre price says.
- Access for a pump on a liquid screed, and whether the mix can reach the room at all.
- Preparation: insulation, edge foam, a damp proof membrane and taping, all of which come before the screed.
What the money buys: sand and cement screed over insulation on a new slab.
Who quotes for it
Questions about floor screeding
What depth does screed need over underfloor heating?
Around 65 to 75 millimetres for sand and cement and as little as 40 for liquid anhydrite, measured over the top of the pipes rather than over the insulation. Thinner responds faster; thicker holds heat longer.
What is laitance?
The weak milky layer that rises to the surface of a liquid screed as it sets. It has to be sanded off before tiles or adhesive go down, and a floor that fails to bond is usually a floor where nobody did.