How much to screed a floor?

[Joyrider1]

My house has living room that was once the double garage. The previous owners had the conversion done, but it seems that the quality of workmanship (along with everything else in this house) was ste. Hence now my 'floating timber floor' is not level, flexes in places, creaks awful, and is generally now bugging me to the point of taking it all up and just having the floor screeded and levelled so that it is nice and solid.

Anyone know what kind of price I'm looking at? The room is approx 20sq.m (already have the insulation under the timber floor so guess I can reuse that)

And also does anyone know anyone in the Northampton area that can do it?

Edited by Joyrider1 on Wednesday 16th January 16:08

[NorthDave]

I paid something like £800 cash for 30msq recently. My mate managed to get over twice the size done for about £1200 I think recently.

Both in the Manchester area.

[Muncher]

I had 110sqm done for £500 plus materials recently. Materials were about £600 iirc so it worked out at around £10 per square meter.

[magooagain]

If your existing timber floating floor is on insulation, wont you need to excavate the sub floor in order to arrive at the same floor level when the screed is laid ? As the screed will need to be thicker than the timber thickness ,unless its a minimum of 75 mm.

[Honestherbert]

Sorry, misunderstood what you wanted doing!!

[Joyrider1]

magooagain said:

If your existing timber floating floor is on insulation, wont you need to excavate the sub floor in order to arrive at the same floor level when the screed is laid ? As the screed will need to be thicker than the timber thickness ,unless its a minimum of 75 mm.

I believe (and I've not taken up the floor yet to have a look, other than a small piece drilled out), that as this was once a double garage, then the floor 'should' be concrete, with a badly laid timber frame over the top and insulation in-between the joists. I'm not exactly the most practical person in the world, but shouldn't I be able to just remove all the timber, re-use the insulation and screed over the top to the same floor level as the rest of the house?

Or am I talking at cross-purposes here? (highly likely)

[magooagain]

If you have some joists under there ,then yes you should have enough depth for insulation and screed.
The next thing you need to find out what insulation is it ? It needs to be a load bearing insulation.
The screed needs to be 75mm minimum depth with a chicken type wire reinforcing placed in the middle of the thickness of the screed.
Remember that if the existing insulation is ok (your screeder will tell you that) you will need extra to make up for the removal of the joists.

[astroarcadia]

magooagain said:

The screed needs to be 75mm minimum depth with a chicken type wire reinforcing placed in the middle of the thickness of the screed.

Not true.

What is the depth from the top of your concrete slab to finished floor level?

Personally I would buy new insulation. If you keep the existing you will still need in infill where joists were and ideally tape joints.

Lets have some pics OP?

Edited by astroarcadia on Wednesday 16th January 18:37

[anonymous-user]

Ours was £1400 for flow screed (100sq m)approx 50-55mm thick. If it's a concrete floor, put down some insulation (celotex or the like) then a membrane, then screed over the top. Company is Fast Flow screed in Spalding (or somewhere like that) The lads that did it were very thorough, I'd recommend

[magooagain]

astroarcadia said:

magooagain said:

The screed needs to be 75mm minimum depth with a chicken type wire reinforcing placed in the middle of the thickness of the screed.

Not true.




In your opinion.

Edited by astroarcadia on Wednesday 16th January 18:37

[anonymous-user]

Why does it need to be a minimum of 75mm? Ours didn't have to be, but then it's not a sand and cement one...

[magooagain]

Its the wieght of the screed that is important when laying on the insulation,hence needing the reinforcing aswell.
I appreciate that some screed spec and strenths may have changed.
But as a matter of safegaurding myself i have allways screeded on insulation to that spec,as has the many other screeders i have worked with on sites.

[astroarcadia]

So is it the weight or the depth that is important then?

[Joyrider1]

astroarcadia said:

Not true.

What is the depth from the top of your concrete slab to finished floor level?

Personally I would buy new insulation. If you keep the existing you will still need in infill where joists were and ideally tape joints.

Lets have some pics OP?

Not much I can take pics of really, apart from the top of the current floor - need to get the skirting off and start pulling it apart to see what's really under there. No idea of the depth from concrete slab to finished floor, but I understand regarding infilling the insulation where the joists were. Guess I need to get someone in to take a look

[Busa mav]

astroarcadia said:

magooagain said:

The screed needs to be 75mm minimum depth with a chicken type wire reinforcing placed in the middle of the thickness of the screed.

Not true.

Astroarcadia, Could I ask what part of the above you consider is not true ?

Edited by Busa mav on Wednesday 16th January 19:19

[magooagain]

It has been a rule of thumb that 75mm depth provides sufficient wieght.

[Busa mav]

magooagain said:

It has been a rule of thumb that 75mm depth provides sufficient wieght.

,I certainly wouldnt want to be seeing any less on top of insulation

[astroarcadia]

Busa mav said:

astroarcadia said:

magooagain said:

The screed needs to be 75mm minimum depth with a chicken type wire reinforcing placed in the middle of the thickness of the screed.

Not true.

Could I ask what part of the above you consider is not true ?

Of course.

Stating the screed needs be a minimum depth of 75mm.
Stating that a "chicken type wire" needs to be placed in the middle of the screed.

[Spudler]

magooagain said:

It has been a rule of thumb that 75mm depth provides sufficient wieght.

75mm is the norm.
Can't say we've used chicken wire for some time, always spec fibres tho.

[astroarcadia]

The recommended minimum thickness of screed is 65 mm for domestic floors and 75 mm for non-domestic. This can be replaced with a thinner reinforced screed that has the equivalent strength of the above mentioned non-reinforced screed depths.

All in my opinion of course.