Levels set off the existing hall so the two floors meet flush.
Underfloor heating
Pipes covered at the depth the system was designed around.
Levelling an existing floor
A through room where two floors sit at different heights.
Not sure which one you have? We can tell you on the visit. We work on flats, terraces, semis, detached and period houses, new builds and commercial premises.
How it works
01
Tell us about the job
Ring, message or send the form. A rough idea of the rooms is enough to start.
02
One of the team comes and looks
A free visit at a time that suits you. Nothing is signed and nothing is owed.
03
A written price
You get a written price after a look at the job, itemised, with no obligation.
04
Agree a date
If the price is right, the work is booked in and the site is left tidy each day.
No charge for the visit, and no obligation after it.
What will my floor screeding cost?
The price depends on the area, the depth the level asks for, and whether insulation and heating pipes go in underneath first. We visit first, then you get a written price after a look at the job.
Area and depth
A deeper screed is more material and a longer cure.
What goes under it
Insulation, membrane and pipework are laid before the screed.
Sand and cement, or flowing
A flowing screed goes down faster and costs more per square metre.
CoveringBromley, South East London, Kent and Central London
Floor screeding on site
A closer look at the preparation and the work behind the finish.
Screed is the layer between the structure and the floor you actually walk on. It goes over a slab, over insulation, or over underfloor heating pipes, and its whole job is to arrive at one flat level at the right height. Get the level wrong by fifteen millimetres and the doors bind, the thresholds do not line up and the kitchen units sit proud.
Most screeding around here is extensions and knock throughs: a rear extension that needs to meet the existing floor, or a through room where two different floors have to become one. The level gets set off the doorways and the existing finished floor before anything is mixed.
Blockwork wall scratch coat with screed railsCChristopherGoogle...The work is immaculate.
“Good honest business, we called SMB after we had a bad experience with previous contractors. ... The work is immaculate (we had our house skimmed), the detail, care and attention is spot on.”
“Frank and Steve did a fantastic job on my hallway! Really professional team and their work is seamless. I was really impressed, and they even fixed my skirting board and put it back on for me, a very appreciated extra! Would highly recommend.”
“They did a great job. I had an awkward hallway area and a large ceiling to skim. I thought they'd finished earlier in the day as it looked great to me then, but they went over the whole area to make sure that the finish was perfect.”
“Excellent work! Scott plastered our living room including some tricky details around fireplace and bay window. Great finish looks really good, all the work was tidy and well communicated all done on time. Would highly recommend.”
“Frank completed a wall for me that needed plastering, he was on time, very polite and nothing seemed an issue. ... Although only a small job, kept my house tidy, even outside the house, cleaned up after he finished and done a perfect job, highly recommended from myself.”
“Hi, Had the team in plastering for a week. What a joy. There were no problems they turned up on time everyday and very polite. Would recommend them to anyone. Thanks very much guys.”
“I don't often leave reviews, but Frank was so helpful and pleasant to work with that he deserves 5 stars. Very responsive and professional. He did a great job and left our place clean and tidy. Thanks again Frank!”
“Frank very kindly stopped by to plaster a chipped wall. Perfectly done and really helpful and kind guy. 100% calling if I ever need any more plastering done!”
“Although we didn't require any work, Frank was extremely helpful and knowledgable on his visit to inspect our issue. He was prompt and on time and responded quickly.”
“Very, very happy with Franks work finishing off kitchen walls after having been let down by a builder. It was a tricky job as the granite worktops ect had already been installed but I couldn't be happier with the result.”
“Really happy with the work. Great finish and very professional. Turned up on time, kept things tidy, and did a top-quality job. Would definitely recommend.”
“very pleasant experience in communication and the level of service provided. tradesman was very polite. He came around for a diagnosis before outlining the job in details with cost and what needs doing.”
“Just had Scott round, Arrived on time started straight away and just got on with the job. Pleasant at all times clean & tidy worker will definitely use again. Work looks good and he stuck to his price. Thanks Scott was was good to meet you.”
“Very professional, was very clear on what exactly will be done. Agreed a price and kept me update all the way through. Happy with the work completed and after care as well. Very helpful and highly recommended.”
“Scott called me before booking a date to come and do work. He reasured me about somethings i was worried about. He come in time he said he would and helped me with another job as well. Very helpful and happy with service”
“Great job by Scott plastering the small room, he managed to sort out the uneven ceiling and walls. Will be using Scott again to sort out a couple of other rooms.”
SMB Plastering and Sons is based in Bromley and covers Beckenham, Orpington, Sidcup and the towns around them. Send a postcode and we will tell you whether the job is one we can get to.
Usually the next day on a traditional screed, sooner on a flowing one. Walking on it is not the same as loading it though, so the room stays clear of stacked materials and trestles for a good while after that.
Longer than most people expect. A traditional sand and cement screed at a normal domestic depth is comfortably over a month before it is dry enough for vinyl or wood. It gets said at the estimate so the flooring is not booked for the wrong week.
Yes. The pipes get clipped down and pressure tested first so a damaged pipe shows up while it can still be reached, and the screed goes over them at the depth the heating system asks for.
On a new floor, almost always, and the drawings will say what thickness. The thing to check early is whether the level you have to meet leaves room for both the insulation and enough screed on top of it.
The first job is deciding where the top of the finished floor has to be, and that is set by what meets it: the hall floor through the doorway, the threshold at the back doors, the bottom step of the stairs. From that, the screed depth follows, and so does whether there is room for the insulation the drawings show.
Datum marks go on the walls all round the room so the level is visible from anywhere in it while the screed is going down. It is a quick job that takes half an hour and it is the difference between a floor that meets the hall flush and one that has a lip across the doorway forever.
What goes under it
On a new slab that usually means a damp proof membrane, insulation boards butted tight and taped, and an edge strip round the perimeter so the screed is not locked to the walls. Where there is underfloor heating, the pipes are clipped down and pressurised before the screed goes over them, so a pipe that has been nicked shows up while it can still be got at.
Over an existing slab it is more often a question of what has to come off first. Old adhesive, bitumen and loose laitance all stop a screed bonding, and a bonded screed that has not bonded lifts in sheets a year later.
Sand and cement, or a flowing screed
A traditional sand and cement screed is mixed on site, laid to the datum and ruled off. It is the right answer for smaller areas, for falls to a gully, and for anywhere a barrow cannot easily get to. It needs more depth than a flowing screed and it takes longer to reach a moisture content a floor covering will tolerate.
A flowing screed is pumped in and finds its own level. It goes down thinner, covers underfloor heating pipes better, and is much faster over a large open area. It costs more per square metre and it needs the room properly sealed at the edges first, because it will find any gap there is.
Curing, and when a floor can go down
Screed is not ready because it is hard enough to walk on. It is ready when enough water has left it that a floor covering will not trap the rest. The rule of thumb on a traditional screed is a day per millimetre for the first fifty, then longer, which on a normal domestic depth is comfortably over a month.
That is worth knowing at the point the work is booked rather than the week the flooring is due. Where the programme cannot wait, a faster drying screed or a surface damp proof membrane is the conversation to have, and it is one to have before the screed goes down rather than after.
When to get it looked at
A rear extension floor that has to meet the existing hall
Underfloor heating pipes that need covering
A through room where two floors are at different levels
A slab that is out of level enough to show under vinyl
An old screed that is cracked or lifting in sheets
A floor being tiled where the tiler wants a flat base
City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in PlasteringFrank McBride, College of North West London, 2021Federation of Damp: Damp Proofing Technician trainingFrank McBride, January 2026be Accredited health and safety trainingAsbestos awareness, abrasive wheels, confined space, accident and incident, environmental awareness
