Floor Screed Costs UK — What to Charge for Sand and Cement, Liquid and Underfloor Heating Screed in 2026

Types of Floor Screed and When Each Is Used

Getting the specification right before you quote is not optional — the wrong screed type on a job can mean a callback, a failed floor, or a dispute with the main contractor. Here's how each product sits in the market.

Traditional Sand and Cement Screed

The workhorse of the industry. A mix of sharp sand and Portland cement (typically 3:1 or 4:1 ratio) laid at a semi-dry consistency. It's the most common screed in the UK residential market and comes in three configurations. Bonded screed is applied directly onto a prepared concrete substrate with a bonding agent — minimum thickness 25–40mm. Unbonded screed sits on a DPM (damp proof membrane) over the slab — minimum 50mm. Floating screed goes over rigid insulation boards, which is standard in new builds and extensions for thermal compliance — minimum 65–75mm per BS 8204.

Sand and cement is labour-intensive: you're mixing, laying, and trowelling by hand or with a screed pump on larger areas. Drying is slow — roughly one day per millimetre — so a 65mm floating screed takes around 65 days before it's ready for floor coverings.

Liquid Screed / Anhydrite (Calcium Sulphate)

Liquid screed — also called flowing screed or anhydrite screed — is poured from a pump and self-levels. It's significantly faster to install: an experienced team can lay 1,000m² per day with a pump compared to 80–150m² per day for hand-laid sand and cement. The product is calcium sulphate-based rather than cement-based, which gives it better dimensional stability and lower shrinkage cracking.

Liquid screed is the preferred product for underfloor heating systems. It can be laid at just 25–30mm over UFH pipes (compared to 65–75mm for sand and cement), which dramatically improves heat transfer response time. The thinner coverage means the floor heats up and cools down faster, making the system more efficient.

One important note: anhydrite screed must be lightly sanded and primed before tiling or LVT — it forms a weak laitance layer on the surface that has to be removed.

Polymer-Modified Screed

Polymer-modified screeds incorporate a polymer additive (typically acrylic or SBR) into the sand and cement mix. The result is a screed with significantly improved tensile strength, adhesion, and — most importantly for contractors — accelerated drying time. Fast-drying polymer screeds can be ready for foot traffic in 24–72 hours and ready for floor coverings in as little as 7–14 days.

These products command a premium price and are primarily used on commercial jobs, renovation projects with tight handover schedules, or where a main contractor is running penalties for programme delays. If a client needs the floor covering fitted two weeks after the screed goes down, polymer-modified is your answer.

Fibre-Reinforced Screed

Polypropylene or steel fibres can be added to either sand and cement or liquid screed mixes to improve tensile strength and reduce shrinkage cracking. Fibre reinforcement is often specified on commercial floors, industrial units, or areas subject to heavier point loads. It adds a small materials premium (typically £1–£3/m²) and no significant additional labour.

Floor Screed Prices UK 2026 — Per m² Rates (Supply and Lay)

These are realistic market rates for supply and lay on areas of 30m² and above. Smaller areas will carry higher per-m² rates or a minimum call-out charge — see the quoting section below.

Rates reflect supply and lay including labour, materials, and basic pump use where applicable. Excludes VAT, insulation boards, DPM, bonding agents, and primer coats.

What Drives the Cost of a Screeding Job

Area Size

This is the single biggest lever on per-m² rates. A 15m² kitchen extension costs more per square metre than a 150m² new build ground floor — your mobilisation costs (van, travel, pump hire if applicable) are spread over fewer metres. A job below 20m² is likely to be priced on a minimum call-out basis (see below) rather than a straight per-m² rate.

Depth Specification

More depth means more material volume. A floating screed at 75mm uses roughly 87% more material than a bonded screed at 40mm over the same area. Always confirm the specification before pricing — quote from drawings or site measurement, not the client's estimate. The minimum thicknesses per BS 8204 are non-negotiable: bonded 25–40mm, unbonded 50mm, floating 65–75mm over rigid insulation.

Screed Pump Hire

For liquid screed and large sand and cement pours, a pump is not optional — it's the only way to achieve the throughput needed. Pump hire typically costs £300–£600 per day depending on the machine capacity and your area. For a one-day liquid screed pour on a 100m² house, the pump is a significant line item. For smaller jobs you can sometimes share pump hire with another screeder running back-to-back, which reduces the daily rate impact per project.

Always itemise pump hire separately in your quote so the client understands it's a real, fixed cost and not padding. It also protects you if they reduce the area specification at the last minute — the pump day rate stays the same.

Travel and Access

Travel beyond 30–45 minutes from your base should carry a mileage or day rate supplement. Access factors that increase cost: narrow hallways requiring hand-carrying of materials, no ground-floor access for a pump hose, multiple small rooms broken up by door frames (each threshold needs a screed board), or working above ground floor where materials have to be lifted.

Typical Project Costs — Real Examples

Drying Times — What to Tell Your Clients

Screed drying time is one of the most common sources of dispute between screeding contractors and main contractors or homeowners. Set expectations in writing on every quote and handover note.

Drying times assume good ventilation and ambient temperatures above 5°C. Cold or damp conditions significantly extend drying. Moisture content must reach below 75% RH (or 0.5% CM for anhydrite) before floor coverings are laid — use a hygrometer to confirm. If the client or flooring contractor lays coverings over a wet screed, that's not your liability — but it helps to document it clearly.

For anhydrite screed, there's an additional step: the surface laitance must be removed by light sanding or grinding before any adhesive, primer, or tile bed is applied. Include this note in your handover documentation.

UFH Compatibility — Why Liquid Screed Wins

When a client has underfloor heating pipes already laid, liquid anhydrite screed is almost always the right specification. Here's why it matters practically:

• Liquid screed flows around and beneath UFH pipes without air pockets — sand and cement hand-laid over pipes can leave voids that reduce heat transfer and create hollow spots.
• At 25–30mm cover over pipes, anhydrite screed heats up and responds to the thermostat in 20–30 minutes. Sand and cement at 65mm can take 4–6 hours to reach set point.
• Lower mass means the UFH system is far more efficient — better for the client's running costs and better for your specification reputation.
• The UFH contractor will almost always specify liquid screed anyway — if you can supply and lay it, you keep the package in-house rather than letting the UFH installer bring in their own screeder.

Before laying any screed over UFH pipes, the system must be pressure tested and signed off. The UFH pipes should then be pressurised to approximately 2–3 bar during the screed pour to keep them from floating. Note this requirement in your pre-works checklist.

Minimum Thickness and BS 8204

BS 8204 is the British Standard for screeds, bases and in-situ floorings. These are the minimum thicknesses you should be quoting to and designing to:

• Bonded screed: 25–40mm minimum (depends on substrate preparation and surface regularity)
• Unbonded screed: 50mm minimum (laid on DPM, not bonded to substrate)
• Floating screed over rigid insulation: 65–75mm minimum
• Liquid anhydrite (unbonded): 30–40mm over pipes, 40–50mm general floating

Never allow a client or main contractor to reduce specification below these minimums to save cost. If the screed fails — cracking, hollow spots, curling at edges — the liability will come back to you regardless of who pushed for a thinner pour. If they insist on a non-compliant specification, get it in writing as a client instruction and price it accordingly.

Surface Finish and Handover

The output from a screeding job needs to be clearly defined in the quote. Standard output is SR2 surface regularity (a 3mm deviation under a 2m straightedge) which is suitable for direct tiling. SR1 (1.3mm deviation) is needed for thin-set adhesive tiles or LVT laid directly — this takes additional float and level work and should be priced higher.

For wood or LVT floor coverings, the screed surface also needs to be primed with a DPM primer before adhesive is applied — this is typically the flooring contractor's work, but clarify this in your quote so there's no ambiguity about scope.

Edge bead or perimeter expansion strip installation is part of your scope on floating screeds — polystyrene edge strip should run around the full perimeter and at any fixed objects (pipes, columns) passing through the screed. Price this in; leaving it out causes edge cracking and callbacks.

Labour Rates for Screeding

If you're building a crew cost model or taking on subcontract screeding labour, these are current 2026 market rates:

• Screeder (skilled, self-employed): £180–£280 per day depending on region and experience
• Screed pump operator: £150–£220 per day on top of pump hire
• General labourer (mixing, carrying): £120–£160 per day

On a typical 100m² liquid screed job you might run a two-person team: one pump operator and one screeder working the flow — completing in a single day. On the same area in sand and cement you'd expect 2–3 days with a two-person team. Factor your team cost into your price per m² before you set your rate.

How to Structure Your Screed Quotes

Minimum Call-Out Charge

Any job under 20m² should carry a minimum call-out charge of £300–£500 rather than a per-m² rate. At 15m² and £18/m², you're billing £270 — which doesn't cover your travel, setup, and a half-day's labour. A minimum charge protects your margin on small, awkward jobs. State it clearly in your terms so clients aren't surprised.

What to Measure and Confirm Before Quoting

• Floor area (m²) — measure yourself on site if possible; never trust client estimates for anything over £500
• Depth specification — confirm whether bonded, unbonded, or floating and minimum depth required
• Substrate condition — any high spots, contamination, or repairs needed before laying
• Access — doorways, stairs, distance from road for pump hose
• UFH system — pipes already laid and tested? Pressurised during pour?
• Curing window — when does the floor covering contractor need access?

Curing Time in Your Handover Notes

Every job should come with a written handover note stating the screed type, thickness, date laid, estimated drying time, and the moisture level that must be reached before coverings are installed. This protects you from claims when the flooring contractor or client rushes the process. A simple one-page document takes ten minutes and can save you a significant dispute.

Quote Line Items to Itemise

• Supply and lay — screed material and labour (per m²)
• Pump hire (fixed day rate, not per m²)
• Edge strip / expansion bead (per linear metre or inclusive)
• Bonding agent or primer (if bonded screed)
• Travel / mobilisation supplement (if applicable)
• Surface prep / substrate repair (if needed, quoted separately)