28 June 2022

Pull it all up or lay a screed?

Are you ready to give your room a fresh new look? Replace those tired-looking ceramic tiles with something more in keeping with your new décor? Maybe those chipped and cracked stone tiles are dragging down the room’s aesthetics.

But there’s just one problem.

Ceramic and stone tiles won’t come up without a fight.

Luckily, you might not need to spend weeks chipping away at those old tiles. You may have heard of screed being used to prepare a sub-floor, but did you know it can be used to level out an existing floor too?

What is a screed?

Put simply, a screed is a hard coating flooring surface similar to concrete. It pours wet and then dries to create a solid flat surface that is highly durable. You can then lay your new floor on top. There are three main types of screed – bonded, unbonded and floating.

Bonded
As it might sound, a bonded screed is applied directly to the subfloor. It is ideal for thinner applications to prevent gaps between the subfloor, screed and upper floor covering (such as LVT or laminate).

Unbonded
Unbonded screed is applied after a polythene sheet, or waterproof membrane is laid onto the subfloor, keeping the two entirely separate.

Floating
This type of screed is often applied alongside an underfloor heating system. Floating screed sits on top of the second thermal insulation layer rather than directly on the subfloor.

The most common situations we come across where screed is required it to level up an uneven floor, or to enable flooring to be laid upon existing ceramic tiles. For both of these circumstances we would recommend a bonded screed, something like Ardex NA or Stopgap 1200 Pro would be ideal for this sort of project.

Laying screed on top of tiles

Pulling up old tiles can be a messy, noisy and time-consuming task. Natural stone, such as granite, slate or limestone, is the hardest type of flooring to remove. So what’s the alternative?

Lay your new floor on top.

And that’s where screed comes in. Just as you would use a screed to level a subfloor, you can use it to level a tiled floor.

Once the screed is in place, you can lay your new LVT or laminate floor over the top and get your room looking fantastic again.

To screed or not to screed?

If you have natural stone flooring in an older property, tiling over the top can be a great option, especially if removing old tiles is likely to damage the subfloor below.

But while it can be much quicker and less disruptive to tile on top of an old floor, it does have its downsides.

Most noticeably, if you tile on top of tile, you will raise the height of your floor. It might only be raised by a couple of inches, but this can mean having to shorten down your doors or replace them completely. You’ll also have to consider how this will work with the transitions between rooms.

If one floor is slightly higher than the other, you’ll need to use some kind of transition strip or ramp to prevent a potential trip hazard.

And if you’re tiling over tiles where you have fitted cupboard units, you’ll want to make sure you can still open them with the new floor height. That’s definitely not a problem you’d want to discover after you’ve laid your new floor!

Removing old tiles

If you decide to get rid of those old tiles rather than screed over them, you should consider getting professional help. Removing stone tiles from concrete is time-consuming and messy.

The cost of having your floor removed professionally will depend on the size of the floor and the condition of the tiles.

If you are going down the DIY route, the first step is preparing the space. As well as removing all the furniture, you’ll want to take down any pictures and curtains to stop them getting covered in dust.

You should also wear protective equipment such as goggles, ear defenders and a dust mask.

Use a hammer and chisel or a hand maul to chip away at the grout. Depending on the condition of your tiles, you might be able to pry them up with a crowbar. Otherwise, you’ll have the long task of chipping away a section at a time.

You’ll also need a plan to dispose of your old flooring. Your local council won’t take too kindly to you filling your wheelie bin with chunks of granite.

Need some expert advice?

Before you embark on what could be a very messy, noisy and expensive process of removing old tiles, get some expert advice.

The team at Beyond Flooring will help you understand your options for replacing your old floor.

Not only can we help you decide whether to pull it all up or lay a screed, we can help you select the right flooring for your tastes and budget.

All our domestic flooring installations come with a two year warranty, so you will have peace of mind your new floor is installed to the highest standard.

Contact our team today to get started.