Retrofit build-ups
Renovation Screed — Retrofitting Liquid Floors into Existing Buildings
The realities of retrofit. Low-depth pours, hand-mixed level corrections, timber floors, listed buildings — and the honest cost of getting it right in an occupied house.
Planning a renovation pour?
Name, phone, email — we'll reply the same working day with a fixed price.
Or call our landline on 01392 237700
New-build screeding is straightforward. Retrofit isn't. Every existing floor comes with its own history — subsidence, damp, uneven joists, previous "fixes" — and every one of those turns into a pricing conversation before the pour is even booked.
This is the honest guide to what a renovation screed actually involves. It's aimed at homeowners planning a rear extension, a full ground-floor refurb, or a retrofit UFH job — the three briefs we see almost every week.
What we look at on a renovation site visit
- Existing floor build-up — solid slab, suspended timber, or something in between
- Head height available for build-up depth — every 10mm matters
- Damp evidence and DPM condition
- Whether the existing floor is level enough to overpour
- Access for pump and hose — through the house, through a window, from the side return
- Whether you're living there through the works
Common retrofit build-ups
| Situation | Typical retrofit approach |
|---|---|
| Old solid floor, no UFH wanted | Overpour with 30–40mm bonded Cemfloor after prime |
| Solid floor + retrofit UFH | Insulation + UFH + 50mm Cemfloor Therm bonded |
| Suspended timber, extension slab tying in | Match levels with level-correction liquid pour |
| Period building, breathable required | Limecrete + lime-screed topping |
| Extension only, new to existing | Bond a Cemfloor pour up to existing threshold detail |
The realistic renovation programme
- 1
Survey
Not optional on renovation. We measure, moisture-test and photograph.
- 2
Coordination
We speak to your UFH designer, builder and floor-covering trade before pricing.
- 3
Prep — often more than pour
Level corrections, DPM, edge detail, prime coat. This is 60% of the job.
- 4
Pour
Usually smaller than a new build — 20–80m² is typical, pumped from outside.
- 5
Live-in protection
Sealed zone, temp access route, floor covered, back to normal life in 48h.
On any renovation, budget for the site prep to cost more than the pour itself. If your quote doesn't reflect that, someone is under-scoping the work.
— Exeter Liquid Screeders
Frequently asked
Planning a renovation pour?
Send us photos of the existing floor and a rough plan. We'll come out, survey and price honestly — including anything that needs sorting first.