How Much Does Floor Screeding Cost in Ireland?

What decides the price per m²

• Floor area: bigger floors usually work out cheaper per m², because setting up the pump costs the same either way.
• Depth: a thicker screed uses more material. Depth is set by your floor build-up and any underfloor heating.
• Type of screed: sand and cement, liquid, fast dry, fibre and polymer modified screed all cost different amounts in material.
• Underfloor heating and insulation: whether the screed goes over pipes and insulation, and who lays the insulation.
• Access and distance: how far the pump hose has to run, and how far the site is from us.
• Timing: a fast dry mix costs more in material but can save weeks on the build programme.

Why a site visit gives you the real price

A price over the phone is a guess. At the site visit we measure the floor, check the depth and the access, and look at what's going under the screed. Then you get one clear price, agreed before we start, with no extras on the day.

How to compare screeding quotes

Two quotes only compare properly when they're for the same job. Check each one for:

• The same depth and the same type of screed
• Whether edge strip, membrane and insulation are included
• Whether the floor is laser-levelled
• How long before you can walk on it and lay floor coverings
• Whether the contractor is insured

What's usually included in a screeding price

• The screed material, mixed or delivered to site
• The pump and hoses to get it into the house
• Labour to lay, level and finish the floor
• Laser levelling so the floor is flat for the tiler or floorer

Always ask what's in and what's out, so you're not comparing a full price against a part price.

What can be extra

• Insulation boards and the membrane on top
• Edge strip around the walls
• Breaking out and removing an old floor
• Fast dry or fibre additives
• A second visit if the floors can't all be poured on the same day

Questions to ask before you book

• When can I walk on it, and when can the floor coverings go down?
• What do you need the site to look like on the day?
• Who lays the insulation and the edge strip?
• What happens if the weather turns on the day?
• Are you insured?

Plan your build around the screed

Screed is one of the jobs everything else waits on. Book it early, and leave enough drying time before the tiler or floorer is due. If your dates are tight, plan for fast dry screed from the start rather than finding out a week before. Our screed drying time guide shows how long to allow.

Ways to keep the cost down

Have the site ready on the day: insulation down, underfloor heating pipes fitted and pressure tested, and doors and windows in. Pouring several floors on the same day saves a second setup, and on a self-build, using one crew for the concrete slab and the screed saves another call-out.

Not sure which screed you need? Our guide to types of floor screed runs through them all.

From JAM Floor Screeding, Portlaoise. Over 20 years laying screed across Leinster. Figures here are typical guidance; your floor's spec and the manufacturer's data sheet always come first.