Cost Of Concrete Screed In 2023. Price Table For The Screed: Traditional, Lightened, For Underfloor Heating

Reviewed by Pavel Buyeu
Updated: 09/20/2023

Cost of concrete screed per sq. foot: information and helpful advice

Are you considering creating a screed for underfloor heating as part of a renovation project for your home? Do you want to know how to make a screed and do you need a serious professional who knows how to perform the work in a workmanlike manner? Would you like to know in advance the cost of the screed per square meter to find out what expense you are going to meet for your home? With LocalProBook you will find reliable and experienced professionals, who will send you detailed estimates free of charge, so that you can choose who to entrust the work, knowing that you will be put in contact only with competent people who know how to make a screed. In the estimate they will draw up regarding the cost of the screed per square meter, they will take into account all the expense items, so as not to reserve unwelcome surprises at the end. In fact, in the listing they will take into account:

  • Scheduled hours for work and hourly labor costs;
  • Type of materials to be used and quantities needed (cement, sand, etc.);
  • Any pipes if you intend to make the screed for underfloor heating;
  • Any additives to improve the thermal or acoustic insulation or resistance of the screed;
  • Transportation.

Once you have evaluated the estimate to know the cost of the screed per square meter, you can be sure that the professionals you come into contact with will have taken into account all the expense items. In this way, you can evaluate which quote best suits your needs, both in terms of budget and actual work. If you do not know how to make a screed, let people who have been doing this work for some time and who know the best techniques, use quality materials and carry out the work for you correctly and within the agreed time. Relying on professionals means being able to ask for advice and information, with the certainty of getting correct answers and in your interest.

Price table for the screed

Do you want to find out everything about the various types of screed? The prices can be found in the table below, with indications also on supply and installation. 

Total cost of screed - Prices per square meter (per sq ft) Price from - to
Traditional screed 1.50 - 2.00
Traditional self-leveling screed 2.00 - 3.50
Lightened screed with polystyrene 1.00 - 1.50
Lightened screed with expanded clay 1.50 - 2.50
Lightened screed with cellular concrete 1.50 - 2.30
Lightened screed with expanded perlite 1.70 - 2.70

PLEASE NOTE that prices may vary due to the type of work to be performed, the quality of its execution and the region in which you are located.

How to make a screed: construction phases

To create a screed, it is essential to rely on professionals who have experience and know all the techniques, also based on the type of flooring that will then be applied. First of all, those who know how to make a screed know the relevant legislation, regarding the type of products to be used. The basic elements necessary for the realization of the screed are:

  • Waterfall;
  • Sand;
  • Cement.

Experts know how to mix the correct quantities of these materials, taking into account the need to create the screed for outdoor spaces (gardens, porches, etc.) or for indoor spaces (rooms or indoor environments). In addition to mixing the main materials, it is sometimes necessary to add additives, depending on whether you want to obtain an acoustic screed, a thermal screed, or a highly resistant screed.

Once the mixture has been properly created, the professional establishes the type of thickness, based on the type of floor that will be laid at the end. The screed for underfloor heating, in fact, will have a greater thickness than the screed intended for laying a resin or linoleum floor. Each flooring requires different thicknesses, starting from the thinnest for resins (about 5 mm), passing through porcelain stoneware or parquet floors (which need at least 1 cm thick), reaching the 3 cm thickness required when on the screed. the marble will have to be laid.

A good professional who really knows how to make a screed also knows the drying times, which vary from a few days to over 10 days.

To lay the screed correctly, the mixture must be perfectly leveled, in order to avoid unevenness. To succeed in this aim, it is necessary to clean the surface on which to make the screed well, beat the compound well to compact it, and stem the risk of the formation of air bubbles, eliminating any cracks, through the correct mixing of the materials.

Premixed screeds: what they are and when to use them

On the market today there are also pre-mixed screeds, or mixtures ready to be laid, to which only water needs to be added. Among the blends, there are two types:

  • Quick-drying premixes;
  • Semi-fast drying premixes.

The former requires drying times of about a week, while the latter takes about 20 days to completely dry. The convenience of pre-mixed screeds consists first of all in the possibility of being applied even by a single professional, thus reducing the cost of the screed per square meter in terms of labor. On the other hand, there is the fact that the convenience of obtaining ready-to-use mixes increases the cost of the screed per square meter, compared to the raw material.

Screed for underfloor heating: characteristics

The screed for underfloor heating must correspond to very precise characteristics. First of all, it must take into account the fact that inside it will have to incorporate the coil of the pipes, for the radiant heating system. The radiant screed, therefore, fulfills a double function: that of having to support the flooring and that of acting as a heating element. 

For this reason, it is essential to contact experts in the sector who know how to perform the work in a workmanlike manner and who guarantee durability and efficiency in heating. 

The screed for underfloor heating, therefore, houses the sanitary water pipes and the electric ones and will have to fulfill the task of supporting the radiant panels. 

In the case of screed for underfloor heating, the expert professional knows that he has to add an additive that increases the heat conduction capacity and ensures the adhesion and compactness of the materials used for the construction. 

If premixes are used, they already contain the additive which improves thermal conductivity. Inside the screed for underfloor heating, an electro-welded mesh is also inserted which makes the screed itself more rigid, avoiding the formation of cracks and distributing the loads evenly. 

In recent years the underfloor heating system has evolved a lot, so much so that today it is possible to make it with low thickness screeds. Traditional thicknesses reach a height of about 7 centimeters, while according to the most recent techniques, it is possible to ask professionals to create a screed for underfloor heating of only 3 centimeters, reducing the weight load on the floor and also the times of pose.

Screed cost per square foot: quality and savings on LocalProBook

Now that you are much more informed on the various types of screed, on the cost and the different laying techniques, on the screed method for underfloor heating as well as the difference between low thickness or traditional thickness screed, regardless of the surface dimensions on which to make it, you know that the screed cost per square meter is very variable and depends on different factors (labor, equipment, materials, etc.). Being aware also means knowing exactly what to request and how, by making a request for a complete quote that suits your needs.

With LocalProBook you can get in direct contact with the local pros for the construction of screeds in your area, managing to guarantee your home the maximum yield, thanks to a cost for the screed per square foot that is based on your budget and the advice of experts. of the sector.