Month: December 2025

Cold weather makes floor prep tricky. Adhesives take longer to grab, moisture behaves unpredictably, and surface temperatures can mess with curing times. If you rush through it, you wind up with lifting, hollow spots, or other visible imperfections once the final finish goes down.

So, let’s break down how to get the groundwork right, even when the temperature drops.

Start by Checking the Actual Floor Temperature

People often pay so much attention to the air in the room, but it’s actually the temperature of the subfloor that really matters. Most adhesives and levelling compounds require the surface to be within their recommended range, or they simply won’t bond properly. A simple infrared thermometer saves a lot of guesswork here. If the floor is too cold, bring in temporary heating to raise the slab temperature gradually rather than blasting hot air at it.

This is especially important when handling detailed work, such as floor preparation in Oxford, where older homes can hold onto cold for longer due to solid walls and uninsulated slabs.

Control Moisture Before You Do Anything Else

Cold weather slows down the evaporation process, and because of that, moisture readings can be misleading. A slab that is dry to the touch on top may still hold damp underneath. Perform proper moisture testing rather than relying on feel or appearance. Allow longer acclimatisation time if readings are borderline or apply an approved moisture barrier.

This step, if skipped, is one of the principal causes of adhesive failures during the winter months.

Warm the Materials, Not Just the Room

Allow your adhesive, primer, and levelling compound to reach room temperature for at least 24 hours before use. Cold materials tend to behave quite unpredictably. Textures will be thicker, the chemical reactions will be slower, and spreading will be uneven. If possible, store them inside the property or in a heated van to avoid sudden changes in temperature.

A similar approach helps during floor preparation in Nottingham, where damp conditions paired with low temperatures make the products feel thicker and harder to work with if they have been kept in an unheated space.

How to Use Temporary Heat Correctly

Temporary heating is acceptable, but avoid any that provides direct heat to the floor. Radiant heaters, open-flame heaters, or directing hot air into newly laid materials can produce quick skinning, cracking, or accelerated surface drying while leaving underlying layers soft. Instead, seek a steady uniform ambient temperature rather than rapid heating.

Give Everything More Time

Drying, curing, and bonding slow down in cold weather. Build this into your schedule rather than rushing the next layer. If the manufacturer recommends two hours, assume you’ll need more. Cold weather is a patience game, and patience is cheaper than fixing floor failures later.

Final thought

Cold weather does not necessarily have to derail your project. With the right temperature control, moisture checks, and product handling, you can keep bonding strong and drying times predictable, no matter how chilly it gets.

If you need any help with floor preparation in Oxford or Nottingham, do not hesitate to give UK Screeds Ltd. a call.

Vinyl and LVT have become some of the most popular choices for both homeowners and developers, both incredibly durable and stylish while being surprisingly easy to maintain.

However, they are also fairly unforgiving: any flaw in the subfloor will eventually show through the finished surface, and that is often where many installations go wrong. We have witnessed this firsthand across countless projects, including recent work involving floor compound in Cheltenham, where small defects would have caused major problems if the compound had been skipped.

The thing is that vinyl and LVT can only look their best and perform well if the foundation laid underneath them is perfectly smooth and even. Skipping this important step affects not just the looks but the longevity of performance, which is neither easy nor inexpensive to fix.

Why floor compound matters so much

Floor compound provides a smooth, even surface for your final flooring to set exactly as it should. Vinyl and LVT are thin materials, and even slight imperfections, such as small dips, raised patches, or rough trowel marks, and/or slight uneven drying in the screed, will eventually print through the surface. This is what’s called “telegraphing,” and once it has happened, there’s no quick fix other than removing the flooring and starting again.

We also see problems when people assume their subfloor is level, simply because it looks fine to the naked eye. The truth is, screeds can dry out unevenly, old flooring can leave behind adhesive residue, and aged concrete can crack or crumble. A proper floor compound layer eliminates these risks, giving your new floor the support it needs.

What happens if you skip it?

Skipping floor compound saves a little time up front, but usually leads to much bigger problems later. The most common issues we come across include:

• Visible bumps and dips appear within weeks of installation
• Uneven joints where LVT planks no longer lie flat or even.
• Premature wear in areas where the floor moves or flexes
• Loose or lifted areas due to poor adhesion
• Noise underfoot, particularly on rigid LVT systems

Each of these problems comes from the same source: an uneven or unprepared subfloor that wasn’t corrected before the flooring went down.

Getting It Right the First Time

A well-applied floor compound will give your vinyl or LVT the best chance to stay in place for years with no movement or defects. We always match the compound to the subfloor type, whether that be concrete, timber, or mixed materials. We’ve just finished working on a project involving floor compound in Bath; careful preparation made sure the final finish was perfect in every room.

Need Professional Help?

More than anything else, the foundation matters when it comes to vinyl or LVT that stays smooth, level, and lasts. Whether you need expert advice, proper subfloor preparation, or a high-quality compound application you can rely on, UK Screeds Ltd. has you covered.