Concrete screed 2026: labour and material price per m², examples

indekscen.pl editorial team · published 30 September 2026 · prices according to the 5 October 2026 index

In Poland, a concrete screed most commonly costs 45 PLN/m² for labour alone, excluding materials, with price lists ranging from 30 PLN/m² to 60 PLN/m². The median price for screed including materials is 80 PLN/m². Labour will therefore cost approximately PLN 2,300 for a 50 m² flat and approximately PLN 4,500 for a 100 m² house.

Prices for screed can vary twofold or even threefold between contractors, usually not because one is expensive, but because one quote includes materials while another covers labour alone. In this guide, we separate these two elements, calculate the cost for typical floor areas and compare screed (flooring) with resin flooring. We use labour medians from 3 price lists and guides, along with a separate option including materials, collected by indekscen.pl. Most online guides provide only price ranges; we also include the median, calculations by floor area and a comparison with other types of flooring.

How much does flooring cost per square metre without materials?

In Poland, labour for a concrete screed, excluding materials, most commonly costs 45 PLN/m². The cheapest quotes we found start at 30 PLN/m², while the most expensive reach 60 PLN/m²; contractors in Warsaw and other large cities usually charge more than those in smaller localities.

The labour price usually covers laying the membrane and expansion joints, pouring the screed and finishing its surface. It does not include materials (cement, sand or ready-mixed screed), reinforcing mesh or an insulating membrane if the customer purchases them separately. Before comparing two quotes, ask directly whether the rate includes materials.

How much does 1 m² of screed cost including materials?

According to the sources collected, the median price of screed including materials is 80 PLN/m², considerably more than labour alone (45 PLN/m²). The difference covers the screed mix, delivery and reinforcing fibres purchased wholesale by the contractor.

Median and typical range from public price lists, as at 5 October 2026. Each price includes a source and quotation on the service page.

A price including materials is usually better value than buying the mix yourself: a contractor using a screed pump buys sand and cement more cheaply, arranges the delivery and takes responsibility for the proportions. Buying the materials yourself saves money only if you have a trusted supplier and time to manage the logistics.

How much does screed cost in a flat or house? Examples by floor area

The labour cost for a screed is easy to calculate by multiplying the floor area by the median of 45 PLN/m². The examples below show labour costs alone for typical floor areas:

Floor area	Example	Labour (median)
35 m²	single-car garage	PLN 1,600
50 m²	two-room flat	PLN 2,300
100 m²	ground floor of a house	PLN 4,500
150 m²	entire house	PLN 6,800

Bear in mind that the price per m² increases for small jobs: many contractors charge a minimum fee to bring out the screed pump, so laying screed in one room may cost almost as much as in an entire flat. For large floor areas, particularly in houses at the shell stage, the price per square metre falls.

How much does a screed for a 35 m² garage cost?

Based on the median, labour alone for a screed in a 35 m² garage costs approximately PLN 1,600. A garage has specific requirements, however: the floor must withstand the weight of a car, salt from the tyres and water, so it is usually poured more thickly than in a flat and is often reinforced.

Many people finish a garage with resin flooring instead of tiles. This is in a different price bracket: resin flooring, including materials and installation, usually costs 110 ‑ 225 PLN/m², or approximately PLN 7,000 for 35 m². Resin is applied to a finished, ground screed, so this is an additional cost, not a substitute for the screed.

How much does labour for resin flooring cost?

Labour for resin flooring is rarely listed separately because contractors usually quote a price including materials: resin flooring generally costs 110 ‑ 225 PLN/m², with a median of 200 PLN/m², while the median price for installing epoxy flooring is 265 PLN/m². This price includes preparing the substrate, the resin and its application. The rate per square metre is higher for small areas and rises further for decorative effects such as flakes, stone carpets or patterns.

A comparison with screed makes the difference clear: a square metre of resin flooring costs several times more than the labour for a concrete screed. Resin is a sensible choice where a watertight, easy-to-clean surface is important, such as in a garage, workshop or utility room, or where visual impact matters in a living room. Its drawback is its sensitivity to poor substrate preparation: a damp or dusty screed beneath the resin results in delamination and costly remedial work.

Concrete, anhydrite or self-levelling screed: what are the differences?

Concrete (cement) screed is the most popular type and is covered by our labour median of 45 PLN/m². The other types differ in their applications and drying times:

1. Cement (concrete) screed. Versatile, moisture-resistant and suitable for bathrooms and garages. It takes the longest to dry.
2. Anhydrite screed. Made from calcium sulphate, it is fluid, surrounds underfloor heating pipes very effectively and produces a smooth surface. According to the sources, its price is similar to cement screed including materials, but it is unsuitable for permanently wet rooms. We do not have a separate median for it.
3. Self-levelling screed. This is a thin levelling layer, several millimetres thick, applied over an existing screed before laminate flooring or tiles are laid. It is sold in bags, and contractors often include the labour in substrate preparation; we do not have a separate median for this service.

If you are planning underfloor heating, the screed forms part of the system: we estimate the median cost of the water-based installation alone in a 100 m² house at 18,000 PLN/100m², excluding the screed. Labour for screed over underfloor heating is more expensive than for standard screed because extra care is needed around the pipes and expansion joints.

How much does pouring a 5 cm screed cost?

Pouring a 5 cm thick screed costs the same as a standard screed because contractors’ price lists are usually based on a thickness of approximately 5 cm: the median labour price is 45 PLN/m², or approximately 80 PLN/m² including materials. With a thicker layer, it is mainly material consumption that increases, and contractors add a surcharge for each additional centimetre.

How long does screed take to dry?

As a guide, cement screed takes one week to dry for each centimetre of thickness over the first 4 cm, with thicker layers taking even longer, so a 5 cm screed usually needs more than a month before flooring can be laid. Anhydrite screed dries faster, while a thin self-levelling layer can be walked on after a few hours. The manufacturer’s technical data sheet is authoritative, and the contractor should measure the moisture content of the substrate before laying laminate flooring or parquet.

This also matters for the budget: laminate flooring laid on a wet screed can buckle, requiring the installation, with a median labour price of 70 PLN/m², to be repeated.

How can you avoid overpaying for a screed?

• Compare like-for-like quotes: labour with labour, and prices including materials with prices including materials.
• Ask about thickness and reinforcement: a cheaper quote may cover a thinner screed or exclude fibres.
• Agree who will install the expansion joints, membrane and polystyrene insulation, as these are common sources of additional charges.
• Combine the work: pouring the screed throughout the house in one go costs less per square metre than doing one room at a time.
• Include grinding, if the screed will be the substrate for resin flooring: the median is 55 PLN/m².

Median and typical range from public price lists, as at 5 October 2026. Each price includes a source and quotation on the service page.

We describe the full cost of finishing floors and other work in the article how much does renovating a flat cost, and screed at the construction stage in the cost of building a house. You can find prices for other work in the renovation and finishing category, with details and sources on the pages for resin flooring (epoxy/polyurethane), epoxy flooring installation, concrete floor grinding, laying laminate flooring and underfloor heating.

Prices come from public contractor price lists and trade articles; each price has a source on the service page. Data current as at 5 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a screed cost in a 60 m² flat?

Sama robocizna przy wylewce w mieszkaniu 60 m² to według mediany około PLN 2,700. Materiał dochodzi osobno, chyba że wykonawca poda cenę z materiałem, której mediana wynosi 80 PLN/m².

How much does a machine-laid floor screed cost per square metre?

Wylewka maszynowa z agregatu (miksokreta) jest wyceniana w tych samych widełkach co zwykła wylewka: robocizna to mediana 45 PLN/m², a z materiałem około 80 PLN/m². Przy dużych metrażach cena za m² spada.

How much does concrete screed grinding cost?

Szlifowanie posadzki betonowej kosztuje zwykle 38 ‑ 56 PLN/m², mediana to 55 PLN/m². Robi się je, gdy wylewka ma być warstwą wykończeniową albo podłożem pod żywicę.

How much does polyurethane flooring cost?

Posadzka poliuretanowa to w naszych źródłach około 335 PLN/m², czyli więcej niż typowa posadzka żywiczna epoksydowa (mediana 265 PLN/m²).

How much does laying laminate flooring on a new screed cost?

Montaż paneli podłogowych to mediana 70 PLN/m² za samą robociznę. Panele kładzie się dopiero na wyschniętą i sprawdzoną wilgotnościomierzem wylewkę.

Translation of the original Polish article dated 30 September 2026. Quotations from price lists are in Polish, as published by the companies. Read the original in Polish.

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