What screed costs in a 60 m² new-build

Bought a 60 m² flat in a new-build and need a screed before the fit-out? Here is what it really costs , where you can save and where you should not.

What makes up the price

The final price per square metre breaks down as:

1. Crew labour — around 30–35% of the total
2. Materials (cement, sand, fibre) — 50–55%
3. Edge strip around the perimeter — 3-5%
4. Delivery of materials and equipment — 5-10%
5. Overheads (equipment depreciation, fuel) — 5–7%

The numbers for 60 m² (new-build flat, Kyiv)

Standard screed ready for the finish

50 mm thick, semi-dry machine-applied, ready for laminate or tiles:

• Area: 60 m²
• Price per m²: UAH 793
• Total: UAH 47,550

Screed for underfloor heating

50 mm above the heating pipes (around 70 mm in total):

• Area: 60 m²
• Price per m²: UAH 991
• Total: UAH 59,450

Screed levelling out a big height difference

If the slab is badly out (more than 5 cm) and the screed reaches 80–100 mm in places:

• Area: 60 m²
• Price per m²: UAH 1,065
• Total: UAH 63,900

Can you find it cheaper?

You can — one-man outfits start at UAH 300/m². With caveats:

• Often no receipts and no guarantee
• No proper contract
• They can vanish halfway through
• Savings made on materials: less cement in the mix, no fibre, a thinner screed than the job needs
• One or two years on: cracks and delamination

Where you must NOT cut corners

1. Cement

The cement grade follows the mortar grade, not the idea that higher is always better: M100 and M150 mortars need M400 cement, M200 needs M500. Buying M500 where the design calls for M400 is money spent for no gain in strength. What matters far more is fresh cement — a caked, stale bag gives a weak screed whatever the grade printed on it.

2. Fibre

It reinforces the screed through its whole volume and cuts the risk of shrinkage microcracks sharply. It does not replace mesh where the design calls for mesh, but it is not the place to save.

3. Edge strip

It runs around the full perimeter of the walls and absorbs thermal movement. Without it the screed pushes against the walls and cracks. It costs next to nothing and is not optional.

4. Layer thickness

Under DIN 18560 the minimum depends on the type of screed: bonded to the substrate, from 25 mm; on a separating layer, from 35 mm; floating on insulation, from 45 mm. Where heating pipes run inside the screed, the thickness is measured not from the substrate but from the top of the pipe: at least 45 mm above it (we lay 50 mm). Anything thinner than the standard cracks under load.

Real jobs in Kyiv

Development in Obolon, 65 m², 2026

A plain 50 mm semi-dry screed, one day's work. UAH 51,300 (UAH 790/m²). Tiling in the bathroom started on day 7.

New-build in Sviatoshynskyi district, 78 m²

Screed over wet underfloor heating, 70 mm above the pipes. UAH 76,300 (UAH 978/m²). First heat-up on day 30.

Two-bedroom in Pechersk, 54 m²

One room was out by up to 80 mm. Reinforced screed. UAH 53,500 (UAH 991/m²).

How to save sensibly

• Book several flats together — 10–15% off when it all happens in one day
• Clear access for the equipment — time saved is money saved
• No work you do not need — skip the insulation if the job does not call for it
• A contract with a guarantee — that is what saves you a redo later

In short

Screed for 60 m² in a Kyiv new-build in 2026:

• Standard — UAH 47,000–50,000
• Over underfloor heating — UAH 59,000–62,000
• Complex (big level differences, reinforcement) — UAH 60,000–65,000

Do not chase the cheapest quote — a screed is laid once every 30 to 50 years. A few thousand hryvnia saved comes back as cracks and a floor done twice.