Traditional Sand & Cement Screed · Devon
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed — Ashburton, Devon
Deep make-up floors in Ashburton, especially where the sub-base has been dug out or old floor coverings stripped back to an uneven slab, are still best served by a traditional sand and cement screed built up in layers.
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Deep make-up floors in Ashburton, especially where the sub-base has been dug out or old floor coverings stripped back to an uneven slab, are still best served by a traditional sand and cement screed built up in layers.
We mix a semi-dry sand and cement screed on site or bring it in via a screed pump, lay it to string lines or laser-set pins in bays, then compact and trowel it to a flat, dense surface. It is slower than a liquid pour, roughly a day of drying time per millimetre of depth once you get past the first 50mm, but it tolerates a much wider range of site conditions.
Most of our Ashburton jobs sit within 30 minutes of base, so site visits stay simple and pour days run to time. Ashburton sits Exeter (20 mi), and we work the surrounding villages on the same week's diary.
Ashburton at a glance
County
Devon
District
Teignbridge
Postcode
TQ13
Nearest city
Exeter (20 mi)
Nearest motorway
M5 (J31, ~19 mi)
Primary A-road
A38 (Devon Expressway)
Local industries
antiques, equestrian
Common builds
Dartmoor-edge cottages, Granite-faced terraces
Typical Ashburton use cases
- Dartmoor-edge cottages — a regular brief in Ashburton
- Granite-faced terraces — a regular brief in Ashburton
- Modern garages — a regular brief in Ashburton
- Antiques — a regular brief in Ashburton
- Equestrian — a regular brief in Ashburton
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed in Ashburton — how it works
For Ashburton wet rooms, balconies and any area with sustained water contact, sand and cement is usually the only sensible screed choice, since gypsum-based liquid screeds are not designed to tolerate standing water.
We mix a semi-dry sand and cement screed on site or bring it in via a screed pump, lay it to string lines or laser-set pins in bays, then compact and trowel it to a flat, dense surface. It is slower than a liquid pour, roughly a day of drying time per millimetre of depth once you get past the first 50mm, but it tolerates a much wider range of site conditions.
Cemfloor systems for Ashburton
Sand and cement (typically 4:1 or 5:1 mix)
Semi-dry, hand-compacted mix ratio adjusted to depth and loading.
SBR bonding agent
Slurry-brushed onto the substrate for bonded screeds under 40mm.
Polypropylene fibre reinforcement
Added to reduce shrinkage cracking on larger bays.
DPM and separating membrane
For unbonded or floating screeds over insulation.
Falls formed to drain outlets
Built into the screed thickness for wet rooms and balconies.
Edge and movement joints
Set at bay lines, doorways and around columns.
Floors poured around Ashburton
Within easy reach of Ashburton
Proof from the Devon workload
- 01Cemfloor-certified, fully insured, CDM-aware
- 02Coordinated with most South West UFH installers
- 03Pre-start meeting standard on every commercial job
- 04Local knowledge — we know the M5 (J31, ~19 mi) access window and A38 (Devon Expressway) traffic patterns
Common Ashburton build questions
Can sand and cement screed go over underfloor heating?+
It can, though thermal response is slower than a liquid screed because of the voids that form around hand-laid pipework. For Ashburton UFH jobs we will usually recommend liquid screed unless there is a specific reason to use sand and cement.
Will the screed crack?+
Bay joints and fibre reinforcement control shrinkage cracking. We set bay sizes and joint positions at doorways and depth changes to minimise the risk on any Ashburton job.
What SR rating do you achieve on a trowelled screed?+
We finish sand and cement to SR2, within 3mm under a 2m straight edge, which is suitable for most tiled finishes. If you need SR1 flatness for large-format tile or resin, liquid screed is usually the better route.
How is sand and cement screed different from liquid screed in Ashburton?+
Sand and cement is a semi-dry mix, hand-laid and trowelled in bays, whereas liquid screed is pumped and self-levels. Sand and cement suits deep fills, external areas and wet rooms; liquid screed suits large flat internal floors that need to dry quickly.
How long does a sand and cement screed take to dry in Ashburton?+
Roughly a day per millimetre of depth once past the first 50mm, so a 65mm floor is typically ready for coverings in around six to eight weeks, depending on ventilation and site conditions.
Can you match an existing sand and cement floor level?+
Yes, we set datums off your existing finished floor level and build the new screed to match, allowing for whatever covering goes on top.
Sand and cement screed still has a firm place in Ashburton building work, wet rooms, external thresholds and deep fills all reward a hand-laid, trowelled finish over a fast liquid pour.
Book a bay-laid screed in Ashburton
Hand-trowelled screeds take longer to schedule around drying and access. Get your Ashburton job in the diary early.
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Tell us the rough size and location — we'll come back with a fixed quote today.
Or call our landline on 01392 237700
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