Traditional Sand & Cement Screed · Devon
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed — Combe Martin, Devon
Combe Martin builders sometimes need a screed that can be laid in a bucket-and-barrow operation with no pump access, or that has to tie into an external step, drain or wet room upstand. That is exactly where sand and cement wins over a liquid pour.
Fixed-price sand and cement screed near Combe Martin
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Combe Martin builders sometimes need a screed that can be laid in a bucket-and-barrow operation with no pump access, or that has to tie into an external step, drain or wet room upstand. That is exactly where sand and cement wins over a liquid pour.
Sand and cement screed is laid in bays with day joints, which we set out to avoid future cracking at natural stress points such as doorways and changes in depth. It is a more labour-intensive process than liquid screed, but it is proven, robust and unaffected by moisture the way calcium sulphate screeds can be.
Most of our Combe Martin jobs sit within 30 minutes of base, so site visits stay simple and pour days run to time. Combe Martin sits Barnstaple (15 mi), and we work the surrounding villages on the same week's diary.
Who this is for in Combe Martin
Combe Martin is a coastal town, so damp control, salt exposure and tight winter pour windows shape every brief. We work the diary around that — and around the holiday-let turnover that funds half the jobs here.
EX34 access, routes and logistics
County
Devon
District
North Devon
Postcode
EX34
Nearest city
Barnstaple (15 mi)
Nearest motorway
M5 (J27, ~52 mi)
Primary A-road
A399
Local industries
tourism lets, harbour trades
Common builds
seafront apartments, 1930s coastal semis
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed in Combe Martin — how it works
For Combe Martin 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.
What to expect on pour day in Combe Martin
- 1
Site visit to assess substrate, falls, depth and access, since sand and cement can be barrowed where a pump truck cannot reach
- 2
Substrate prep, priming or DPM, and setting out of bay lines and laser levels
- 3
Mix and place the screed in bays, compacting as we go to remove voids
- 4
Hand float or power trowel to a flat, dense SR2 finish
- 5
Protect and allow to cure, typically a day per millimetre of depth after the first 50mm
- 6
Follow-up inspection before floor coverings or tiling begin
Floors poured around Combe Martin
Materials and systems we use in Combe Martin
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.
Combe Martin-area service radius
Common Combe Martin build questions
Is sand and cement cheaper than liquid screed?+
Materials cost less per square metre, but labour is higher because it is hand-placed rather than pumped. On smaller or awkward-access Combe Martin jobs the total cost is often similar.
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 Combe Martin 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 Combe Martin?+
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.
Do you use a screed pump for sand and cement in Combe Martin?+
On larger jobs, yes, a screed pump can deliver the semi-dry mix into the building, which speeds up placement while keeping the hand-trowelled finish.
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.
Proof from the Devon workload
Fixed-price sand and cement screed near Combe Martin
One quote covers prep, mix, lay and finish. No day-rate surprises on your Combe Martin job.
Ready to get a price?
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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