Traditional Sand & Cement Screed · Devon
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed — Cranbrook, Devon
Cranbrook 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.
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Cranbrook 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 Cranbrook jobs sit within 30 minutes of base, so site visits stay simple and pour days run to time. Cranbrook sits Exeter (8 mi), and we work the surrounding villages on the same week's diary.
Why Cranbrook site context matters
County
Devon
District
East Devon
Postcode
EX5
Nearest city
Exeter (8 mi)
Nearest motorway
M5 (J29, ~6 mi)
Primary A-road
A30
Local industries
new-town residential, Skypark logistics
Common builds
new-build family homes, primary-school estates
Cranbrook projects we see most
- New-build family homes — a regular brief in Cranbrook
- Primary-school estates — a regular brief in Cranbrook
- Skypark commercial units — a regular brief in Cranbrook
- New-town residential — a regular brief in Cranbrook
- Skypark logistics — a regular brief in Cranbrook
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed in Cranbrook — how it works
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.
Unlike a self-levelling liquid screed, sand and cement is placed and compacted by hand, so we control the fall towards a drain, form an upstand at a threshold, or feather it into an existing floor level in a way a pumped pour cannot.
Materials and systems we use in Cranbrook
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.
Latest jobs across Devon
Nearby villages and towns
What backs our Cranbrook work
Cranbrook screed questions, answered
What thickness do you lay for a bonded sand and cement screed?+
Bonded screeds go down from 25mm minimum, unbonded or floating builds from 50mm, and thicker still where we are making up a significant fall or a dug-out sub-base.
How is sand and cement screed different from liquid screed in Cranbrook?+
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.
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.
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 Cranbrook job.
How long does a sand and cement screed take to dry in Cranbrook?+
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.
Do you use a screed pump for sand and cement in Cranbrook?+
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.
Whether it's a single wet room or a full homeowners and contractors alike scheme in Cranbrook, we set out bays, control the falls and hand back a dense, SR2-flat floor ready for tiling.
Wet room or balcony screed in EX5?
Falls to drain, external thresholds, deep fills, we quote Traditional Sand & Cement Screed for homeowners and contractors alike jobs across Cranbrook and the surrounding villages.
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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