Traditional Sand & Cement Screed · Devon
Instow Traditional Sand & Cement Screed Specialists
Not every Instow floor wants a pump on the driveway. A traditional sand and cement screed, hand-laid to bays and trowelled flat, still earns its place on deep fills, external thresholds and jobs where a wet-mix, robust finish matters more than speed.
Get a fixed price for Instow Traditional Sand & Cement Screed Specialists
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Not every Instow floor wants a pump on the driveway. A traditional sand and cement screed, hand-laid to bays and trowelled flat, still earns its place on deep fills, external thresholds and jobs where a wet-mix, robust finish matters more than speed.
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.
Most of our Instow jobs sit within 30 minutes of base, so site visits stay simple and pour days run to time. Instow sits Barnstaple (8 mi), and we work the surrounding villages on the same week's diary.
EX39 access, routes and logistics
County
Devon
District
North Devon
Postcode
EX39
Nearest city
Barnstaple (8 mi)
Nearest motorway
M5 (J27, ~50 mi)
Primary A-road
A39
Local industries
marine trades, hospitality
Common builds
quayside conversions, estuary-side new-builds
What Instow builds usually need
- Quayside conversions — a regular brief in Instow
- Estuary-side new-builds — a regular brief in Instow
- Waterside retrofits — a regular brief in Instow
- Boat-club buildings — a regular brief in Instow
- Marine trades — a regular brief in Instow
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed in Instow — how it works
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.
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.
Specifications suited to Instow builds
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.
Recent work near Instow
Instow-area service radius
Trust points for a Instow brief
FAQs from Instow clients
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 Instow 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 Instow?+
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 Instow?+
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.
Do you use a screed pump for sand and cement in Instow?+
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.
From site visit to final trowel pass, our Instow sand and cement jobs are quoted as one fixed price, with drying time explained up front so nobody is caught out.
Talk through your Instow sand and cement job
No pump access, an awkward fall, or a wet area, call and we'll talk through the right build-up for your Instow floor.
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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