Traditional Sand & Cement Screed · Devon
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed for Payhembury Builds
Not every Payhembury 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.
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Not every Payhembury 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 Payhembury jobs sit within 30 minutes of base, so site visits stay simple and pour days run to time. Payhembury sits Honiton (5 mi), and we work the surrounding villages on the same week's diary.
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed in Payhembury — how it works
For Payhembury 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.
EX14 access, routes and logistics
County
Devon
District
East Devon
Postcode
EX14
Nearest city
Honiton (5 mi)
Nearest motorway
M5 (J28, ~9 mi)
Primary A-road
minor B-roads
Local industries
agriculture, conservation residential
Common builds
listed cob-and-thatch cottages, barn conversions
What Payhembury builds usually need
- Listed cob-and-thatch cottages — a regular brief in Payhembury
- Barn conversions — a regular brief in Payhembury
- Farm outbuildings — a regular brief in Payhembury
- Agriculture — a regular brief in Payhembury
- Conservation residential — a regular brief in Payhembury
Floors poured around Payhembury
How a Payhembury pour runs
- 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
Proof from the Devon workload
Payhembury-area service radius
Specifications suited to Payhembury 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.
Common Payhembury build questions
Can you form a fall to a drain with sand and cement?+
Yes, this is one of the main reasons to choose it. We build the fall into the screed thickness during placement, which liquid screed cannot do since it self-levels flat.
How is sand and cement screed different from liquid screed in Payhembury?+
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.
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 Payhembury 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.
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.
How long does a sand and cement screed take to dry in Payhembury?+
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.
EX14 coverage for traditional screed
From Payhembury out to the surrounding villages, we carry both liquid and sand and cement screed crews, so you get the right one for the 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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