Traditional Sand & Cement Screed · Somerset
Pitminster Traditional Sand & Cement Screed Specialists
Not every Pitminster 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.
Talk through your Pitminster 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 Pitminster floor.
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Or call our landline on 01392 237700
Not every Pitminster 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 Pitminster jobs sit within 30 minutes of base, so site visits stay simple and pour days run to time. Pitminster sits Taunton (5 mi), and we work the surrounding villages on the same week's diary.
Built for Pitminster rural self-builders and farms
Pitminster sits rural — barn conversions, self-builds, agricultural sheds, equestrian floors. Access is usually fine, but power and water on site need confirming up front. We do that at the site visit.
Local facts that shape every Pitminster pour
County
Somerset
District
Somerset West and Taunton
Postcode
TA3
Nearest city
Taunton (5 mi)
Nearest motorway
M5 (J25, ~7 mi)
Primary A-road
B3170
Local industries
agriculture, equestrian yards
Common builds
stone farmhouses, barn conversions
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed in Pitminster — 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.
Step-by-step for a Pitminster job
- 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
Latest jobs across Somerset
Cemfloor systems for Pitminster
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.
Other areas we cover near Pitminster
Pitminster screed questions, answered
Is sand and cement screed suitable for a wet room in Pitminster?+
Yes, it is the standard choice for wet rooms, shower rooms and balconies because it tolerates sustained water contact in a way gypsum-based liquid screeds do not.
How is sand and cement screed different from liquid screed in Pitminster?+
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 Pitminster 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 long does a sand and cement screed take to dry in Pitminster?+
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 Pitminster?+
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.
What backs our Pitminster work
Talk through your Pitminster 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 Pitminster 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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