Traditional Sand & Cement Screed · Devon
Cemfloor-Certified Traditional Sand & Cement Screed Across Salcombe Regis
Deep make-up floors in Salcombe Regis, especially where the sub-base has been dug out or old floor coverings stripped back to an uneven slab, are still best served by a traditional sand and cement screed built up in layers.
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Deep make-up floors in Salcombe Regis, especially where the sub-base has been dug out or old floor coverings stripped back to an uneven slab, are still best served by a traditional sand and cement screed built up in layers.
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.
Most of our Salcombe Regis jobs sit within 30 minutes of base, so site visits stay simple and pour days run to time. Salcombe Regis sits Exeter (16 mi), and we work the surrounding villages on the same week's diary.
Where liquid screed earns its keep in Salcombe Regis
- Seafront apartments — a regular brief in Salcombe Regis
- 1930s coastal semis — a regular brief in Salcombe Regis
- Harbourside conversions — a regular brief in Salcombe Regis
- Guest-house retrofits — a regular brief in Salcombe Regis
- Tourism lets — a regular brief in Salcombe Regis
Who this is for in Salcombe Regis
Salcombe Regis 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.
Traditional Sand & Cement Screed in Salcombe Regis — 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 Salcombe Regis
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.
What to expect on pour day in Salcombe Regis
- 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 Devon
Adjacent areas — usually same-week diary
What backs our Salcombe Regis work
- 01Cemfloor-certified, fully insured, CDM-aware
- 02Coordinated with most South West UFH installers
- 03Pre-start meeting standard on every commercial job
- 04Local knowledge — we know the M5 (J30, ~15 mi) access window and A3052 traffic patterns
Salcombe Regis 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.
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 Salcombe Regis job.
How is sand and cement screed different from liquid screed in Salcombe Regis?+
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 Salcombe Regis?+
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.
Book a bay-laid screed in Salcombe Regis
Hand-trowelled screeds take longer to schedule around drying and access. Get your Salcombe Regis job in the diary early.
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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