Relaying failed floors in older Chippenham terraces
Homes built before 1919 account for 10% of Chippenham's stock, with another 11% from between the wars. Older terraces near the town centre often have tired concrete floors and no damp proof membrane underneath them. Patching rarely lasts on floors like that, so the usual fix is a rebuild from the ground up.
That means breaking out the old slab, laying a new base, then a damp proof membrane and insulation, and finally the screed. A floating sand and cement screed in a house is laid at 65mm over insulation, which gives it enough body to resist cracking. Commercial floors go to 75mm. Where the screed sits directly on a sound concrete base instead, it can be bonded at 25 to 40mm, which saves height in a room with fixed door and skirting levels.
Hand-laid screed copes well with the conditions in these houses. Rooms are small, hallways narrow and the work often has to come through the front door from the street. We mix in batches outside, barrow it in and compact and float it room by room.
Get the damp proof layer wrong and a new screed will not save the floor. If you are unsure what is under the floor, our insulation and membranes service covers the layers below. If the damage is confined to one patch, repairing just the failed area can be enough.
Wet rooms, garages and drying times in Chippenham
Rooms that will see water need a cement screed. Calcium sulphate loses strength if it stays wet for long, which rules it out under a walk-in shower, in a wet room or on a utility floor. Laying by hand also lets us build in a gentle fall to the drain, something a self-levelling pour cannot give you.
Garage conversions are another common fit. Garages usually sit a step down from the house, and that drop is filled with insulation plus screed until the converted room meets the hallway. Our garage conversion floor guide shows each layer, from the old slab up to finished level.
The trade-off is drying. A 65mm sand and cement floor takes considerably longer to dry than a thinner liquid screed, and longer again in cold or damp weather. If the kitchen fitter is already booked and time is short, a faster drying screed mix brings that wait down.
If the house is being extended at the back at the same time, the larger, open floor in the new part may suit liquid screed for the extension, with sand and cement kept for the older rooms.
Sand and Cement Screed prices in Chippenham
Sand and cement screed: £18 to £25 per m² supplied and laid (MyJobQuote, August 2026), so £450 to £630 for 25 m². MyJobQuote does not say whether these figures include VAT. See our floor screeding cost guide or screed calculator.
Who lays your sand and cement screed in Chippenham
K & B Screeding’s own team, led by director Donatas Bardisevicius. Founded 2019, company 12298780.
See what customers say in our Google reviews and on our testimonials page.
Sand and Cement Screed from Slough to Chippenham
On the map, Chippenham sits west of Slough, about 63.6 miles from our base in a straight line (postcodes including SN15), next to Corsham (3.5 miles), Calne (4.9 miles), Melksham (6 miles) and Devizes (9 miles).
More on sand & cement screed, part of our screeding services.
