Relaying old floors in Sawbridgeworth's conservation area
Once an old solid floor is up, the first task is finding out what sits underneath. In a house of this age there may be no damp proof membrane and no insulation, and the old surface may have cracked or dropped. We dig out to the depth required and build back up: a sub-base where it is needed, insulation, a membrane, then fresh screed over the lot.
That screed is usually sand and cement. Because it is mixed on site, its depth can change from room to room to suit old doorways and thresholds, and it is compacted and finished by hand. In a Tudor or Georgian house near Great St Mary's Church, where rooms are small, walls are rarely square and floor levels step between rooms, that control counts. In a home, a floating screed over insulation is typically 65mm deep, and our insulation and membranes service covers the layers below it.
If the house is listed, changes to historic floors may need consent, so speak to the council before the old floor comes out; we then work to the approved detail.
For a hand-laid floor in CM21, the published 2026 range is £18 to £25 per m², and fibres add £1 to £3 per m² where better crack resistance is wanted. On a sound concrete base with little height to spare, a slimmer bonded screed of 25 to 40mm can do the job instead.
Wet rooms, garages and drying times in Sawbridgeworth
Newer Sawbridgeworth homes have their uses for sand and cement too. Moisture does not trouble it the way it troubles calcium sulphate, which makes it the normal base for wet rooms, walk-in showers and utility rooms. It also holds a fall to a drain, which no self-levelling screed will.
Garage conversions are another fit. Turn the garage of a Sawbridgeworth house into a room and you usually find a low, uninsulated slab. Insulation, a membrane and new screed lift it to the house level, and our guide to garage floors in conversions sets out the layers.
Time is what you trade. A hand-laid floor dries slower than a pumped one: count on one day for each millimetre through the first 40mm, longer beyond that, and no heating for 21 days at least. On a tight programme a quick drying mix can help, and the flooring fitter should only be booked once the screed has passed its test. Around 4.1 miles away, there is also sand and cement screed in Bishop's Stortford.
Sand and Cement Screed prices in Sawbridgeworth
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 Sawbridgeworth
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 Sawbridgeworth
On the map, Sawbridgeworth sits east-north-east of Slough, about 39.3 miles from our base in a straight line (postcodes including CM21), next to Harlow (3.8 miles), Bishop's Stortford (4.1 miles), Hoddesdon (7.9 miles) and Ware (8 miles).
More on sand & cement screed, part of our screeding services.