Microcement Floors

Microcement floors

Microcement floors are hand-applied in thin layers over an existing sound substrate, producing a continuous surface with no grout lines. Because the build-up is only a few millimetres, it can often go over an existing floor without the disruption of lifting it.

The substrate decides the outcome. It has to be sound, dry and stable. Movement is the enemy of any thin-bed system, so flexing timber floors are stiffened first and joints are treated before any material goes down; skipping that stage is what causes the hairline cracking microcement is sometimes blamed for.

Application is layered: primer, base coats reinforced with mesh where the substrate calls for it, then finishing coats worked to the chosen texture, followed by sealing. Sealing is what determines how the floor copes with water and cleaning products, so it is specified for the room rather than applied generically.

It suits open-plan spaces, kitchens, hallways and bathrooms where an unbroken floor plane is wanted, and it is compatible with underfloor heating.

We install microcement floors across London. Costs depend on area, substrate condition and how much preparation is needed, so quotations follow a site survey rather than a rate per square metre quoted blind.

Common questions

Can microcement be laid over floorboards?

Over a timber floor, yes, once it has been made rigid. Boards flex and move seasonally, so they are usually overboarded and the joints treated before any material goes down. Applying a thin system straight onto boards is the most reliable way to produce the hairline cracking microcement is blamed for.

Is a microcement floor slippery when wet?

It depends on the finishing coats and the sealer rather than the material itself. A smoother finish with a gloss sealer is more slippery wet than a lightly textured surface with a matt one, which is why the finish is chosen for the room - bathrooms and wet areas are specified differently from a dry hallway.

How is a microcement floor repaired if it chips?

By hand, in the same material, and blended into the surrounding surface. Because the finish is hand-worked and has natural variation, a repair integrates better than it would into a uniform factory finish, though a heavily worked surface hides one more readily than a very flat, even one.