How to apply microcement over tiles yourself: an easy guide

Have your tiles become outdated? If you’ve made it this far, it’s probably because you have plenty of ideas and questions about covering the tiles in your bathroom or kitchen with the microcement kit for bathrooms. Maybe you’ve just become a homeowner and want to add your own touch; maybe you live in a house that’s more than half a century old and you need to modernise it; or perhaps you’re simply tired of your tiles—even if they’re still in perfect condition—and want a seamless finish. Whatever the reason, here is how to do it.

In this article, you’ll learn how to apply microcement on tiles yourself (with ready-to-use microcement you don’t need to hire a professional), in which situations we advise against doing it, and the best expert tips to avoid problems. If you’re still wondering whether it is worth it, further down you’ll find what it costs and the reviews of people who have already covered their tiles.

If you want to do it yourself, the microcement kit for bathroom includes the complete system for tiles: grout filler, high-adhesion primer, microcement and varnish.

Can microcement be applied over tiles?

Yes, it is possible to apply microcement over tiles without removing or sanding them, with Smart Jointer in the grout lines and Smart Primer PLUS. It is the perfect coating for renovating tiled surfaces while avoiding construction work, as it allows you to forget about dust and rubble.

Tiles are just one of the valid substrates: plasterboard, concrete, wood or a painted wall also work, and we go through them in compatible substrates with microcement for bathrooms.

In fact, it is so easy to apply that you can even do it yourself in a DIY way with ready-to-use microcement. You won’t have to mix components or pigment it, because everything already comes prepared so that you only need to open, stir and apply it. There’s no need to hire a professional (or be one yourself), which speeds up the process and also reduces the overall cost.

Ready-to-use microcement offers excellent performance on surfaces where resistance to moisture is essential, making it perfect for bathrooms and kitchens.

What you should know before applying microcement over tiles

Before applying microcement over tiles, you should consider a few aspects to ensure the installation is optimal and the final result is exactly what you expect. Below, we explain when it is not advisable to coat tiles with microcement.

Be careful with textured tiles

You should know that microcement, due to its low thickness, replicates the appearance of the surface it is applied to. For this reason, it is not advisable to apply it over tiles with relief or texture. The texture would remain visible and the continuous finish of the microcement would lose its aesthetic appeal.

Decorative borders on tiles

Something similar happens with decorative tile borders. These borders usually have very pronounced patterns, which would become even more noticeable when covered with microcement. If you still decide to apply it over them, you would need to add more product, and applying a thick layer of microcement greatly increases the risk of cracking.

Check the tiles: are they unstable?

If your tiles are broken, loose or chipped, they are not a good base for coating. Before applying microcement, they should be repaired to ensure an impeccable result.

Ideal room temperature for applying microcement

Where can microcement be applied over tiles?

Covering your tiles with this material is a great way to give any room a fresh new look. If you can’t immediately think of spaces where it could be applied, here are some ideas and tips.

Kitchen splashbacks

Since it is common for this area to receive splashes while cooking, a kitchen splashback is one part of the kitchen that benefits greatly from being coated with microcement thanks to how easy it is to clean. A splash simply wipes off with a cloth.

Application tips for kitchen splashbacks: remember to fill and cover the joints. In addition, you should mix the booster with the varnish, as the kitchen is a room with relatively high ambient humidity.

Renovation carried out by @home_buldog in the colour Wasabi.

Bathroom vanity countertops

A microcement vanity countertop creates a continuous, seamless surface that blends visually with the rest of the bathroom.

Application tips for vanity countertops: use Smart Jointer to level the joints and add the booster to the varnish to provide extra resistance in humid environments.

Shower walls

A microcement shower has a finish of continuous lines and a silky appearance, and it is resistant and easy to clean.

Application tips for shower walls: remember to cover the joints to achieve that seamless finish and apply the mixture of Smart Booster with the protective varnish.

If you want to learn how to apply microcement on walls in other rooms, you can read about it in our step-by-step guide.

Renovation carried out by @withbrushandpaper in the colour Blanco.

Floors

A tiled floor can be covered with microcement without removing it, which is the simplest way to give it a new look.

Application tips for tiled floors: it is essential to respect the drying times, as the varnish is dry to the touch in 1-2 hours, but the floor requires 7 days for full curing before it can be walked on. Once it’s dry, it can be walked on normally.

Renovation carried out by @the.kaisers in the colour Bone.

Advantages of applying microcement over bathroom and kitchen tiles

Before getting started, there are some key points about applying microcement over tiles that you should know beforehand, and they are precisely what makes it one of the most widely used options for these surfaces. These are the advantages of microcement compared to other materials.

Microcement is applied without construction work

Microcement can be applied over tiles, with Smart Jointer and Smart Primer PLUS, without having to remove them, avoiding dust and construction work. This makes it possible to modernise a room quickly and cleanly, without rubble, and at a more affordable cost since there’s no need to request building permits.

It allows for fully customised finishes

This decorative coating is available in a wide range of colours and also offers different finish options, making it easy to personalise any space according to your preferred decorative style.

Water-resistant: perfect for humid environments

Varnished microcement is a material resistant to water and daily cleaning, qualities that make it the perfect choice for spaces such as bathrooms or kitchens.

Easy and quick to clean

Another natural characteristic of microcement is its smooth, continuous finish without joints, making it very quick and easy to clean: with a damp cloth and pH-neutral soap the walls stay in perfect condition.

Its low thickness barely increases the surface depth

Microcement is a very thin coating, with a thickness of only about 3 mm, so once applied it hardly increases the thickness of walls or floors.

SEE KIT TO COVER TILES

Tips and considerations for applying microcement over bathroom and kitchen tiles

These tips will help you apply microcement over tiles with a professional finish and avoid the most common problems.

Check for negative moisture

One of the aspects you should consider before applying microcement over tiles is negative moisture (especially in bathrooms and kitchens). Negative moisture can be present in some building materials, and in tiles it may appear due to poor waterproofing or insufficient ventilation. To prevent it, it is essential to properly fill the joints and use the correct primer, which we will explain below.

Clean the joints: avoid mould and dirt

Before filling the joints and applying microcement over them, it is essential that they are clean and free from mould. If you skip this step and cover them without proper treatment, mould may eventually reappear and dirt will make it harder for the products to adhere properly.

Use the correct primer

Remember that tiles are a non-absorbent material, so the primer used must be specifically designed for this type of surface. Not using the right primer or applying an insufficient coat will affect the final adhesion and durability of the microcement.

Apply thin layers of microcement

Microcement is a coating that must be applied in thin layers. If thick layers are applied, the finish will not be uniform and it will not dry evenly, increasing the risk of cracks or fissures.

Respect the drying times

Allowing each layer to dry properly is necessary to ensure that the next one can be applied evenly and without lumps or imperfections. Keep in mind that drying times vary depending on the type of microcement, so it is essential to follow the instructions provided by each manufacturer.

Use the right tools

With Smartcret ready-to-use microcement, we recommend using the Smart Tools kit, as these tools have been tested to avoid burning the microcement during application and to achieve the result you’re looking for.

If the surface is not suitable

Make sure that the tiles on which you are going to apply microcement are in good condition and free of damage. Otherwise, marks may appear or parts of the coating could detach.

The next step is to decide which tiled wall or walls you want to cover and choose the microcement kit for tiles that best fits your project.

Renovation carried out by @thelittlehouseinlondon in the colour Spike.

How much does it cost to apply microcement over tiles?

If you hire an applicator, in the US a professional applicator charges around $315–420 per m² (roughly $29–39 per sq ft), labour included, and the final quote will depend on the labour involved and the number of square metres to cover.

With the microcement kits for tiles the price is fixed and you know it before you start: from $243 (shown in your currency at checkout) for 4 m² (about 43 sq ft) of wall up to $3,973 for 96 m² of floor, depending on the surface you are going to renovate; the colour never changes the price. And by applying it yourself you save the installation cost, which is the largest item in the budget.

If you want the full breakdown, room by room, check our microcement price guide.

Real case: a 3.9 m² tiled bathroom, covered with microcement without building work

Marta Oliveras (Barcelona) had just come out of a full renovation and didn’t want to see another skip full of rubble. Her bathroom, 3.9 m² in floor area, was tiled up to the ceiling with glazed ceramic tiles in a marbled effect, in good condition (nothing needed repairing), with a decorative border and a marbled tiled floor. For the walls she chose the 16 m² microcement kit for bathroom in the colour Blanco (H1), and applied it herself following the 6 steps above: grout filler, primer for non-absorbent surfaces, two coats of Smart Base, two of Smart Liso and varnish.

Before: the bathroom as it was, with the marbled-effect tiles, the decorative border and the bathtub screen.

Preparation: the same tiles with the joints already filled and levelled with Smart Jointer.

During: the first coat of Smart Base is spread with the roller and smoothed with the trowel, section by section.

After: seamless walls, with no joints or border, in the same bathroom.

Detail of the Smart Liso finish next to the sink.

How long it took. Eleven days, fitting it around work and respecting the drying times between coats and the seven days of curing before using the shower. A bathroom this size, working full days, can be done in three days.

The colour. "We went for Blanco because we wanted it white and it has come out beige, more of a bone shade. Even so, we love it now." As you can see in the photos, in the warm light of an internal bathroom Blanco leans towards bone; if you are after a cooler white, compare it on the colour chart with Blanco Roto and the other light shades before deciding.

The doubts she had, and what she learned. "On large walls I didn’t know whether it was better to apply all the microcement with the roller and then start with the trowel, or to do it bit by bit. The mistake, for me, was applying it all, because I hadn’t reached the end yet and the microcement was already going hard." That is the rule from step 5: work by zones, spread with the roller and smooth with the trowel before moving on to the next section. The second: "The trowel was leaving black marks on me; the solution was to finish it with a plastic trowel." Dark marks on a light colour usually come from a metal trowel; that is why the Smartcret system is smoothed with the polycarbonate trowel from the Smart Tools kit, which doesn’t mark.

Her verdict. "We are very satisfied. For us, one of the most positive things was saving ourselves from generating so much rubble, because we had just come out of a full renovation and were fed up with debris." "Nobody would say there are tiles underneath. You can’t even make out the border that was there." "Without much effort, the final effect is beautiful." And one curious detail she told us: they preferred the texture of Smart Base to that of Smart Liso; Liso is the finishing coat of the system for walls, and the final texture is decided by how you pass the trowel in those last two coats.

Reviews of microcement over tiles

When you want to renovate a bathroom, a kitchen or any tiled surface without building work, it's natural to wonder whether microcement over tiles is really worth it. In most cases the answer is yes, provided the tiles are in good condition and the system you choose is suited to that kind of substrate. So let's get to what matters: what do people who have renovated their tiles with microcement actually say? On the whole, the reviews are positive, but let's look at them properly:

What people value most is being able to cover tiles without a traditional renovation, avoiding rubble and weeks of an unusable room, while completely changing how the space looks. Here you'll find every route to renovating the bathroom without removing the tiles.

The finished look is another point that comes up again and again. Covering tiles with microcement gives you a continuous, modern surface with no visible grout lines, which transforms walls, floors, showers and countertops with a finish that reads as cleaner, more uniform and more modern.

The speed of the job also features among the positives. Because the tiles stay where they are, microcement lets you renew the surface in very little time, as long as the substrate is sound and the instructions for the chosen system are followed.

That said, not every experience is the same, and not every review is equally favourable. Problems tend to appear when the substrate hasn't been checked or prepared properly before the microcement goes on. If the tiles are loose, if there is damp, pronounced relief or decorative borders, or if the surface is simply unstable, the result will suffer over time.

Damp deserves particular attention. If existing damp isn't dealt with before the tiles are covered, you may see staining, colour changes or problems with the finish. Before cladding the surface with microcement, it's essential to confirm that the substrate is in suitable condition.

It's also worth being clear that microcement is not a repair material for hiding faults in the substrate; it is a decorative coating. Before covering tiles, the base must be clean, firm, dry and stable for the finish to behave as it should.

In short, microcement over tiles is worth it when it's used on a surface that's fit for it, not to hide defects. It's a practical way to renew a room without removing the tiles, and in very little time. But, as with any decorative coating, the final result depends largely on the initial condition of the substrate and on careful application, set out above in the 6 steps.

If you'd like to read what people who have renovated their tiles with microcement have to say, you can look at their Smartcret reviews on Google.

In summary

As you can see, applying microcement over bathroom and kitchen tiles can transform a room without major building work, with a result that is practical, attractive and within reach of anyone with a bit of skill. In fact, it is one of the most common home renovations done with this material.

That said, to avoid the possible drawbacks of applying microcement over tiles, it’s worth preparing the substrate well, making sure the tiles are stable, treating any damp problems and respecting each stage of the application. That way, you’ll avoid adhesion problems, stains, cracks, fissures, detachment or a less durable finish.