Microcement floor: the complete guide to renovating it without building work

Replacing the floor in your home can be a real drama: rubble that never seems to end, finding somewhere to stay while your house is upside down, checking the plans so you don’t hit hidden installations, the permit paperwork… and the cost of it all.

But there is a way around that toll: a microcement floor is applied directly over the existing flooring, without ripping it up and without building work. In this guide we explain exactly what a microcement floor is, which floors it can go over (and which it can’t), how it is applied step by step with real timings, how much it costs in 2026 with fixed prices, which problems are worth avoiding and how to keep it immaculate for years. If you are starting from scratch with this material, begin with what is microcement; here we focus on floors.

The microcement kit for floors and stairs brings together the whole system to apply it yourself, over cement, tiles or plasterboard, in the square metres you need.

What a microcement floor is (and how it differs from other seamless floors)

A microcement floor is a seamless coating 2-3 mm thick that is applied with a trowel, in thin coats, on top of the flooring you already have. It is not a new floor that gets laid: it is a skin that bonds to the substrate and covers it completely, with no joints. In the Smartcret system that thickness is made up of two coats of preparation microcement (Smart Base, up to 0.8 mm per coat), two coats of finishing microcement (Smart Medio, up to 0.5 mm per coat) and three coats of water-based polyurethane varnish (Smart Varnish), which is what protects the floor from water, stains and the wear of footsteps.

It is worth not confusing it with other floors that are also described as “seamless”:

• Polished concrete. This is a concrete slab several centimetres thick, poured and machine-polished. It requires building work, is very heavy and raises the floor level; it only makes sense in new builds or industrial units. Microcement achieves a similar look over what is already there.
• Epoxy floor paint. This is a paint (one- or two-component) that changes the colour and protects the floor, but it follows the shape of the substrate: the relief of the joints and any unevenness are still there. It is the budget option for garages, storerooms or a floor that only needs a facelift. We explain it in the guide to epoxy floor paint.
• Traditional two-component microcement. It is mixed on site (powder + resin + pigment) and requires dosing, pigmenting and working fast. Smartcret’s ready-to-use microcement comes already pigmented and prepared in the container, so the result does not depend on getting the mix right.

Microcement on the floor: a match with many benefits

More and more homes choose microcement floors for their renovations, and it is no coincidence: easy application, a reasonable price and finishes worthy of an interior designer, fully customisable.

• No building work, no rubble. It is applied over the existing floor (tiles, terrazzo, marble, flagstones…), so there is no demolition, no machinery and no skip at the door.
• It resists and lasts, a lot. High mechanical resistance to everyday scratches, abrasion and knocks. With Smart Varnish sealer (and its Smart Booster reinforcement) it stays protected against water, stains and the wear of daily foot traffic. And for foot traffic, the floor kits include as a finish a coarser-grain mortar (Smart Medio) designed precisely for floors.
• Continuous, with no joints. The joints of the previous covering disappear: a greater sense of space and much easier cleaning, with no seams for dirt to build up in.
• It gets on well with almost everything. Excellent adhesion over marble, terrazzo, tiles, stoneware, cement, concrete, plasterboard, plaster… The only exception is parquet: not because of adhesion (microcement can be applied over wood), but because parquet’s natural movement could crack the coating.
• Light and thin: just 2-3 mm. It does not affect the structural load of your home and you won’t even need to trim the doors or touch the skirting boards.
• You can do it yourself. With a ready-to-use kit, the step-by-step instructions and a trowel, the floor of one room is done in a long weekend. The labour, which is the most expensive part of professional microcement, you save.

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Disadvantages of a microcement floor: what you should know before deciding

We love microcement, but it is not the solution for everything, and we would rather you knew that before buying a kit:

• It needs a rigid, stable substrate. Anything that moves underneath (parquet, floating laminate, a wooden staircase or one with a metal structure) will end up showing through or cracking the coating. The same goes for a floor with loose tiles: they have to be fixed first.
• Expansion joints are respected. Microcement covers the joints between tiles, but the building’s structural joints cannot be covered: they are marked in the same place.
• It requires patience at the end. The floor is applied in about three days, but the varnish needs 7 days of curing before you can use the room normally. For that week the room is out of service.
• It is a handcrafted finish. The trowel marks show: that is part of its charm, but if you are after a uniform surface like porcelain stoneware, this is not your material. Too much trowel pressure on light colours leaves darker marks (“burns”), which are avoided with the correct trowel angle.
• Underfloor heating and outdoors, with caveats. Over underfloor heating we do not recommend it (we explain why below). On a terrace or a patio it can be done, with the same coats and the same timings, but the weather rules during application and curing; you have all the details in the outdoor microcement guide.

Which floors microcement can be applied over (and how each one is prepared)

The most repeated question, and the one that decides which kit you need. What changes from one floor to another is not the microcement, but the preparation:

• Tiles, stoneware, porcelain, terrazzo and marble. These are vitrified, closed-face substrates that do not absorb. First the joints are filled and levelled with Smart Jointer, and then Smart Primer PLUS is applied, the maximum-adhesion primer for non-absorbent surfaces. Without that step, over time the microcement would show the pattern of the joints. This is the “Tiles and flagstones” option of the kit.
• Cement, concrete and mortar. These are porous substrates with no joints to fill, so the kit does not include Smart Jointer: it goes straight in with Smart Primer ABS, the primer for absorbent surfaces. This is the “Plasterboard, plaster or cement” option of the kit.
• Masonry staircases. Tread and riser are coated just like the floor, as long as the steps are concrete, mortar or tiled. You have the ideas and the step by step in microcement stairs.
• Parquet, floorboards and laminates: no. Wood moves with humidity and temperature, and that movement is transmitted to the 2-3 mm of microcement. If you want microcement in a room with parquet, it has to be removed and the microcement applied over the mortar underneath.
• Underfloor heating: we do not recommend it. We explain it in its own section.

In any case, the substrate must be level, sound, clean and dry: no dust, grease, soap residue or flaking paint. If there are cracks or broken tiles, they are repaired before starting.

Microcement floor colours: set your creativity free

The floor kits come in twenty colours, from white to slate grey via sands, greens and earth tones, and all of them can be seen on the kit page before you choose. Three directions that never fail:

• Warm and natural (sand, beige, light brown): welcoming and perfect for rustic, modern or minimalist styles.
• Elegant and sophisticated (slate grey, grey-blue): depth and distinction; pair them with light walls and furniture so the room doesn’t feel dark.
• Bright and fresh (white, pastels, beige): space and light, ideal for small rooms.

The final finish is also up to you: the kit includes a matt varnish, and if you prefer a slight sheen, Smart Varnish also comes in a satin version. A tip from experience: very dark colours show dust and trowel marks more, and very light ones demand more care during application; mid tones (sand, mid grey, bone) are the most forgiving on a floor. To fine-tune your choice, our guide to microcement colours shows you the full palette with real examples.

Where to use microcement on the floor? In whichever room you like

• In kitchens it keeps the floor safe: resistant to scratches, abrasion and knocks, and extremely easy to clean. If yours is a full project, here is the specific guide to microcement kitchen floors.
• In bathrooms it protects against moisture: with the right sealing it withstands the whole family’s daily use, with no grout lines to keep spotless. You have the specific case, with timings and tips, in microcement on the bathroom floor. Prefer an even cheaper option for the bathroom floor? You can also paint it with Smartcover Floor.
• In bedrooms and living rooms, serenity and comfort: soft textures, neutral tones and durability designed for real-life foot traffic. And since there are no joints or changes of material, it is the simplest way to unify the floor of a living room with the open-plan kitchen or the hallway.
• On stairs and in hallways, the busiest areas of the house, the Smart Medio finish and the varnish reinforced with Smart Booster are exactly what is needed.

FIND THE KIT FOR YOUR FLOOR

What about underfloor heating?

At Smartcret we do not recommend applying our microcement over underfloor heating. This heating system requires a very precise switch-on and switch-off protocol (raising and lowering the temperature in stages before and after coating), which must be carried out by a professional; if it is not followed, the contractions and expansions caused by temperature changes can lead to cracks in the coating. Since our kits are designed for you to apply yourself, we would rather say no than have you end up disappointed.

How microcement is applied to the floor, step by step

The process is the usual Smart System, with one important nuance depending on your current flooring. Allow three days of work (most of it is drying time between coats) and a week of curing before moving back into the room. Work at 20-22 ºC (68-72 ºF) if you can, and never force the drying by pointing a heater at the surface.

1. Prepare and clean the floor. Fix anything loose, repair cracks and broken tiles, and leave the surface clean and dry. Protect skirting boards, doors and sanitaryware with tape.
2. Joints and primer, depending on your substrate. Over tiles, stoneware, terrazzo or marble: fill and level the joints with Smart Jointer and, once dry, roll on Smart Primer PLUS primer. Over cement, concrete or mortar: with no joints to fill, apply Smart Primer ABS directly.
3. Two coats of Smart Base. This is the preparation microcement, the coarsest grain, which evens out the substrate. It is spread with a trowel in a thin coat (maximum 0.8 mm per coat), with the trowel at about 45º so as not to leave coats that are too thin or too thick. Between coats, 4-8 hours of drying and a sanding with the 40-grit disc from the kit. Never wet on wet.
4. Two coats of Smart Medio. This is the specific finish of the floor kits: more grain than the Smart Liso used on walls, for greater abrasion resistance. Maximum 0.5 mm per coat, another 4-8 hours of drying between coats and light sanding with the 80-grit disc. The second coat is the one that gives the final look.
5. Three coats of Smart Varnish. Wait 24 hours after the last coat of microcement, sand lightly with the finest disc in the kit (400 grit) and apply the varnish with a fibre roller, three coats on the same day, every 4-6 hours. On floors always add Smart Booster to the varnish: it is the reinforcement that provides hardness and chemical resistance in high-traffic areas.
6. Curing. The varnish is touch-dry in 1-2 hours, but the floor needs 7 days to cure fully (at 23 ºC / 73 ºF and 50 % humidity). Until then, no furniture, no water and no unnecessary footsteps. After that, it is a real floor.

Want to see it in detail and with pictures? Check our interactive application guide or the video:

And relax about the choice: every microcement kit for floors comes already sized with the exact products of its route, from 4 to 96 m²: primer, Smart Jointer if your floor needs it, Smart Base, Smart Medio, Smart Varnish with Smart Booster, the sanding discs for each step and the instructions. It is ready-to-use microcement: no mixing, no pigmenting and no complicated calculations. The only thing sold separately is the tools (trowel, roller and tray), which you can add with the Smart Tools kit.

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How much does a microcement floor cost? Prices in 2026

In the UK, a professional applicator charges around £120–200 per m², labour included, depending on the metres, the condition of the substrate and the area. On a large surface, labour is the main item in the budget.

With Smartcret’s ready-to-use kits the budget is a different story: a fixed price based on the metres and the type of floor, £26–43 per m² of material, with no quotes and no surprises. The floors and stairs kit comes in 4, 8, 16, 24, 48 and 96 m², on cement, plaster or plasterboard or on tiles and flagstones, at the same price in all twenty colours, except during occasional promotions; the exact price of each size is on the kit page.

The kit for tiles costs a little more because it includes Smart Jointer and the Smart Primer PLUS primer. The bigger the kit, the lower the price per metre. To give you an idea: on the floor of a 24 m² living room the material comes to £26–43 per m², compared with the £120–200 per m² an applicator would charge. See the microcement price per m² in our price guide if you want to compare with walls, bathrooms and other systems.

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Problems with a microcement floor? They can be avoided

The two usual suspects are cracks (almost always caused by a poorly prepared base that moves, or by not respecting coat times and thicknesses) and moisture (from not removing it before coating or from choosing the wrong primer). There is a third one specific to floors: stains and premature wear, which almost always mean that the varnish was applied with fewer than the three coats needed, without Smart Booster or without waiting for the curing before using the floor.

All three are prevented by following the step by step: a clean, rigid and repaired base; the right primer for your surface; thin coats with their drying time; sanding between coats; three coats of reinforced varnish and a week of patience. We cover it in detail, problem by problem, in microcement problems and how to avoid them.

How to clean and maintain your microcement floor

Maintenance is one of the easy ones: day to day, a soft mop or the vacuum and, when it is time to wash, water with pH-neutral soap. Avoid bleach, ammonia and harsh scourers, which can damage the sealer. Put felt pads under the legs of chairs and tables, and a doormat at the entrance: grit is what scratches any varnish the most.

For tough stains (grease, oil), use the specific cleaner Smart Cleaner: concentrated, effective and biodegradable. And if you want an extra touch of protection and natural shine, every 6-12 months you can apply Smart Wax maintenance wax. It is not compulsory: it is that small gesture that keeps the floor looking brand new. You have all the tricks in our guide to caring for and cleaning microcement.

A real microcement floor: before and after

This bathroom had the usual tiled floor and green sanitaryware from another era. The floor was covered with microcement in the colour Bone, applied over the tiles with Smart Jointer and Smart Primer PLUS, keeping the green tiles on the walls. Over tiles, the route is the one described above: filled joints and maximum-adhesion primer before the microcement. No rubble and without touching the walls.

Renovation by @the.kaisers in the colour Bone.

Frequently asked questions about microcement floors

Can I apply microcement over my current floor without building work?

Yes: it is applied over tiles (with Smart Jointer and Smart Primer PLUS), stoneware, terrazzo, marble, flagstones, cement or concrete, without ripping anything up. Only parquet and floorboards are out, because of their natural movement.

How much does a microcement floor cost?

In the UK, a professional applicator charges around £120–200 per m², labour included. With Smartcret’s DIY kits, a fixed price, £26–43 per m² of material depending on the metres and the type of floor.

How long does it take to do a microcement floor?

About three days of work, most of it waiting between coats (4-8 hours between coats of microcement, 4-6 hours between coats of varnish), plus 7 days of varnish curing before using the room normally.

How long does a microcement floor last?

With the sealing done properly (three coats of Smart Varnish with Smart Booster) and gentle cleaning, many years in perfect condition; and when the varnish shows the passage of time, it is sanded lightly and varnished again, without touching the microcement. The wax every 6-12 months (optional) helps preserve its hardness and shine.

What are the disadvantages of a microcement floor?

It needs a rigid substrate (no parquet or floorboards), it respects the building’s expansion joints, it has a handcrafted finish with visible trowel marks and it requires a week of curing before using the floor. We do not recommend it over underfloor heating.

Is it suitable for underfloor heating?

We do not recommend it: the underfloor heating switch-on and switch-off protocol is very delicate and, if it is not followed, cracks can appear.

Is a microcement floor slippery?

The floor kits use Smart Medio as their finish, a coarser-grain mortar, with a matt varnish: a continuous, seamless finish. With a wet floor, the usual caution — as on any flooring.

Can microcement be applied over parquet?

No. Microcement bonds to wood, but parquet moves with humidity and temperature and that movement cracks the 2-3 mm of coating. The parquet has to be removed and the microcement applied over the mortar.

Does it raise the floor level or do the doors need trimming?

No: the total thickness is 2-3 mm, so there is no need to trim doors or touch skirting boards, and it does not affect the load on the home either.

Can microcement be applied on a terrace floor?

Yes. The system is the same (Smart Base, Smart Medio and varnish), with the same coats and the same timings; what changes is that outdoors you have to pick the days well, with no rain or direct sun while it dries and cures. It is not suitable for swimming pools. You have the step by step in the outdoor microcement guide.

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