What is microcement? The complete guide to understanding it (and choosing well)
If you're thinking about renovating without getting into construction work, sooner or later you land on the same question: what exactly is microcement, and why is it everywhere? Here it is with no fluff: what it is, the types that exist (and which suits you if you're not a professional), where you can apply it, what it really costs and what to expect from it. The good side, and also what almost nobody tells you.
What is microcement
Microcement is a continuous, low-thickness decorative coating (2-3 mm) applied directly over the surface you already have: tiles, ceramic floors, plaster, drywall, cement or concrete. Because the existing material is not removed, it lets you renovate walls, floors, bathrooms or kitchens without construction, without rubble and without permits.
The result is a seamless, modern, easy-to-clean surface with that stone-like finish you see in interior design magazines and hotel bathrooms. And the best part: with today's ready-to-use microcement systems, you no longer need to be a professional applicator to get it.
The 3 types of microcement (and which suits you if you're not a professional)
Not all microcements are the same, and choosing the wrong type is the number one beginner mistake. By how they're prepared, there are three families:
- Two-component: powder + resin, with the pigment added separately in exact proportions. The classic system of professional applicators; outside expert hands, mixing and colour errors are easy to make.
- Single-component: mixed with water, pigment still added separately. It simplifies part of the process, but pigmentation remains manual.
- Ready to use: open the bucket, stir and apply. It comes factory-pigmented, with no mixes or proportions.
Our honest recommendation: if it's your first time, ready-to-use microcement is the only one designed for the DIY world — and, not by chance, the favourite of many professionals who aren't microcement specialists, such as painters, because its format and application feel familiar to them. The other two exist for good reasons, but they're the territory of specialised applicators.
Where it can be applied: room by room
The golden rule: the substrate must be sound, stable, clean and level. With that in place, microcement goes over practically everything: tiles and mosaic (filling the joints first), plaster and drywall, cement, concrete, terrazzo or marble. Where not? Over natural wood and parquet: wood “moves” with humidity and would end up cracking the coating.
- Bathrooms: the classic. Bathroom walls without removing tiles, showers and floors, with specific bathroom kits.
- Floors: a continuous, traffic-resistant finish. Here's the microcement flooring guide and the floor kits.
- Kitchens: easy-to-clean walls and splashbacks: kitchen ideas and kitchen wall kits. On countertops we're clear: it's beautiful, but it doesn't handle heat well; know its limits before deciding.
- Walls throughout the home: living room, bedroom, hallway… microcement wall ideas and microcement kits for walls.
- Furniture, tables and stairs: the same system at another scale: furniture pieces you can make yourself.
- Outdoors: yes. Terrace floors, façades and outdoor stairs with the same kits and the same application; it is not indicated for swimming pools. It's all in the outdoor microcement guide.
What it really costs
The million-euro question, with the two figures that matter. With a professional applicator you'll typically pay between €90 and €120 per square metre, labour included. With a complete ready-to-use kit to do it yourself, the material comes to between €45 and €53/m²: roughly half, because the labour is yours. The final price depends on the metres, the substrate (absorbent or with joints) and the room.
The full breakdown by room and format is in the microcement price guide.
Advantages… and the drawbacks too
The good side, in short: no construction or rubble; no joints (goodbye grout mould); 2-3 mm that steal no space and add no structural load; 20 colours and 2 finishes (matte and satin); cleaning with water and neutral soap; and a flexible system that needs no mesh — our mortar is acrylic and suffers no shrinkage.
Two more advantages of the ready-to-use system worth knowing. First: due to its acrylic nature it is, in itself, more waterproof than two-component or single-component cement-based microcements; the definitive protection in wet areas still comes from the sealer, but you start from a base far more resistant to moisture. Second: many professionals who aren't microcement specialists — painters, for example — work precisely with ready-to-use systems, because the format and application are what they already know.
And what almost nobody tells you: it demands respect for drying times between coats (haste is its only real enemy); the substrate must be well prepared or the cracks underneath will eventually show through; and there are two places we don't recommend it: kitchen countertops (heat) and underfloor heating (expansion). If a material only tells you advantages, be suspicious. The typical problems and how to avoid them, one by one, in microcement problems.
How it's applied, in summary
The complete process is 6 steps: prepare the surface (clean, level, joints filled if there are tiles); prime according to the substrate; apply 2 thin coats of preparation microcement; 2 coats of the finishing one; and seal with varnish — in bathrooms and kitchens, reinforced with Booster. Between coats: drying and light sanding. With the ready-to-use system, almost everything is done with a roller.
The complete step-by-step, with the most common mistakes and the tools, is in the microcement application guide.
Real renovations: how it looks (done by people like you)
Three Smartlover projects, with their own hands, using the same ready-to-use system you'll find in our kits.
Bathroom in Wasabi
A bathroom wall renovated without removing the tiles: from an ordinary white bathroom to a space with character.
Renovation by @lacasadiclaudia2022 in Wasabi.
Bedroom in Cafe
A warm-textured headboard wall that changes the whole room.
Renovation by @alexia_s_world in Cafe.
Kitchen in Blanco
The tiled splashback covered without construction: a cleaner, more current kitchen.
Renovation by @lacasitahappy in Blanco.
Frequently asked questions about microcement
What is microcement?
A continuous decorative coating, 2-3 mm thick, applied over the existing surface (tiles, plaster, cement…) to renovate without construction, with a seamless finish.
What's the difference between microcement and polished concrete?
Polished concrete is a construction-site floor, thicker and requiring machinery; microcement is a thin coating that goes over what you already have, without construction. They share looks, not process.
Can it be applied over tiles without removing them?
Yes: the joints are filled, an adhesion primer for non-absorbent substrates is applied, and it's coated on top. That's its great advantage over a traditional renovation.
How much does microcement cost?
With a professional, typically €90-120/m²; with a complete kit to apply it yourself, €45-53/m² in materials.
Is microcement waterproof?
It depends on the type: the ready-to-use system, being acrylic-based, is in itself more waterproof than cement-based systems (two- or single-component). Even so, the definitive water resistance comes from the varnish seal — reinforced with Booster in wet areas. That's why it works in bathrooms and kitchens.
How long does microcement last?
Many years in good condition if cared for: cleaning with neutral soap and renewing the varnish every 2 years in wet or high-use areas (every 3-4 elsewhere).
Is it hard to apply if I'm not a professional?
With the ready-to-use system, no: it comes pigmented and prepared, almost everything is applied with a roller, and a wall or a shower is a weekend project. The two points that demand care: preparing the substrate well and applying thin coats.
Can microcement be used outdoors?
Yes: the same kits and the same application work for terrace floors, façades and outdoor stairs. It is not indicated for swimming pools. Full details in the outdoor microcement guide.
Ready to start? Choose your kit by surface and room in our microcement kit shop and, if you get stuck, write to us: we'll guide your renovation step by step.