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Micro overlays are an exciting way to transform your current floors and walls to look more like polished concrete. Our MicroFloor and MicroWall systems are extremely versatile microcement finishes, in great demand with interior designers, architects and clients with an eye for quality.
Our microcement installs are decorative coatings that use natural materials to cover a new or existing floor or wall without the grout lines of tiled floors. We have applied a microcement floor to kitchens, bathrooms, wet rooms, showers and MicroWall to a few ceilings.
We created MicroFloor five years ago to overcome problems we faced trying to get well laid concrete slabs suitable for our InfinityFloor Cream finish. As a result we entered the microcement floors market with a bang and have so far completed many high end projects of quality work, throughout the UK.
Is Microcement flooring the same as polished concrete?
No, although there are many companies selling microcemento, microscreed or micro concrete as polished concrete. The reality is that microcement floors are actually very different to a true concrete floor. Polished concrete is laid at around 100mm thick and with diamond abrasives ground and polished to achieve the desired look.
Microcement is far more versatile than polished concrete, for example micro cement can be applied both vertical and horizontal surfaces, microcement bathrooms, swimming pools, new and existing floors.
Microcement floors are a pre-blended product that is mixed onsite and applied in multi coats to around 3mm thick..
MicroFloor By CARRcrete
This is CARRcrete’s answer to the microcement flooring aesthetic and designed to look similar to a polished concrete floor.
But unlike the average microcement it’s tough, much tougher than the competition and what we use to redo, failed floor overlay systems.
Facts At A Glance
For application of rigid surfaces such as cementitious screed, concrete, tiles
Compatible with water fed underfloor heating systems
Total thickness < 3mm
100’s of colour tones and combinations
Suitable for domestic, commercial and industrial applications
Sealed with high performance urethane polymers
Suitable for underfloor heating systems
MicroFloor Pricing
Between £80 - £100 per square metre.
Each project is priced individually to account for preparation, size, location etc
This is CARRcrete’s answer to the microcement flooring aesthetic and designed to look similar to a polished concrete floor. But unlike the average microcement it’s tough, much tougher than the competition and what we use to redo, failed floor overlay systems.
Our microcement flooring system is like a micro concrete or micro screed in that it uses very fine aggregates with a cement binder to cover the entire surface of the floor screed or construction material and looks similar to a trowelled concrete surface.
We always make our samples to order and offer a colour palette of hundreds of tones all from the natural organic pigments we use. We have more than just concrete grey.
MicroFloor microcement flooring is laid at a thickness less than 3mm and suitable for applying over strong and stable cementitious screeds, concrete or over tiles.
MicroFloor is made from high strength rapid hardening cements, powdered flexible polymers, recycled glass and quartz powder.
The microcement application is trowelled over the surface with professional tools in multiple thin coats to create that unique cloudy contemporary finish we all love about microcement flooring.
The look is not too dissimilar to our InfinityFloor Cream finish.
MicroWall By CARRcrete
Overall, MicroWall is a much more durable approach to covering walls than Tadelakt or Venetian plaster whilst offering a similar look to polished concrete.
Facts At A Glance
For application of rigid vertical surfaces such as cement board, cement coated insulation, plasterboard
Can be used in bathroom and kitchens, wet rooms etc
Total thickness < 2.5mm
100’s of colour tones and combinations
Suitable for domestic, commercial and industrial applications
Sealed with high performance urethane polymers
MicroWall Pricing
Between £80 - £100 per square metre.
Each project is priced individually to account for preparation, size, location etc
MicroWall is a microcement essentially the same product as MicroFloor with a few subtle differences. The particles of glass are finer with a greater degree of surface flexibility to allow for micro movements in walls.
We have also incorporated several applicator specific attributes such as increased suction and reduce sag during installation. These greatly improve the application experience. MicroWall is also inherently water resistant once fully cured.
Overall, MicroWall is a much more durable approach to covering walls than Tadelakt or Venetian plaster whilst offering a similar look to polished concrete.
We seal all of our MicroWall projects with multiple coats of premium urethane based coatings for enhanced water, stain and chemical resistance.
MicroTerrazzo By CARRcrete
If you fancy something completely unique with an aggregated polished finish. Then our MicroTerrazzo could possibly be the product for you.
Facts At A Glance
For application of rigid surfaces such as cementitious screed, concrete, tiles
Compatible with water fed underfloor heating systems
Thickness 5mm - 15mm (dependant on aggregate choice)
Wide range of aggregate choices
100’s of colour tones and combinations
Suitable for domestic, commercial and industrial applications
Sealed with high performance urethane polymers
If you fancy something completely unique with an aggregated polished finish. Then our MicroTerrazzo could possibly be the product for you.
The joy of MicroTerrazzo is the versatility of colour for both the base material and your choice of aggregates, from glass to granite, quartz to limestone. These micro aggregated floors are quickly becoming the product of choice when choosing finishes such as our InfinityFloor Stone.
As many concrete contractors will explain to you, getting a regular concrete slab suitable for a high specification polished finish is a great deal of work and often a leap into the unknown. This is why so many of our clients are now choosing this overlay option; the guesswork is simply removed.
This product is laid at a greater thickness of between 5mm - 15mm and suitable for applying over strong and stable cementitious screeds, concrete or over tiles.
MicroTerrazzo is a two stage process, where the substrate is initially prepared and terrazzo mixture applied, then left to cure and harden for a few days. But don’t be concerned our product hardens and cures rapidly at around 10x the rate of regular concrete, so your project timescales aren’t adversely affected.
Stage two includes a full diamond grind to expose the aggregate fully and diamond polishing to your required level of shine.
Micro Overlay Systems
Most microcement floors and micro screed applicators within the UK simply white label products from the EU by purchasing a microcement kit. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, it does keep you tied to the limitations of your suppliers products.
From the outset, we chose to be different and develop our own micro overlay products. Our director quickly identified the weak points in the formulation of products currently available in the market and sort to replace these weaknesses with greatly improved ingredients alongside enhanced product attributes.
Why go to all this trouble, time and expense? Quite simple, we don’t settle second best and never have, we are in this business to be in the premier league.
Many of the competing microcement products are way too soft to be seen as a viable option for a microcement floor, they simply aren’t durable enough. They scratch and dent very easily due to their inherent inclusion of liquid polymers and calcium carbonate. Ingredients often defended by their formulators due their inexpensive nature thus increasing profitability.
Our cementitious overlay products incorporate recycled glass particles and graded quartz for considerably more durability than the average micro cement.
But even with all this extra toughness, our product is still suitable for application over water fed underfloor heating systems and for trafficked areas in domestic, commercial and industrial environments.
To aid in protection of MicroFloor microcement floors, we use a bespoke topical blend of UV stable urethane polymers which give additional stain and abrasion resistance and enhance the natural pigments we use.
What Is A Microcement?
The aim of a microcement installation is to look like a polished concrete surface, the look created with microcement is achieved with multiple layers over floors and walls.
Microcement can be applied to almost any surface (sturdy non flexing) like a screed, old concrete, tiles or cement boards.
The aim of a microcement installation is to look like a polished concrete surface, the look created with microcement is achieved with multiple layers over floors and walls. Microcement can be applied to almost any surface (sturdy non flexing) like a screed, old concrete, tiles or cement boards.
Note that you cannot bridge an expansion joint even with mesh, the microcement floor will simply crack over this area in time.
One of the main advantages of microcement, is that it is suitable for both horizontal and vertical applications; walls, floors and even furniture to create a handcrafted application for the contemporary look of the highest quality in living areas.
Each of the trowelled layers are sanded between coats to create unique textures, fine waves and swirls before applying further finer coats for a finished floor. Usually there will be around three build up coats plus a top coat in a typical overlay project.
All microcement projects need to be fully sealed using high performance water based urethane sealers.
Is Microcement robust and durable?
A lot of this depends on how well the microcement is cleaned and maintained. If you neglect any surface (concrete, natural stone, vinyl, timber) it will obviously deteriorate more rapidly than a regularly cleaned one. In general, a microcement floor is more than suitable for microcement bathrooms, residential and commercial environments subject to foot traffic as an alternative to concrete floors.
We've tested a lot of the microcement flooring products on the market and it would be fair to say most of the microcement available in the UK is pretty soft and delicate, often this is down to them using a liquid polymer for added flexibility and calcium carbonate filler which is easily abraded away.
Our MicroFloor and MicroWall products contain no calcium carbonate and our polymer is a tough powdered variant for greater resistance to abrasion. Our products are extremely durable when compared to other micro cement products available and more akin to a micro concrete.
Can MicroFloor Microcement dent or scratch?
No more than you could a real timber or natural stone floor when maintained correctly.
All polished cement overlays and microcement floors take some of their strength from the substrate they are applied to. For example if you install a microcement to a soft plasterboard wall, the microcement will naturally be much softer than if applied to a hard concrete surface.
Surface preparation of new and existing floors is one of the most important aspects of a successful microcement floor when trying to replicate the concrete aesthetic.
Whilst more durable than other microcement products, it is still possible to dent, scrape or scratch a MicroFloor installation by dropping heavy objects, dragging furniture over an uncleaned floor.
All microcement installations are easy to care for. Maintain microcement with a dry dust mop and a pH neutral cleaner at least weekly. More frequent cleaning is required if you have a busy household or live in an area prone to dust and debris.
If however you are a clumsy oaf, a different type of flooring would be recommended.
Will A Microcement Crack?
The microcement product itself doesn't crack or shrink, but can be made to crack if the substrate below the microcement shrinks, moves or cracks.
The microcement product itself doesn't crack or shrink, but can be made to crack if the substrate below the microcement shrinks, moves or cracks.
There is no way a 3mm cement overlay can prevent a 60 - 100mm thick substrate from cracking. If your screed cracks over time, the microcement will try to accommodate the movement but may eventually crack as a result.
Does a crack mean a failure? No not at all, it's normal. All rigid surfaces like screeds and concrete flooring crack as they age, normally cracks are hidden by tiles, vinyl flooring, carpets or timber. The crack is still there; just unseen.
You can help prevent this by installing expansion joints or crack inducement joints.
How To Apply Microcement
Ensure the substrate is prepared correctly to provide a key by creating a texture with diamond grinding. Substrate must then be cleaned very well, primer applied and allowed to dry fully.
The microcement application begins with one or two base coats are applied to cover surface imperfections in the substrate and give the micro cement strength. Once this layer has dried and hardened, it is sanded with coarse silicon carbide discs to remove any ripples or raised lines.
The freshly sanded base coats are cleaned thoroughly to remove all traces of dust and debris. Special attention is paid to cleaning around the perimeter of the installation area. Breeze block walls and floor perimeter joints are notorious for harbouring grit that may be trapped beneath the applicators trowel.
Depending on the look required, either a medium coat or a first fine coat is trowelled tightly into the base coat surface. How the layers are applied will start to determine the microcement finish, the applicators trowel movements and personal style will begin to generate texture.
This layer is then left to dry and harden before sanding back to remove any lines and imperfections, and again thoroughly cleaned.
Next is the final finish coat applied thinly. Most applicators apply this layer with greater trowel pressure than previous layers. This is largely down to the required finish.
Once dry and fully hardened. The final coat is sanded to a smooth finish, cleaned and sealed with protective sealers.
We use a bespoke blend of urethane ceramic particle enhanced topical sealers for greater water resistance in wet areas and easy maintenance.