Microcement Countertops: What They Can and Cannot Do

A microcement countertop is a continuous surface — counter, upstand and wall in one run with nothing breaking it. No joints at the back edge, no silicone line to go black, no seam where two slabs meet.

What it goes over

An existing laminate, tile or timber counter, as long as it is rigid and firmly fixed. The same rule as everywhere else: sound and still. A counter that flexes when you lean on it gets stiffened first.

It is always Reinforced

Countertops are a Reinforced job. They get wet, they get heat, they get impact, and they span between cabinets — which means movement. Fiberglass mesh bedded into a structural build coat spans that movement so it never reaches the finish.

Then two coats of microcement, and two coats of sealer. The sealer matters more on a counter than anywhere else in the house, because that is the surface meeting wine, oil, lemon juice and hot pans.

Smooth, not coarse

Use the smooth microcement as the finish coat on a counter. Coarse gives a fuller grain, which is lovely on a wall and a nuisance on a surface you wipe down daily.

The honest limits

Microcement is a 2 mm mineral coating, not stone. Treat it like a good timber counter rather than granite:

• Use a chopping board. It will not stop a knife.
• Use trivets. Do not put a pan straight off the hob onto it.
• Wipe spills rather than leaving them, particularly anything acidic.

Sealed properly and treated that way it handles daily kitchen use. Sold to you with a promise it is indestructible, it would not.

What it costs

Counters are small areas, and small areas are where microcement pricing looks worst — products come in whole units and you cannot buy half a pail. A counter on its own will cost far more per square foot than the same product across a floor.

The way to do it well is to do the counter with something else. If the kitchen floor, the backsplash or a nearby wall are also candidates, one order covers all of it and the per-square-foot cost drops sharply. Our calculator will show you the difference.

Microvella ships late 2026. Join the waitlist and we will email you the day it is ready to order.

Related: For contractors and home builders · For interior designers · Shop the full system