What Is Microcement?

Microcement is a thin mineral coating applied in layers over a surface you already have. Finished, it is about 2 mm thick — roughly the thickness of two stacked coins — and it forms one continuous surface with no grout lines and no seams.

It is not a tile, not a paint, and not poured concrete. It is closer to a plaster: mixed, then applied by hand with a trowel in thin passes.

Why people use it

Two reasons, mostly.

It goes over what is already there. Tile, concrete, drywall, plywood, MDF. That removes the demolition, the disposal and the subfloor repair that usually make a renovation expensive.

It has no joints. A floor can run up the wall and into a shower as one surface. Nothing to scrub, and nowhere for mould to sit.

What it is made of

Cement and mineral aggregates with polymers that give it flexibility and adhesion. The polymers are the reason it can be laid at 2 mm and bond to tile, where ordinary cement at that thickness would simply fail.

How it goes on

Which system you need

Core is primer, microcement, sealer. It covers interior walls, bare concrete floors and indoor fireplaces.

Reinforced adds fiberglass mesh bedded into a structural build coat. You need it for anything wet, anything outdoors, and any floor that is not bare concrete. The mesh is what stops movement underneath reaching your finish.

On either system the last step is two coats of sealer, on every job. Worth knowing: the waterproofing is in the microcement itself, not in the sealer. The sealer protects the finish from water, cleaning and wear.

What it is not

Not Venetian plaster. Venetian plaster is lime-based and decorative, for walls. Microcement is cement-based and rated for floors, wet areas and traffic.

Not polished concrete. Polished concrete is a slab ground and polished in place. Microcement is a coating applied on top of something else.

Not epoxy. Epoxy is a resin. Microcement is mineral, and looks and feels like stone rather than plastic.

Where it works

Interior walls and floors, showers and wet rooms, countertops, fireplaces, stairs, and outdoors on patios and pool surrounds. Outdoor and wet work is always Reinforced — those surfaces move, and the mesh is what handles it.

Can anyone buy it?

Usually not. Most microcement in the United States is sold only to certified installers, so you take the training before you can buy the product. Microvella is the exception — no certification, no trade account, no proof you work in the industry.

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

Related: Microcement for homeowners and DIY · Find a microcement installer · Shop the full system