Our microcements is a decorative concrete or another mineral material's coatings composed of cement,metalics and ETC,water-based resins, additivesand mineral pigments.It is an ideal material for both exterior and interior surfaces; applicable in floors, walls and ceilings... And the best thing is that it does not need joints! So,therefore, it makes cleaning and maintenance very easy.
We offers you a wide range of possibilities and finishes, where the limitations are applied by you. It stamps your rooms with a unique and personal character, thanks to the different textures, the great variety of colours, the different finishes (matte, satin or gloss), or metallic-effect paints and glazes. Its handcrafted application makes the result of each job or project still more unique and special... Unrepeatable, because no two surfaces will be the same.
At Our, more than just being microcements manufacturers, we are specialists, and that is what makes the difference.
The price per square metre of microcements depends on a variety of different factors, including the cost of the professional applying the microcements, and the operator’s associated costs of displacement, materials, difficulty and quality of the work, etcetera.
To obtain a quality result with long-term guarantees, three conditions are necessary: the correct preparation of the support; the selection of a good product and the choice of a qualified and experienced professional.
State and nature of the surface to be coated with microcements
If the support is in poor condition or the conditions are inappropriate, it is essential to work on improving the support and condition it adequately before the application of the coating, which will increase the cost of materials and labour.
+ info Conditions prior to the application of microcements.
For example, if one wanted to apply the microcements to floors, or to tiled walls, it would be necessary to follow a few steps in order to avoid visible joints, which would increase both the work and the final cost.
The complexity of microcements application
The walls of a bathroom with one (or several) pillars, a staircase, a washbasin or a countertop, are all examples of laborious application because they involve small surfaces, with many corners and edges, in which the use of the trowel is more complicated and, therefore, more costly.
The use of different colours in the same environment also increases the working time because it is essential to delimit meticulously with painter’s tape the different zones. It is also necessary to wait until the applied colour has dried properly, to protect it, in order that it does not smudge before starting the next colour.
Total of the metres for coating treatment
Generally, the more meters to be coated, the lower the price per m2 of microcements, and conversely, the smaller the area then the price per m2 will be greater.
This occurs due to the fact that there are fixed costs and times (hours of work) that are not directly dependent on the metres to be coated.
The professionalism of the operator
A specific training is essential with great attention paid to detail. A professional operator must control all types of microcements application, knowing what method of work to follow in every case, and following each step scrupulously. Respecting the steps of the application is fundamental in order to achieve a good result
Quality of the Materials
Our is the Spanish microcements manufacturer with the greatest number of years of experience in the market. It manufactures all the products that it sells, except for the tools and accessories. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to control the quality of the complete system. When Our offers a guarantee, not a single component failure is risked because that would make the whole system fail. An example of this are the Topsealer WT varnishes, developed specifically for microcements, which enjoy great international prestige.
Obviously high quality has an increased production cost, and therefore a price higher than some customers may be willing to pay. Microcemento Our does not compete in price but in quality, so it does not skimp on latest generation additives and elaboration processes.
Despite its lack of thickness, one of this material’s most significant properties is its high resistance and hardness; Microdeck and Microstone can even be used in areas of high traffic.
Several factors influence the resistance and hardness of microcement, such as the support on which it is applied, the type of microcement chosen, as well as the sealant used on the finished microcement.
We can differentiate between two types of resistance:
Mechanical Resistance
To blows: Microcement, due to its limited thickness, will deform in the event of a strong blow if the support beneath deforms. An example would be the microcement applied to plaster. If the base deforms because it has poor resistance, the microcement will deform as well. While on a support like terrazzo, the resistance will be greater.
To abrasion and wear: This resistance depends on both the microcement type and the sealant. Topciment has two seamless floor coverings: Microdeck and Microstone. Both are coatings with selected aggregates of a larger particle size than that of Microfino, which makes them more resistant to compression and abrasion. Microfino, due to its lower strength, is used exclusively for wall covering. As for sealants, although the resistance is the same, the higher the gloss, the more visible the marks of wear. Matte finishes do not reflect the light, or do so only minimally.
Chemical Resistance
To stains and liquids: The chemical resistance will depend on the sealant used to protect the product. The sealant is the final layer, which is what gives the product protection and impermeability against stains. Our Topsealer sealants have a high chemical resistance, confirmed by the various tests conducted:
Oil, cola, red wine and similar, do not leave stains after cleaning.
Both vinegar or lemon juice leave slight marks on microcement. These acids affect the surface as they would on marble, but if cleaning is done quickly, there will be no stains.
The spots of Salfuman / hydrochloric acid, pure bleach, acetone and ammonia will mark after a half hour of exposure, but if cleaning is done quickly, no stains will remain. It is important to consider microcement’s texture and the difficulty of cleaning.
Microcement can be applied to almost any type of support: cement mortar, self-levelling, terrazzo, marble, tile, plasterboard-Pladur or plaster, on both vertical and horizontal surfaces in interior and exterior spaces.
Never apply on natural wood or supports made of various sections which will distend differently.
The support must be consolidated and stable.
The surface must be dry and free of dust or grease.
The planimetry of the support will determine the final result.
+informationOne of the main properties of microcement is its high adhesion. Thanks to this it is possible to apply microcement on tiles, speeding up the renovation and avoiding the debris of the original lining. But this advantage depends on the stability of the original tiles which must be firm not loose. In such cases, it would be necessary to use mesh to strengthen the support.
See the microcement application method on tiles in a video tutorial.
Microcement on tiles, stone or terrazzo
Optimal conditions and state of the surface to be coated
The preparation of the support is as important as the application. If the support does not meet the necessary conditions no guarantees can be given.
The surface must be level, stable, free of dirt and with a degree of humidity of 5% or less.
In the case of the support being of mortar, it must have at least four weeks to dry out before the microcement is applied, in order to account for the cracks that may appear during the curing process.
Microcement swimming pools
Topciment has developed Aquaciment, a proprietary and exclusive pool-liner system. Here you can see some examples:
Microcemento on natural wood or wood parquet
Parquet or natural wood floors have many joints; the boards expand in different directions causing stresses which are difficult to control and can cause cracks in the coating, so they are not suitable for the direct application of microcement. In such cases, it is necessary to lift the existing floor and prepare the support before placing the product.
Yes, but before applying it, a heating protocol must be carried out in order to avoid the possibility that expansion, produced by the temperature changes in the floor, will crack the microcement itself.
The heating protocol is as follows:
1. Turn on the heating at least 4 weeks after placing the cement mortar.
2. Maintain the water entering the circuits at 25°C throughout 2 or 3 days. Then gradually increase the water temperature to 45°C and keep it on for several days.
3. Turn off the heating for at least 48 hours before starting the microcement application. The maximum floor temperature should be 18°C.
Microcement floors should be applied to cementitious mortars that have reached an advanced setting stage. This occurs after three or four weeks drying-out, depending on the weather. In any case, it is essential that the mortar is practically dry. To achieve this, there should be a maximum of 5% humidity in the support, which must be checked with a relative humidity meter.
We recommend using quality self-levelling cement mortars.
Supports with powdery mortars are not at all suitable, since the base state for the application must be consistent, if otherwise then the base should be consolidated.
After applying the microcement, at least 48 hours should pass before the heating is gradually turned on (+5°C each day).
Always change the temperature gradually, both at the beginning and at the end of the heating period.
Make sure that the relative air humidity in the rooms is not too low.
Always avoid an accumulation of heat caused by rugs and carpets, or the lack of space between the furniture and the floor.
Important! Between the floor and the vertical faces there will always be a joint to permit dilation. Failure to comply with this indicated requirement may result in cracking.
Microcement in itself is not impermeable. The use of a sealer as a final coating, which will ensure a water-proof capability is absolutely essential. Therefor microcement may be applied to sinks, bathtubs or wet areas, but the surface must always be sealed with either Topsealer DSV (solvent-based polyurethane), or with Topsealer WT (water-based polyurethane) to ensure its impermeability.
Yes, depending on the type of microcement used and the texture achieved, any type of non-slip surface is obtainable.
Depending on the type of micro-cement and texture employed, a greater or lesser slip-resistance is obtained (degree of slippage). From the highest to the least slip-resistance we have: Microstone for being highly textured, Microdeck with a soft texture, and finally Microfino that is not suitable for floors
The different finishes and their textures suitable for floors.
Floors are classified according to their slip resistance values: from the lowest to the greatest resistance there are 3 classes: Class 1, 2 and 3.
With Topciment Microcements any of the required classes can be achieved. Microdeck sealed with polyurethane corresponds to Class 1 but if we apply just one layer of presealer and 1 layer of topsealer, Class 2 is obtainable. If Microstone containing particles that are thicker than the traditional microcement is used, Class 3 is reached. The texture differences are apparent to the naked eye.
It is important to consider the non-slip surface characteristics and consequent difficulty of cleaning. The greater the resistance to slippage, the more difficult it is to clean the surface due to its texture.
Here you can find the cleaning instructions.
Non-slip finishes and their classification according to slipperiness
In order to limit the risk of slipping, the grounds or floors of buildings with the following uses: Public Residential, Sanitary, Teaching, Commercial, Administrative and Public Assembly, excluding areas of zero occupation defined in annex A of the DB SI, will require the appropriate class, namely Class 3
Floors are classified according to their Rd slip-resistance value. This value is determined by the pendulum test described in Annex A of UNE-ENV 12633: 2003. The Technical Building Code (CTE) and set forth in the DB SUA-1 document (Basic Documents for Security of Use and Accessibility) regulates the indices of slippage and determines the class that a surface must have, according to its use. The floor becomes more non-slip as the Rd value increases.
Floors are classified, according to their resistance value to the sliding Rd, according to that established in the following table:
Class required for floors, in accordance with their location and characteristics
The table indicates the class that the floors should have, as a minimum, according to their location.
This class will be maintained during the useful life of the pavement
Dry interior areas:
Surfaces with a slope of less than 6% -> Class 1
Surfaces with slopes equal to or greater than 6% -> Class 2
Wet interior areas, such as entrances to buildings from outdoors (1), covered terraces, changing rooms, bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, etcetera:
Surfaces with a slope of less than 6% -> Class 2
Surfaces with slopes equal to or greater than 6% -> Class 3
(1) Except in the case of shortcuts to areas of restricted use
Outdoor areas, swimming pools (2), showers -> Class 3
(2) In areas intended for barefoot users, and in the bottom of pools, in those areas where the depth does not exceed 1.50m.
Although the aesthetic finish may appear similar, it is not the same. With microcement one obtains greater advantages:
