Micro concrete flooring: application, types, advantages and tips.

Micro concrete is one of the most widespread continuous floorings in the world due to the decorative opportunities it offers for both indoors and outdoors. A coating that can be applied on kitchen floors, bathroom floors, terrace floors, etc.

A building material that, although it has years of history, has become much more popular in recent years, especially for covering all types of flooring. Here we show you everything you need to know about micro concrete flooring: how it is applied, its main advantages, the types of micro concrete available for floors, tips... and much more.

Benefits of micro concrete flooring

Applying micro concrete on floors offers countless advantages. Its continuity, high resistance to traffic and wear and tear, as well as its non-slip finishes, are some of the factors that make micro concrete flooring so popular for both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Below is a summary of some of the most important benefits that this innovative decorative coating can boast as continuous flooring:

• It does not raise the level of the floor too much thanks to its minimum thickness of between 2 and 3 mm.
• It is a continuous floor, which means that there are no expansion joints or joints. The entire floor renovation is done in one single piece.
• It adheres to any type of material without the need to remove the existing substrate. It avoids generating debris and heavy renovations.
• It is unalterable to UV rays and has very good thermal resistance.
• It has enviable resistance to traffic, abrasion and domestic cleaning products.
• No two micro concrete flooring are alike thanks to the variety of colours and finishes offered by this decorative covering.
• It can be used as interior flooring but also as exterior flooring, for example on terraces.

How to install a micro concrete flooring

Now that you know all the virtues of micro concrete flooring, it is time to explain the application process. Here are the six steps to take into account to install a micro concrete floor successfully:

1. Cleaning the future micro concrete flooring

The flooring to be covered with micro concrete must be in perfect condition. Therefore, the first step is to clean the future micro concrete floor of dust, stains, grease or any other type of particles, as well as making sure that the base is in perfect condition. It is very important to check the humidity level of the floor, wait for it to dry or apply an Primapox®100 Barrierto block rising damp or as a vapour barrier.

2. Primer

Once the surface is clean, apply a coat of primer on the flooring to enhance the adhesion between the existing substrate and the new micro concrete flooring. If the base surface is absorbent, such as concrete or self-levelling, PRIMACEM ABS should be used; if it is non-absorbent, such as terrazzo, tile or marble, PRIMACEM PLUS should be used.

3. First coat of micro concrete base

After priming, apply the first layer of unpigmented micro concrete base. The use of a fibreglass mesh is recommended, as it will help the professional to minimise the chances of cracks appearing over time. Once applied, sand the surface.

4. Second coat of micro concrete base

Once the surface is completely dry, apply a second coat of pigmented micro concrete base. In this step, choose the desired micro concrete colour to cover the continuous flooring and, once the surface is perfectly covered, sand the micro concrete floor.

5. Two coats of finishing micro concrete

The fifth step consists of applying two coats of finishing micro concrete or pigmented finish. Depending on the finish and the degree of slipperiness desired, medium or thick micro concrete can be used. As specialists, we recommend two coats of Microdeck, our medium micro concrete, which is optimal for the application of micro concrete on floors.

6. Micro concrete flooring protection

The last step in the application of micro concrete flooring is one of the most important. The micro concrete flooring is ready, now it needs to be protected. To do this, two coats of PRESEALER are applied by roller, followed by two coats of TOPSEALER. In addition to protecting the micro concrete of the floor, it can be waterproofed and even achieve an anti-slip finish.

Types of micro concrete flooring

If there is one particularity that perfectly defines micro concrete, it is its versatility, as there are different types depending on the texture and finish you want to obtain: one-component, two-component and ready-to-use. At Topciment we have up to four different micro concrete systems for floors:

Two-component micro concrete

Two-component micro concrete (cement + resin) is undoubtedly one of the most widely used in micro concrete flooring. For this reason, we have created two lines: Sttandard , the traditional and one of the most popular; and Unlimitted , the new range that provides smoother finishes and greater mechanical resistance.

One-component micro concrete

Evoluttion , our one-component micro concrete for floors with excellent mechanical resistance and high workability, is formulated with water and cement. All types of micro concrete flooring can be designed with it.

Ready-to-use micro concrete

Efectto Quartz is our ready-to-use micro concrete for floors. Thanks to its wide range of colours and its four granulometries, you can create any micro concrete floor you can imagine.

Micro concrete flooring in bathrooms and kitchens

Micro concrete can be used both as exterior flooring and interior flooring in any room. Among its many qualities, its ability to be waterproof (with the use of a special sealant for this purpose) and its excellent resistance to heat, traffic and stains make this coating an ideal material especially for kitchens and bathrooms .

Thanks to the large number of micro concrete colours that exist, it is possible to create an infinite number of floor coverings. In our gallery you will find multiple micro concrete floorings in bathrooms and kitchens.

Colours for micro concrete flooring

White micro concrete is undoubtedly one of the most demanded colours due to a marked minimalist style that is increasingly present in the interior decoration of private homes and commercial premises. But grey micro concrete floors are not far behind either. The industrial style is gaining more and more followers to its cause, a style that gives the feeling that it will not go out of fashion no matter how many years go by as it fits perfectly with offices, large surfaces and warehouses and also houses.

Although white and grey are the micro concrete colours par excellence, there is a wide range of possibilities. In Topciment we have multiple colours for micro concrete floorings depending on the character you want to give to the room where the micro concrete flooring is going to be applied. We have designed specific colours according to the micro concrete systems we manufacture .

Cleaning, care and maintenance of micro concrete flooring

Micro concrete is a covering that does not require exhaustive cleaning and maintenance, as it has very good resistance. However, it is very convenient to use a series of products that will enhance the optimal state of the micro concrete floor for a much longer period of time.

For cleaning micro concrete floors, at Topciment we have specialised Ecoclean cleaners. Biodegradable products with which the micro concrete floor will maintain its shine and chromatic intensity at 100%.

As for the care and maintenance of micro concrete flooring, we have Ceraciment protective waxes. These products provide extra hardness to the flooring to protect it better from traffic, wear and tear, stains, etc.

Tips to avoid problems with micro concrete on the floor

During the first few days after the installation of micro concrete on the floor, it is essential that the room is properly ventilated to ensure correct drying. If this is not done, the final finish of the continuous flooring will be far from what you are looking for.

Similarly, it is essential to avoid stepping on the micro concrete floor in the first week after its application. It is also important to avoid spilling liquids that could generate significant stains or damage the resin and, lastly, to avoid moving furniture around. If all these tips are taken into account, there will be no future problems with micro concrete flooring.

For more information on micro concrete, explore our page "What is micro concrete?" . There we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about this type of flooring.

Price of micro concrete flooring

If you have already decided to opt for micro concrete flooring for your renovation project, you will want to know the cost. An amount that depends on specific factors but which we can tell you is very competitive compared to other construction materials.

The labour and complexity of the work, the square metres of surface to be covered, the quality of the micro concrete for floors chosen and the state of the substrate will vary the final price.

Taking all these considerations into account, the price of micro concrete flooring is between 60 and 100 euros per square metre approximately.