Create jaw dropping Corten-style feature walls with our iron rust kit for DIYer’s. The kit contains real powdered iron that can be mixed with resin and applied onto walls with a trowel, brush, sponge or roller.
Once the metal is on the wall, you’ll use an accelerator to speed up the rusting process. You’ll see the iron turn to rust within the space of around a day, creating unique natural textures and tones as the oxidation process takes hold.
And that’s it, you can apply more accelerator if you want more dramatic results, and when you’re happy with it, give it a quick spray with water to neutralise. And a day later, seal it with the iron rust sealer.
This will stop rust coming off on clothes etc as you brush past – but it’s not enough to block water completely, so we’d only recommend this kit for feature walls in dry areas.
The products below are included in the standard 10m2 kit. Contents will vary depending on the options selected. Please contact us with any questions regarding specific quantities and volumes included in the different options.
| Materials | No. Packs |
| Metallic Activator 1l | 1 |
| Metallic Iron Powder 5kg | 1 |
| Metallic Resin 1l | 2 |
| Metallic Sealer, 1l | 1 |
| Primer 100 1l | 1 |
The tools you need will vary depending on the options that you select. Here’s a low down of the tools that are available and a bit of help for you in choosing the best one for your needs.
Flexible Trowel
To apply microcement effectively, you’ll need a thin flexible trowel, it should bend easily when you push at one of the corners. Around 300mm is the right kind of size for a microcement trowel, to get a good amount of movement in the finish. The Bi-Flex Trowel is a good all rounder to use in most circumstances. For epoxy based products like MicroRock, then the more flexible Square Edge Flex Steel Trowel is a good choice for reducing drag. Use a Non-Burnishing Plastic Trowel to prevent dark marks appearing in the microcement, this is particulary useful keeping light colours clean and fresh.
Mixer & Drill
Our custom made Microcement Mixer Head is ideal for mixing microcement. It’s unique double helix design forces the product to the centre of the mix, thus reducing air in the mix. This is important because to maintain its full performance and waterproof properties there must be no exposed areas in the microcement.
Silicone Carbide Sand Paper
Because Microcement is very strong, you need to use a strong, high quality sand paper that has been designed to be compatible with cement based products. Our Silicone Carbide Sanding Discs have been rigourously tried and tested. For most applications you’ll need: 40, 80, 120, 220 & 400 grits. For large areas, you’ll really benefit from using an orbital sander & if you’re regularly completing large floors, it might be worth investing in a floor sander.
Clean Mixing Bucket, Measuring Jug & Weighing Scales
Most of the items in the kits have been weighed out for you. But you may need to split larger tubs down into batches or weigh out sealers, hardeners etc to a reasonable degree of accuracy to get the ratios correct.
Applying Sealers / Primers
You’ll need a few Medium Pile Rollers & a Tray for applying the primers and sealers. We find microfibre rollers work well for all the water-based products. If you choose solvent sealer, you’ll need to use a roller suitable for solvents.
Use a Squeegee Trowel instead of rollers for applying High Performance Primer or Polyshield sealer.
Medium Pile Roller & Tray
This refers to the surface or “substrate” that you will be applying the microcement to. Absorbent substrates include plaster, concrete, screeds, cement board and composite timbers. Non-Absorbent substrates include tiles, marble, metals and plastics.
We will supply you a different primer depending on the surface, namely Primer TAC for non-absorbent surfaces and Primer 100 for absorbent ones.
If you have a mixture of absorbent and non-absorbent substrates, then you can either let us know at the checkout and we can provide a different primer for each 10m2 or purchase an additional primer. Consumption rate is 1l per 10m2.
If you need more than 10m2, then please get in touch and we will work out the cheapest price for you.
All our products are supplied in multiples of 10, so you’ll need to round up to the nearest 10m2. Unfortunately we can’t supply kits in different quantities as it would mean opening the tubs which would reduce their shelf life.
Microcement is a cement-based render that can be applied to a wide range of surfaces to give a seamless, durable finish with an appearance that is similar to polished concrete. It is applied in four very thin coats giving a finished depth of just 3-4mm – and can be done by homeowners with the help of a DIY kit and some basic guidance.
It can be used to completely transform the look of existing surfaces (including plaster board, composite timber and painted walls) or as an alternative to tiles and other finishes across floors, walls, wet rooms or worktops. Because microcement is applied to surfaces in situ, it can be applied seamlessly without the need for joins or grout lines – making it easier to keep clean.
You’ll be using a trowel to apply 2 coats of microcement and 1 coat of iron one after the other onto your surface. The surface will need priming and meshing beforehand and sealing once it has had time to dry.
For a more detailed breakdown of the steps involved, please see the installation guide and step by steps:
If you are completing a DIY project in your own home then we would suggest you start with one of the DIY Kits. The DIY Kits aren’t quite as strong as the Professionals Kits but they’re easier to work with & apply.
Tradespeople, including plasterers, who haven’t used microcement before will need to spend some time familiarising themselves with the processes and techniques to achieve professional results. And we would recommend starting with the DIY kits.
There are two things that you/they will need to bear in mind to complete a microcement install successfully:
1. Process – familiarise yourself with the process in advance, don’t skip any steps and respect the drying times.
2. Technique – use the grain as a level, go as tight as you can with each coat, complete an area using small random trowel movements, then blend it into the previous section, removing any excess as you do so.
The process is very similar whichever kit you choose, however they each contain products with small differences that make them more suitable for the end use.
The sealer will dry within a few hours. But leave it a good 48 hours before putting objects too close to the wall or fixing to it.
This kit is only recommended for use on well consolidated walls that are completely flat. The finished depth is less than 1mm, so any imperfections in the susbtrate will most likely be visible after the liquid metal has been applied.
Ideally walls will be plaster boarded and skimmed.
You can use this product outside – it’s appearance will change over time as it gets wet and dried out, but that’s the beauty of working with natural metals.
