Professionals Microcement Sample Kit

Kits vary significantly depending on the kit that you choose.  You will recieve enough of each product that is in the professionals kit to complete a 1m2 sample board.  See Professional Kits for product by product breakdowns.

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.

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.

Choose Primer 100 for absorbent surfaces & Primer TAC for non-absorbent surfaces.

Absorbent Surfaces: Concrete Screeds & Self Leveller, Boarded Floors, MDF, OSB (Chip Board), Plywood, Cement Boards, Tile on Boards, Painted Walls, Plastered Walls, Plaster Boards

Non-Absorbent Surfaces: Tiles, Kudos Aqua4ma, Rigid Shower Trays, Plastics, Metals, Waterproof Tanking

When to Choose ImpriPox?

We highly recommend that you choose ImpriPox (or AquaSell) if you are working on a horizontal surface that has joins (e.g. composite timber/ cement boards) or cracks in it.  A lot of professionals use ImpriPox as standard on all floors as it will add strength to the floor and help to prevent moisture and stains transferring to the microcement from the sub-floor.  It’s also useful for bridging joins between boards in furniture and worktops and occasionally on walls to increase strength or inhibit moisture and stains.

In all situations, even when using ImpriPox, all cracks must be repaired and any movement eliminated in advance.

Each of the sealer systems has been designed to exceed expectations, but each has unique features with different appeal depending on your preferences and requirements.  Here’s an overview of the process, pros & cons for each sealer system to help you decide which one is right for you.

Water Based Sealer System

You’ll start the sealing process with a coat of water-based AquaMax Dur, a 2 part polyurethane sealer which can be easily rolled on with a microfibre roller.  This provides the 1^st coat of sealer protection and prepares the surface for the AquaMax Extreme.

The AquaMax Dur is consolidated with a hard, durable, opaque coat of AquaMax Extreme – this is our highest performing water-based, 2 part polyurethane sealer which can be rolled onto the surface with a microfibre roller.

Solvent Based Sealer System

Again, you’ll start the sealing process with a coat of water-based AquaMax Dur, a 2 part polyurethane sealer which can be easily rolled on with a microfibre roller.  This provides the 1^st coat of sealer protection and prepares the surface for the MaxiPur.

Because it’s solvent based, MaxiPur will naturally repel water, giving it a slightly higher level of stain resistance, it’s also slightly thicker than AquaMax Extreme which makes it easier to get good coverage.  Good ventilation and protective masks are essential during the application of MaxiPur as it emits a strong chemical odour whilst wet.

Polyshield Sealer System

A first for the UK microcement industry, Polyshield is a two-component polyaspartic self-levelling resin which is applied by trowel in 1 coat over the microcement surface.  This clear, UV stable (non-yellowing) resin creates a practically impenetrable coating onto the surface of the microcement.  It is incredibly hard with extremely high resistance to staining.  It also does a fantastic job of highlighting textures in the microcement surface.  A single coat of AquaMax Dur is applied on top to achieve the desired finish: matt, satin or gloss.  Yet another truly ground breaking new product from Cemher.

Both continuous & stucco effect are smooth to touch but the “stucco” will have more visual texture and some colour variation, sometimes described as a “cloudy” texture, whereas the continuous effect has a more uniform, gentle texture. Coarse effect contains a thicker grain so is slightly coarse touch.

With 56 colours to choose from, it’s worth taking some time to make sure you have chosen the right colour.

We’ve tried to represent the colour as accurately as possible by providing images of each colour and an image of it in situ. You can view large versions of the swatches and images on Colour Options. Please be aware, however that colours can vary quite dramatically from screen to screen. So to make sure you’ve found the right colour for your project, we’d highly recommend that you buy a Colour Swatch or Swatch Book so that you can see it for yourself.

It’s also a good idea to take it into the room and place it against the wall and floor to see how the colour is affected by the light in the room. As with paints, different lighting can give a very different impression of the colour.

All the products are made up in batches of 10m2. So we can give you a different colour for each 10m2 but we won’t be able to break them down any further than that. If you would more than 1 colour and can split them into 10m2, then just select one of the colours and leave us a note at the checkout to tell us which other colour you would like and how many m2 of each.

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 4 coats of microcement one after the other onto your surface. The surface will need priming and meshing beforehand and sealing once it has had time to dry.

Once you’ve purchased the kit, you’ll receive access to a thorough online training and installation guide which includes a more detailed step by step guide to the complete installation of this kit.

If you are completing a DIY project in your own home then this kit is ideal. The DIY Kits aren’t quite as strong as the Professionals Kits but they’re pre-mixed and waterproof so easy 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 DIY Kit you choose, however they each contain products with small differences that make them more suitable for the end use. The DIY Kit for Floors has a thicker base coat and a hard sealer where the wall kit is more focused on getting a good visual texture and smooth finish for example.

You’ll need to leave it 48 hours once the last sealer has been applied to give it time to harden. And then ensure light use only for the first 14 days.

Like all cementitious products, microcement takes 28 days to fully harden. Any heavy work is not recommended, but if it does take place then we recommend that you cover the microcement with a breathable material or only cover down whilst working and lift the protection off for the majority of the time.

You can microcement onto almost any surface as long as it is smooth and free from movement. You may need to prepare the surface for microcement before you start.

Some of the more common surfaces that you can microcement onto, are listed here:

Cement Board, Composite Timber Boards, Plaster Boards, Painted Walls, Plastered Walls, Concretes, Screeds, Self Leveller, Tiles, Plastics, Metals, Marble.

Use hard shower trays that are suitable for vinyl floors. Firmly fix the shower tray in place to eliminate the chance of movement. Board shower area walls right down to the shower tray. Ensure boards are firmly fixed in place.

Silicone the joint between the boards and the shower tray/floors. Do not smooth out the silicone, leave to dry overnight and razor scrape off the excess. No silicone should be left on the surface.

There should be no gaps in any of the surfaces that are to be microcemented.  Ideally walls will be plaster boarded and skimmed.

As long as there is no risk of movement, tanking is not required.

This isn’t the best kit for using outdoors, external surfaces need the hardness and protection that comes with the Microcement Kits for Outdoors

Microcement surfaces can be cleaned with any pH neutral cleaning products.

Do not clean microcement surfaces with aggressive or descaling products, such as those which contain chlorine, bleach and ammonia as they can damage the sealers.

Use Cemher Floor Protect every 2 -3 months to protect you microcement and to help build up the sealers.