Commercial specification
Microcement In Commercial And Hospitality Interiors
Commercial clients choose microcement for two reasons that have nothing to do with fashion: it goes down thin over what is already there, and it produces a continuous surface across an area that would otherwise need joints, trims and thresholds.
The programme argument
On a fit-out with a fixed handover date, the ability to work over an existing screed or tiled floor removes a demolition phase, a waste stream and the risk of finding something unpleasant under the old finish. That is often worth more to a contractor than the appearance of the result.
It also means the floor level stays where it is. Door sets, thresholds, ramp gradients and access compliance all stay as designed, which avoids the cascade of small variations that a thicker floor build-up triggers on a tight refurbishment.
Matching the system to the traffic
The decorative wall and floor systems that suit a private house are not automatically the right specification for a restaurant floor or a retail entrance. Traffic volume, wheeled loads, cleaning regime and the presence of grit all push the specification towards harder finish coats and a more robust sealer schedule, and sometimes away from microcement altogether.
Being straight about that matters. Behind a bar where trolleys run and glass gets dropped, a heavy-duty resin system will outlive a decorative one. Front of house, where appearance is doing commercial work, microcement is frequently the better answer. Splitting the specification by zone is normal and sensible.
- Reception and front of house
- Well suited, appearance-led, robust sealer schedule
- Restaurant and bar seating areas
- Suited with a hard-wearing floor specification
- Back of house and kitchens
- Usually better served by a heavy-duty system
- Retail fitting rooms and displays
- Well suited, curves and joinery integrate easily
- Washrooms
- Well suited with correct tanking to the wet zones
Cleaning regimes decide long-term appearance
Commercial cleaning contracts are written around speed and disinfection, which means strong chemicals and aggressive equipment unless somebody specifies otherwise. That is the most common cause of a commercial decorative floor looking tired well before it should.
The fix is administrative rather than technical: name the approved products in the operation and maintenance documentation, brief the cleaning contractor at handover, and keep the aftercare sheet with the building. On a multi-site rollout this should be part of the standard specification pack.
Specify the cleaning products alongside the finish. A floor system and a cleaning regime are a single decision, not two.
Working around trading hours
Occupied and trading premises bring their own constraints: night working, phased areas, dust control and curing time that has to fit between closing and opening. Microcement is generally cooperative here because there is no demolition noise and no wet trades running for weeks, but the sealer cure schedule cannot be compressed to suit a rota.
Phasing needs care for a different reason. A surface that must be continuous cannot be split across two nights in the middle of an open floor. Phase boundaries belong at natural architectural breaks, agreed in advance with the designer rather than settled on site at two in the morning.
- Agree phase boundaries at architectural lines before mobilising
- Allow the full sealer cure before returning an area to trade
- Confirm the cleaning specification and brief the contractor at handover
- Zone the specification so back of house gets the system it needs
Commercial project questions
Bring us in at specification stage
The value we add on a commercial scheme is deciding which zones suit a decorative system and which need something harder, before it becomes a variation. Send the layout and the intended use of each area and we will mark it up.