Microcement Worktops Explained
A microcement worktop is built in place rather than delivered as a slab, so it runs continuously into the upstand and splashback with no join anywhere. This guide covers exactly how it is made and how it behaves in a working kitchen.
Where this works
- Seamless worktop, upstand and splashback in one surface
- Overlaying an existing worktop without stripping the kitchen out
- Islands longer than a single slab
- Curved and shaped counters that stone cannot follow
- Matching a worktop to a microcement floor or wall
How we install it
- 1It is a system, not a paint
Microcement is often described as a coating, which undersells it. The build up is a primer chosen for the specific substrate, a fibreglass mesh bedded into the first coat to control movement and stop cracking at joints, two structural basecoats, two thin finish coats troweled to the chosen texture, and then a sealer schedule of several coats. The total is only two to three millimetres, which is why it can go over an existing worktop without raising the height enough to affect appliance clearances or splashback lines.
- 2The sealer does the real work
The mineral surface itself is porous. Everything that determines whether the worktop shrugs off red wine, lemon juice and olive oil is the sealer schedule on top. For kitchen work we use a kitchen grade polyurethane applied in multiple thin coats rather than one thick one, because thin coats key to each other and cure properly. It is food safe once cured. Anyone quoting a worktop with a two coat sealer, or using the same sealer they would use on a wall, is quoting a different and shorter lived product.
- 3What it does that slabs cannot
It has no joins, at any length, in any shape. It turns a corner, wraps a waterfall end, runs up into a splashback and continues round a window reveal as one surface. It can be applied over the worktop you already have, so a tired kitchen gets a new surface without a skip. It is pigmented to order, so it matches a paint reference or an existing floor exactly. And because it is applied in situ, an awkward layout with lots of corners costs no more per metre than a straight run, where stone escalates.
- 4Being honest about the limits
It is softer than stone. Cut on a board, not on the surface. Use a trivet, because a pan straight off the hob will mark the sealer. Very heavy commercial use will wear the sealer around the sink and hob within a few years, which is why we build in a refresh coat rather than pretending it never happens. In exchange you get a surface that can be locally repaired and resealed in place, which is something quartz and granite cannot offer at any price.
Common pitfalls we prevent
Frequently asked
Is a microcement worktop waterproof?+
The sealed system is water resistant to a level suitable for kitchens and bathrooms, including around a sink. The mineral layer beneath is porous, so the sealer schedule is what matters. That is why we apply multiple thin coats of a kitchen grade sealer and check it around wet zones each time we return.
Will it stain from red wine or turmeric?+
Not on a correctly sealed surface if wiped within a reasonable time. Left overnight, strong dyes can leave a shadow. Unlike stone, a marked area can be locally cleaned back and resealed rather than living with it.
Can it go over my existing worktop?+
Usually yes, if the existing top is sound, dry and firmly fixed. Laminate, timber, tile and stone can all be overlaid. A swollen or delaminating laminate has to come out first, and we tell you that at survey rather than at the start of the job.
How long does it last?+
The mineral layer is effectively permanent. The sealer is the consumable, and in a domestic kitchen it typically wants a refresh coat around five years in, sooner at the hob and sink. That refresh is a half day job done in place.
Does it crack?+
Not when built correctly. Cracking comes from movement in the substrate, which is why the mesh reinforcement and the correct primer for the specific substrate are non negotiable parts of the build up.
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