How do I write microcement into a tender document?

Specify by system, not brand. Required layers, sealer chemistry, PTV, fire rating, manufacturer's installer accreditation. We'll send a sample spec clause on request.

Will the floor still look new after 5 years of trading?

It will look five years old. Microcement ages — that's part of its appeal — but in hospitality it shows wear at the bar foot-rail, behind banquettes, around the till station. Plan a touch-up cycle at year three.

What's the cost premium over a hard-wearing vinyl or LVT?

Roughly 2.5–3x. The trade-off is a finish that reads as the architecture rather than as a covering, and a 15-year service life vs 7 for high-end vinyl.

Specifying Microcement for Hospitality Projects

Microcement in hospitality lives a much harder life than microcement at home. Bar fronts get kicked, restaurant floors are mopped twice a day with strong cleaners, hotel corridors take rolling luggage. The product is more than capable — but only if it's specified for the duty cycle.

This is a working spec note for designers, contract administrators and developers.

Pick the right system, not the right colour

There's a tendency to specify by colour and finish family and let the contractor pick the underlying system. That's the wrong order. Specify the system first — wall vs floor, commercial vs residential, sealer chemistry — then choose the colour from the shades that system supports.

Sealer matters more than anything

Two-pack polyurethane sealer is the only sealer worth specifying for commercial floors. Single-pack water-based sealers wear through in 12–18 months under restaurant traffic.
Matt and satin sealers age more gracefully than polished. Polished shows micro-scratches immediately under hospitality wear.
Anti-slip additive: ask for a Pendulum Test Value (PTV) on the sealed sample, not just a finish description.

Programme realism

A microcement floor in a 200 m² restaurant is a 10–12 day programme: 3 days basecoats, 2 days finishing, 2 days sealer build, 3 days for the floor to harden before furniture goes back. Compress this and you'll lose the floor in the first month of trading.

For listed-building and historic hospitality projects, microcement is often the only finish that delivers a seamless contemporary surface while remaining reversible — it sits on a primer over the substrate and can be removed without damaging stone or timber underneath.

Fire and slip compliance

Reaction to fire: most quality microcement systems achieve Bfl-s1 to BS EN 13501-1 — request the data sheet for the specific sealer.
Slip resistance: Pendulum Test Value of 36+ in the wet condition is the threshold for hospitality. Achievable with anti-slip additive in the topcoat.
Hygiene: PU-sealed microcement is non-porous, easy to clean, and HACCP-compatible for food prep adjacencies (subject to the local environmental health officer).

Repairability

The single most useful question to ask before commissioning: can a section be repaired and re-blended on a live site? With our system the answer is yes — we keep colour-batch records on every commercial install and can patch a damaged area in 48 hours without taking the room out of service overnight.

Choosing a microcement contractor

Ask a microcement contractor how the base will be assessed and prepared, which complete coating and sealer system is proposed, and how corners, joints and wet zones will be detailed. Review a sealed sample rather than colour alone. Agree a programme that includes drying, protection and the point when furniture or traffic can return. Ask for cleaning and aftercare guidance, together with an explanation of how wear or local damage can be addressed. Put these requirements into the tender so competing proposals cover the same scope.

Specifying microcement for hotels, restaurants and bars