Didsbury Street
Builder collaboration · 2023
Microcement in Brisbane
Microcement bathrooms, floors and walls for Brisbane homeowners, builders and architects. A joint-free cement finish, laid over existing tiles or concrete.
QBCC 15243288 · Our own team · Brisbane inner east and river suburbs
Microcement bathrooms, floors and walls
Microcement is a cement and polymer coating, trowelled on in thin coats to two or three millimetres in total. It has no joints, so one surface can run across a floor, up a wall and into a shower recess, with no grid of grout lines.
We lay it in Brisbane bathrooms, kitchens, living floors and joinery, for homeowners renovating and for builders working to an architect's detail. At Didsbury Street in East Brisbane it runs through the shower and across the bathroom floor.
Why clients choose Shaws.
- Our own team
- No subcontracted crews. The person who quotes your job is on site while it runs.
- Licensed and insured
- QBCC 15243288, fully insured, and both in writing before anyone starts.
- One job at a time
- We do not split a crew across parallel sites, so a start date means a start date.
- We come back
- If something needs attention after we have finished, we return and sort it out.
QBCC 15243288 · Fully licensed & insured
Microcement finishes.
The looks available within microcement.
Fine
The tightest grade, close to smooth concrete. It reads flat from across a room and shows its mottling up close.
Medium
Visible aggregate and more movement in the surface. The usual pick for floors, where a little texture gives grip underfoot.
Sealed matt or satin
The sealer sets the sheen. Matt suits walls, and satin suits surfaces that take water.
What people say.
We’ve engaged Elliott across six properties throughout Brisbane, South Stradbroke Island and Stanthorpe, and the quality of his work has consistently been exceptional. His attention to preparation, product knowledge, communication and eye for colour and finish set him apart. Elliott is professional, honest, respectful and an absolute pleasure to have on site. I have no hesitation recommending him to anyone seeking a true painting professional.
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Talk to us about microcement for your project.
What to know about microcement.
What suits your home, and what to expect from the finish.
Can it go over existing tiles?
Often, yes. Coating over the tiles saves you the demolition, the skip bin and the jackhammering that come with stripping a bathroom back to the slab.
The tiles need to be bonded, flat and free of movement. A coat this thin shows whatever sits underneath it, so hollow tiles, lipping and cracks all need fixing first.
Microcement in bathrooms and showers
Sealed microcement takes water, and plenty of Brisbane showers have it. It still needs a waterproof membrane underneath. The membrane keeps water out of the wall and slab, and the microcement is the surface you see and touch. In Queensland, waterproofing is licensed work.
Shower floors also need grip. Wet areas call for a textured grade or an anti-slip sealer.
The downsides
- It follows the substrate. A slab crack or a bouncy floor comes through as a crack in the finish.
- A person makes every surface by hand. You will see cloud and trowel movement. If you want a flat, even colour, tile or a sheet product will suit you better.
- Floors and showers need resealing every few years, depending on traffic.
- It is a poor DIY product. Kits exist, and the mistakes show as laps, uneven coats and a sealer that lifts.
Looking after it
Clean it with warm water and a pH-neutral cleaner. Bleach, scourers and solvent cleaners strip the sealer. On a kitchen bench, wipe up oil and red wine the same day.
For a wall that wants the depth of stone, look at Venetian plaster.
Common questions.
Tell us about the job.
Send us a brief, a plan set or a few photos. We come back within two working days.
Or reach us directly
QBCC 15243288 · Fully licensed & insured