Microcement Floors & Walls
Over Tiles, Cracking & Cost

What microcement is

Microcement is a thin, cement-based coating trowelled on in several layers to give a continuous, jointless surface on floors, walls, stairs and even furniture. It is sealed at the end, and the finish can be matt or with some sheen depending on the sealer. The look is the reason people want it: a smooth, concrete-like surface with no grout lines.

The reason contractors like to sell it is different: it goes on top of the existing surface. One European maker, Topciment, describes it building up to a thickness of 1 to 3 mm, so doors normally fitted with about 5 mm of clearance above the floor do not need planing. That makes it a no-hacking alternative to re-tiling, at least on paper.

Microcement design ideas: 11 concept designs

Eleven ways to use microcement in a Malaysian home: jointless floors in living, kitchen and dining areas, a staircase, accent walls, and bathrooms where the sealer and the waterproofing underneath do the real work. Each card is an illustrative concept render; filter by surface or by room, tap an image to enlarge it, and open the details for where it suits, the finish and what to watch.

StyleAllFloorsWallsBathrooms

RoomAllLiving roomDiningKitchenBathroomStudyEntrance

11 designs shown

These are illustrative concept designs created to show the options. They are not completed ClickBina projects. Only the accent-wall cards carry a price, the one microcement-look accent wall range from the cost table on this page; floors and bathrooms depend on the surface underneath and are quoted per job. We design and renovate homes. WhatsApp us your job details (the surface, the area and what is underneath now) for a quote.

More galleries: browse all design ideas by area of the house, from cabinets and kitchens to porches and grilles.

Can microcement go over existing tiles?

Often, yes, but only over tiles that are sound. The same maker says it can be applied on tiles, avoiding removal of the original covering, as long as the tiles are firm and not loose, and that a fibre mesh is needed to bind the substrate. Its guidance adds that the surface must be level, consolidated, clean and with a humidity level of less than 5%.

That rules out a lot of Malaysian floors. Tiles that sound hollow when tapped are usually tiles whose mortar bed was never full, and the bond is already failing; see popped and hollow floor tiles. A coating a few millimetres thick cannot hold those tiles down. Before anyone quotes an overlay, every tile should be tap-tested and any hollow or cracked ones lifted and re-laid.

Why microcement cracks

Microcement is rigid, and rigid finishes show any movement underneath. The site’s decorative finishes guide puts it simply: applied over a substrate that is still settling, or across a junction between two different materials, rigid seamless finishes crack in a straight line. The common causes:

• Movement in the tiles below: a hollow tile rocks and the coating cracks along its edge.
• Tile joints telegraphing through when the grout lines are not filled and meshed.
• No mesh. The maker recommends fibre mesh especially on tiled floors and walls, to reinforce the base coat and prevent cracks.
• No movement joint at the walls. The maker notes that a screed needs an expansion joint against the walls or cracks may appear.
• Damp substrate: moisture below the coating pushes it off or marks the sealer.
• Rushed coats. The maker gives a minimum drying time between coats of 4 hours for its first sealer and a full day for its topcoat sealer.

Microcement in bathrooms and wet areas

Microcement is porous. The maker’s own guidance is that a varnish or sealer is needed to protect it from dirt and to make the surface waterproof, and that only some of its systems are waterproof without that sealer. In other words, the sealer is doing the work, and sealers wear.

A bathroom still needs a proper waterproofing membrane under whatever finish goes on top. The decorative finishes guide is blunt: a wet-area wall needs a waterproofed, tiled or purpose-designed system, and a decorative coating is not one. If you want microcement in a shower, ask the applicator for the maker’s wet-area system in writing, and check how the bathroom waterproofing underneath will be done.

Floors versus walls

Walls are the easier job: less wear, less water, no furniture legs. Floors take foot traffic, grit, chair legs and mopping, so the base coats, mesh and sealer matter more, and the floor has to be left alone while it hardens. The maker says special care is needed in the first week after completion as the coating gains its full hardness.

Repairs and patching

This is the downside few sellers mention. The decorative finishes guide groups microcement with polished mineral and metallic finishes as the least forgiving: a localised repair almost always shows, and the honest answer is to re-do the wall corner to corner. On a floor, a dropped pot or a chipped edge is not a quick touch-up.

Think about where it goes. A hallway, a kitchen floor or a rental unit sees knocks and heavy use; a feature wall or a low-traffic bedroom floor is kinder to a finish that cannot be patched invisibly.

What microcement costs, and what it is compared with

The site does not publish a microcement floor price, because it depends heavily on the condition of the floor underneath, how much preparation and mesh is needed, the system chosen and the area. What the site does publish:

When comparing a microcement floor quote with re-tiling, compare like with like: the floor tile replacement cost guide includes hacking and debris disposal, while an overlay quote should include tile repairs, grout filling, mesh, the number of base and finish coats, and the sealer. For decorative walls, the texture paint and decorative finishes guide compares microcement with limewash and Venetian plaster.

Cleaning and maintenance

The maker recommends cleaning with water and neutral pH soap. Harsh or acidic cleaners attack the sealer, and once the sealer wears through, the porous coating underneath stains. Ask the applicator which sealer was used, and when and how it can be topped up, before the job is signed off.

Felt pads under chair and table legs, mats at entrances to catch grit, and wiping spills quickly all extend the life of the finish on a floor.

What to ask before you agree

• The system: maker, product names, number of base and finish coats, and the sealer.
• Tile test: whether every tile will be tap-tested and hollow ones re-laid first.
• Mesh and joints: where mesh goes, and how movement at walls and door thresholds is handled.
• Wet areas: the waterproofing underneath and the maker’s wet-area system, in writing.
• A sample on your own floor or wall, in your room’s light.
• Past floors by the same applicator that are at least a year old, not just new ones.

How ClickBina quotes microcement

ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor. We handle whole-house refurbishment and coordinate the trades.

WhatsApp us your job details for a quote. A site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead. The price is flat, with no hidden charges, and we reply within the hour. ClickBina is SSM-registered.

Sources & methodology

Product behaviour is taken from the Topciment microcement product page (topciment.com), read in September of this year: application over tiles, mesh, thickness and door clearance, substrate humidity, curing of new mortar, drying time between sealer coats, time on site, first-week care, wet-area sealing and cleaning. It is one maker’s guidance, named for reference, not a product recommendation. Site figures come from the texture paint and decorative finishes guide (accent-wall cost, skim coat, cracking, patching, wet areas), the floor tile replacement guide (hack and re-tile rates) and the popped floor tiles guide (hollow tiles). Prices are typical Klang Valley market ranges for 2026, not fixed rates.