FAQ
Everything we hear,often.
Quick answers grouped by topic. If yours isn't here, the studio number is at the bottom of every page — we genuinely don't mind being called.
The basics
Microcement is a 2–3 mm cementitious coating that bonds to almost any clean, stable substrate — concrete, screed, tile, wood-based panel, plasterboard. It works for floors, walls, kitchens, bathrooms (including showers and wet rooms), staircases, ceilings and furniture. We don't recommend it on substrates with high movement or unresolved damp.
For a typical 30–50 m² floor we need 4–6 working days on site, plus 7 days of curing before the sealer fully hardens. Wall finishes (limewash, marmorino, concrete texture) usually take 2–4 days per room depending on prep.
Properly installed microcement is harder than the screed below it. It's reinforced with a mesh at the build coat and finished with a two-component polyurethane sealer rated for 12+ years of foot traffic. We back our installs with a 5-year warranty against bonding failure and visible cracks not caused by substrate movement.
Yes. We bring hand-finished A5 sample tiles to a review meeting at your project, anywhere in the UAE, so you can see each finish in your own light. Request a session from the Sample Reviews page or call us directly.
Yes, across all seven emirates. We have a permanent crew in Dubai and dispatch supervisors and applicators to Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. Travel and lodging for outside-Dubai jobs is included in our quotes.
Microcement floors run from AED 280–420 / m² depending on substrate prep, finish colour, and access. Wall finishes (marmorino, limewash) run AED 180–320 / m². Specialty work — leaf, custom stencil, metallic epoxy — is quoted per project. All quotes include materials, labour, and a 5-year warranty.
Technical
Yes — microcement is fully waterproof when sealed with our two-component polyurethane. We use it routinely in showers, wet rooms and around bath surrounds. The key is the sealer specification and the joint detail at the floor/wall transition; we handle both.
Properly installed microcement is harder than the screed below it and is reinforced with a fibreglass mesh between the build coats. Cracking, when it happens, almost always reflects a substrate issue — settling concrete, a moving joint, undisclosed damp. We assess for these before quoting and the warranty covers any cracking that's not down to substrate movement.
Hand-mixed mineral finishes have small batch-to-batch variation — that's part of the look, not a defect. We batch all material for one project together and reserve a touch-up tin from the same batch. Differences between sample and wall are typically within 3% — visible only side-by-side.
Yes — most of our finishes accept a new top coat or a tinted glaze without stripping. Microcement floors can be re-sealed every 7–10 years and the look is renewed; walls in marmorino or limewash can be over-coated for cost of materials only.
2–3 mm in total — primer + mesh + two build coats + a finish coat + sealer. This is thin enough to apply over existing tile without changing door clearances or threshold heights in most cases.
Microcement is cementitious — for floors and full-bond walls in wet rooms; reads as polished concrete. Marmorino is lime + marble dust by trowel — for walls only; reads as silk or polished stone. Limewash is brushed lime + pigment — for walls only; reads as soft, cloudy, chalky depth. They're different finishes for different rooms.
Process & install
Request samples (free, posted in 3 working days). Approve a finish. We come to site, measure and confirm substrate condition. Written quote inside 3 working days. Sign and pay 50% deposit; we book your install date and source materials. Install. Final 50% on completion.
From sign-off to first day on site: 2–3 weeks in Dubai, 3–4 weeks elsewhere in the UAE. Premium-finish projects (gold leaf, custom stencil) need 4–6 weeks.
Almost never. We zone the work area, install dust shielding and air filtration, and progress room-by-room so you can keep living in the property. Wet-room jobs need 24–48 hours of cure time during which you can't use that bathroom — we plan around it.
Significantly less dusty than tiling or demolition — we work over existing substrates in most cases. We bring HEPA-rated dust extractors and we tape and shield adjoining rooms. Our crew leaves the site cleaner than they found it.
The applicator lead (always one of our senior crew), an applicator, and an apprentice for prep and clean-up. On larger jobs, a site supervisor too. Every face on site is on our payroll.
Pricing & warranty
Materials (primer, mesh, microcement, sealer or finish coat), labour (full crew time including prep and clean-up), and a 5-year warranty. It does not include scaffolding for ceilings above 4m, or unrelated repairs we discover (rare).
50% on booking, 50% on completion is standard. For projects over AED 75,000 we can split into 30/40/30 (booking / mid-install / completion).
Five years against bonding failure, visible cracking not caused by substrate movement, and accelerated wear. Written. We have honoured every claim made under it.
Only if you sign off on the change. Our quotes are flat-rate per finish; we eat surprises within reason. Real scope changes — a discovered damp issue, undisclosed mosaic that needs lifting — are quoted as an add-on for you to approve in writing before we proceed.
Living with the finish
Standard pH-neutral floor cleaner and warm water. Avoid abrasive scouring pads and acidic cleaners (lemon, vinegar, descaler). For walls, a damp microfibre cloth is sufficient.
Sealed microcement and epoxy are extremely stain-resistant. Lime-based wall finishes (marmorino, limewash) are not — they're best kept away from kitchen splash zones and out of children's hand-reach.
Microcement chips and scratches can be touched up with the reserved batch — we leave you a tin. Larger areas can be re-sealed or patched by our crew at material cost only for the first two years.
Start with a sample
Still wondering? Ask us.
The studio number is answered by our office, not a call centre. Ask whatever you want — we'd rather you got the right answer than the polite one.