At a glance
Best for
Seamless floors, walls, wet areas and pools as a system
Not for
Substrates with unresolved movement or damp
Wet areas
Yes — over correct waterproofing, with the sealer as a maintenance item
The material
Microcement is a thin, cement-based finish applied by hand in coats of about a millimetre. Its defining property is not appearance but thickness: at 1 to 3 mm it goes over an existing floor or wall instead of replacing it, which is why it appears so often in refurbishment, where programme and demolition are the real constraints.
Because it is applied wet, it arrives seamless. A floor can run into a step and up a wall, a wall can turn a curve or wrap a column, and none of it needs a trim or a joint. That continuity is the aesthetic argument, and in wet areas it is a hygiene argument too, since there is no grout to fail.
It is a durable, low-VOC, cement-based material. It is not natural and not vapour-open, and we do not describe it that way — if a breathable mineral finish is the requirement, clay plaster or lime plaster is the correct answer and we will point you there instead.
By application
The same material, specified seven different ways. Each has its own build-up, its own caveats and its own delivered work.
Microcement in place
Delivered work across Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh and the Egyptian north coast. Photography: Conmarble.




Microcement: Cemher microcement system applied at approximately 1 to 3 mm to the areas scheduled, over the manufacturer's primer and base coat, finished to the approved sample panel and sealed with the specified sealer. In wet and immersed areas the complete system build-up is to be applied over a waterproofed substrate as the technical data sheet requires. Substrate movement and structural joints to be carried through the finish. Supply and installation by Conmarble Natural Finishes.
Square brackets mark the choices that belong to the project. Send us the finishes schedule and we will return the clause completed, with the sample and mock-up programme against it.
Featured projects
Built with this material, by our own artisans. Open the project for the full set of photographs and the story of the installation.
Questions specifiers ask
Short answers, restating what this page already sets out. The specification pages carry the data behind each one.
How thick is microcement?
Microcement is applied at approximately 1 to 3 mm over the prepared substrate, built up by hand in coats of about a millimetre. Because it is so thin, it goes over an existing floor or wall instead of replacing it, which is why it is often specified in refurbishment, where programme and demolition are the real constraints. Floors typically run at 2 to 3 mm and walls at 1 to 2 mm.
Can microcement be used in bathrooms and showers?
Yes. Bathrooms and showers are specified as a complete sealed system, with waterproofing included rather than implied. Wet areas are suitable over correct waterproofing, with the sealer treated as a maintenance item. Because microcement is applied wet, it arrives seamless, so there is no grout to fail — a hygiene advantage as well as an aesthetic one in wet areas.
Can microcement be applied over existing tiles?
Yes. Microcement is applied over screed, tile, terrazzo, render, plasterboard and blockwork. A seamless floor at 2 to 3 mm can be laid straight over sound existing screed or tile, with no demolition and no joints to collect soil. The substrate must be sound: microcement is not suitable over substrates with unresolved movement or damp.
Is microcement a natural or breathable finish?
No. Microcement is a durable, low-VOC, cement-based material; it is not natural and not vapour-open, and Conmarble does not describe it that way. Where a breathable mineral finish is the requirement, clay plaster or lime plaster is the correct answer instead, and lime plaster is presented as the mineral alternative when it is the better fit.
Can microcement be used in swimming pools?
Yes. Microcement provides seamless pool linings and surrounds, using a system specified for permanent immersion rather than a wall product pressed into service. The systems named include Cemher Micropool, delivered alongside Microdur Plus through the villas and spa at Katara Hills, LXR Doha. In wet and immersed areas the complete system build-up is applied over a waterproofed substrate as the technical data sheet requires.
Technical support for the design team
We supply the material and we apply it, so the specification and the workmanship sit with one party. Send a finishes schedule, an elevation or a mood board and we will come back with the system, the build-up, the sample programme and a completed clause.

