What to expect
Outside, the material has to deal with things an interior never asks of it. Surface temperatures swing hard between day and night, ultraviolet light works on the sealer continuously, and thermal movement in the substrate is larger and faster than it is indoors.
None of that rules microcement out - it is delivered on terraces and courtyards across the Gulf - but it does change the specification. Movement joints have to be genuinely resolved and carried through, the sealer has to be ultraviolet-stable, and colour choice has a real thermal consequence on a barefoot terrace.
We would rather have the argument about joint layout at design stage than explain a crack afterwards. Where a substrate cannot be made stable enough, we will say that microcement is the wrong choice there.
In practice
- Terraces, courtyards, pool decks and external wall planes
- Ultraviolet-stable sealer specified, with a defined re-application interval
- Movement joints resolved in the substrate and carried through the finish
- Colour selected with surface temperature in mind on barefoot areas
- Falls and drainage confirmed before application, not after
Specify it
| Sealer | Ultraviolet-stable, with a stated re-application interval in the maintenance schedule |
|---|---|
| Movement | Substrate movement joints resolved and carried through the finish |
| Thermal | Colour affects surface temperature - relevant on barefoot terraces |
| Drainage | Falls and outlets set in the substrate before application |
| Substrate | Must be stable; unresolved movement or damp rules the finish out |
Microcement is a durable, low-VOC cement-based finish. It is not a natural or vapour-open material — for that, see clay plaster or lime plaster. Emission and content testing is published by the manufacturer.
View evidence — Cemher VOC emissions certificate (PDF, 0.8 MB)Exteriors in place
Delivered work, photographed on site. Photography: Conmarble.
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.
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.