Microcement in Harrogate

Harrogate was built on water, and its grandest rooms, from the Royal Pump Room to the tiled Turkish Baths, were made for bathing. We lay microcement in Harrogate for the modern version of that idea, a shower, ensuite or kitchen floor without a single grout line. Zavoré supplies, installs and teaches authentic Italian lime based Venetian plaster and other decorative finishes, and we are based in Birmingham. Microcement is a thin cement based coating trowelled over a primed and reinforced base and sealed. A sample board helps you settle the tone.

Stone villas, guest houses and new estates

Much of Victorian Harrogate is stone built, with large villas and terraces around the Stray, the Valley Gardens and the Duchy area. A great many have since been divided into flats or run as hotels and guest houses, and every conversion meant new bathrooms squeezed into old rooms. Those are often small, oddly shaped spaces, and a seamless surface that runs from the floor up the walls and into the shower makes them feel larger and much easier to clean.

The thick stone outer walls of those villas need a little thought. Microcement is cement and polymer under a sealer, so it does not breathe the way lime does. On internal partitions, boarded walls and within a waterproofed shower that is fine. On a solid external wall that relies on letting moisture out, we may suggest tadelakt or a lime finish instead, or keep the microcement to the floor.

Newer Harrogate is a different job. Estates such as Jennyfields and the houses on the edges of the town usually have concrete or screeded ground floors and plasterboard walls, which are kinder bases provided the screed is fully dry and the board is properly reinforced.

Surfaces we lay microcement on

Our microcement floors and walls are laid by hand, and in Harrogate homes and businesses they tend to go here.

• Ensuites and shower rooms carved out of villa bedrooms during a flat conversion.
• Guest house and small hotel bathrooms, where a sealed seamless surface is quick to clean between stays.
• Kitchen and dining floors in extended houses, running through without a threshold.
• Stair treads and landings in townhouses, where the same surface carries on from the hall.
• Restaurant, café and shop floors in the town centre, alongside the main contractor.

It is not a shortcut. A floor that springs, a screed that is still green, drummy tiles or a structural crack will all show through, and no amount of material bridges them. Nor is it the place to fix heavy shelving later, so plan the fixings first.

What the work involves

Seamless work is decided at the base, so we survey before we price. That means the substrate, flatness, cracks, damp, movement, how the room is used, access and protection. Some questions can be answered from photos. If a floor needs stiffening, a wall needs boarding or a damp problem needs fixing first, we say so straight away.

Tone is chosen on a sample board, and material is tinted to the approved sample before it ships. A failure is almost always in the primer, the mesh or the sealer rather than the coating itself, so those are the stages we take most care over.

Harrogate is some way from our centres, so a job is planned in blocks of days. The team stays on site and each layer goes on in sequence, because a room is laid wet and finished in one go. Dates are agreed once the sample and price are signed off. The microcement installation page explains the process step by step.

Materials, trade and the course

Microcement is something we install rather than sell. What we do sell through the shop, with tracked UK delivery, is our lime built pastellone and beton stucco, which give a seamless or concrete look on walls and suit a decorator working on your behalf.

Trade buyers can open an account on the trade page. For anyone who wants to learn seamless work properly, the microcement course runs at our training centres in Birmingham, London and Manchester, the same course at each.

More finishes in Harrogate

Microcement is one of several finishes we cover for the town. A lime alternative for wet rooms is tadelakt in Harrogate. For stone walls that need to breathe, see limewash in Harrogate or clay plaster in Harrogate. For the walls around a microcement floor, try concrete effect plaster in Harrogate, polished plaster in Harrogate, marmorino in Harrogate or liquid metal in Harrogate. The whole range sits with our page as a decorative finishes specialist in Harrogate, and the lime tradition is on Venetian plastering in Harrogate.

Questions about microcement in Harrogate

Is microcement a good idea on the stone walls of an old villa?

Inside a properly waterproofed shower, yes. On a solid external wall that needs to breathe, we are more cautious, because a sealed cement coating can trap moisture that lime would let out. Tadelakt or a lime finish is often the better choice there, with microcement kept to the floor.

Can microcement work in a guest house or small hotel?

Yes. A sealed seamless floor and shower wall is quick to clean and has no grout to discolour. We plan the work around your bookings where possible and lay each room in one go.

Can microcement carry on up a staircase?

Stair treads and landings are among the surfaces we lay. The stairs must be sound and stiff, and we check them at the survey, because any movement would show as a crack.

How do I clean a microcement floor?

The sealer is what makes it washable, so a gentle pH neutral cleaner and a soft mop is the usual routine. Avoid harsh abrasives, which wear the sealer.

For a quick view on your room, send photos, rough measurements and the postcode to sales@zavore.co.uk, or call 07592 929191 from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm. A sample board will show you the tone before anything is booked.