Microcement in York

Microcement in York gives a Victorian terrace bathroom or a new riverside apartment a single seamless surface from floor to wall, with no grout lines to clean. Zavoré supplies and installs authentic Italian lime based Venetian plaster and other decorative finishes, and everything we install, we teach. We are based in Birmingham, and our own applicators install microcement across the UK. A sample board is the place to start choosing tone and finish.

York bathrooms, floors and the wall underneath

Much of York is made of Victorian and Edwardian terraces and 1930s semis, in areas such as Bishophill, Holgate, Heworth, Acomb and Dringhouses. Their bathrooms are often small, sometimes in a rear extension, and tiled to the ceiling. Microcement lets a small room read as one calm volume, because the same surface runs up the wall and across the floor.

The question in a house this age is always the floor. Many York terraces have suspended timber floors with some spring in them. A seamless finish will not forgive that, since a flexing board shows as a crack. We check for springy joists, loose tiles, cracks and damp, and where a floor moves we say so and suggest stiffening it or choosing a different finish. Concrete floors in newer builds are easier, provided they are dry and sound.

Microcement is only as good as its primer, its mesh and its sealer. The sealer makes it waterproof and washable, not the cement itself, so preparation is where the work really is.

Where microcement works in York

Our microcement suits these spaces.

• Bathrooms and wet rooms in terraces, semis and loft conversions.
• Open plan kitchen and living spaces in houses that have been opened up at the back.
• Floors, stair treads and walls in new apartments and townhouses.
• Worktops, shower trays and vanity surfaces.
• Restaurants, bars, shops and offices that want a hard wearing seamless floor.

We would avoid it as a cheap substitute for tiling, and on a wall you plan to hang heavy fixings from. The money goes into preparation, and skipping it is how these surfaces fail.

How a microcement job in York runs

We survey before pricing. That covers the substrate, flatness, cracks, damp, movement, access, protection and how the room will be used. Photos can often answer small questions first. We say plainly if a surface needs reinforcing, levelling or a damp problem fixing before we begin.

A sample board shows the tone before you commit, and material is tinted to the approved sample before it ships. As York is some way from our centres, the work is planned in blocks of days so the team stays on the job and each layer goes on in order. Dates are agreed once the sample and price are signed off. More on the process is on our microcement installation page.

Materials, trade and training

We install microcement ourselves. For people using their own decorator, the shop sells lime built pastellone and beton stucco, two seamless looking plasters that suit walls, with tracked UK delivery. We do not sell cement microcement as a kit, and we would not suggest a floor or a bathroom as a first job for anyone.

Trade customers can ask about an account on our trade page, and decorators who want to learn can look at the microcement course, which runs at our Birmingham, London and Manchester centres.

More finishes in York

Microcement works well beside other finishes. For wall surfaces with a mineral depth see polished plaster in York and marmorino in York. A softer matt look is clay plaster in York, and a cooler one is concrete effect plaster in York. Where you want a waterproof lime see tadelakt in York. For brushwork on older walls try limewash in York, and for shimmer see liquid metal in York. The wider range is under decorative finishes specialist in York, and the classic family is covered in Venetian plastering in York.

Questions about microcement in York

Can microcement go over my old York bathroom tiles?

Sometimes, if the tiles are sound, well bonded and flat enough, and the grout lines are filled and keyed. We assess it at survey. Loose or hollow tiles must come off first.

Will microcement work on a suspended timber floor?

Only if the floor is stiff enough. Springy boards or joists will crack a seamless surface, so we check and may suggest overboarding or another finish.

Is microcement waterproof in a shower?

The sealer makes it water resistant, but the wall behind must be properly waterproofed and prepared. A shower surface is only as good as the primer, mesh and sealer under it.

Is microcement a good choice for a new apartment in York?

Yes, on sound screeds and boards it is a clean, modern answer. We survey for flatness, movement and damp, and plan the work in blocks of days.

Call 07592 929191 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm) or email sales@zavore.co.uk with photos, rough measurements and your York postcode. You can also order a sample board first.