What’s Included in a Complete Microcement Kit? Understanding the Full Microcement System
Microcement is often described as a decorative finish, but a professional microcement installation is much more than just one bucket of material.
A complete microcement system includes several components that work together — from preparing the surface to creating the final texture and protecting it for everyday use.
Microcement Is a System, Not Just a Finish Coat
One of the most important things to understand about microcement is that the final decorative layer is only one part of the process.
The appearance of the finished surface depends heavily on what is underneath it.
Proper surface preparation, adhesion, base layers, finish layers, and final protection all work together. Skipping one part of the system can affect the durability, appearance, and performance of the finished surface.
That is why our complete microcement kit contains the materials required for the different stages of the system.
What is included in a Silk Plaster Microcement Kit?
Quartz Primer
Microcement Base
Microcement Finish
Protective Varnish
Professional Metal Trowel — included as a gift
Depending on the surface and the specific project, additional preparation or reinforcing materials may also be required.
Why Does Microcement Need a Quartz Primer?
Everything starts with the substrate.
Before applying microcement, the surface needs to provide proper adhesion for the following layers.
Our quartz primer creates a textured bonding surface that helps the Microcement Base adhere properly to the substrate.
This is especially important because microcement is applied in very thin layers. You do not want the system simply sitting on top of a smooth or poorly prepared surface.
The primer creates the bridge between the existing surface and the microcement system.
Proper preparation can also help reduce many of the problems that people sometimes incorrectly blame on microcement itself.
A beautiful finish starts long before the finish coat is applied.
What Is Microcement Base?
The Microcement Base creates the foundation of the decorative system.
If you compare the Base with the Finish, one of the first things you will notice is the grain.
The Base has a coarser texture and a different formulation than the Microcement Finish.
Its job is not primarily to create the final decorative appearance. Instead, it helps build a strong and consistent foundation for the layers that follow.
Depending on the substrate and project requirements, reinforcement mesh may also be incorporated into the base system to help create additional stability.
Multiple thin layers allow the applicator to gradually build the microcement surface rather than trying to create everything with one heavy coat.
Why Do We Use a Separate Microcement Finish?
Once the foundation has been properly built, we move to the Microcement Finish.
The Finish has a much finer grain than the Base and is formulated specifically to create the final decorative appearance of the surface.
This is where much of the character of microcement develops.
The applicator's movements, pressure, layer thickness, sanding, and application technique can influence the final visual effect.
That is one of the reasons microcement can look so different from a conventional painted surface.
It is not simply a color applied to the wall. It is a hand-applied decorative finish.
Can Microcement Be Custom Colored?
Yes.
For the project shown in our video, the customer selected HC-81 Manchester Tan from the Benjamin Moore Historical Color Collection.
We custom tinted both the Microcement Base and the Microcement Finish for the project.
Custom tinting gives homeowners, designers, contractors, and architects much greater flexibility when coordinating microcement with flooring, cabinetry, furniture, paint colors, and the overall interior design.
Instead of selecting a project around a very limited group of standard colors, the microcement can be prepared to work with the design concept.
Because microcement is a hand-applied mineral-style decorative finish, the final appearance will naturally have movement and variation. A color reference should therefore be viewed as the target color direction rather than expecting the surface to look identical to a flat painted color sample.
Why Does Microcement Need Protective Varnish?
The decorative finish is not the final step.
After the microcement has been completed, the surface needs to be protected.
The protective varnish, or topcoat, seals the finished microcement and helps protect it from everyday wear, staining, moisture, and cleaning.
This layer is extremely important because microcement itself creates the decorative surface, while the protective coating helps make that surface practical for everyday use.
The type of protection and number of coats can vary depending on the application and the demands placed on the surface.
For that reason, we consider the protective system part of the microcement installation — not an optional afterthought.
Why We Include a Professional Metal Trowel
Microcement is applied by hand, and the application tool directly influences the finished appearance.
With our complete Microcement Kit, we also include a professional metal trowel as a gift.
The trowel is used to spread and compress the microcement while creating the movement and character associated with this type of decorative finish.
Material quality is important, but application technique is equally important.
Two applicators using exactly the same material can create slightly different visual results based on their movements and technique.
That individual character is part of what makes microcement unique.
Complete Microcement System vs. Individual Products
When researching microcement online, it is important to understand exactly what is being offered.
A container labeled “microcement” does not necessarily represent the complete installation system.
The decorative material is only one component.
A complete professional system considers:
the substrate → preparation → adhesion → base layers → decorative finish → final protection.
Each stage has a specific purpose.
This is also why comparing microcement products based only on the price of one bucket can be misleading. The better question is:
What does the complete system require to produce the finished surface?
A Microcement Kit Prepared for the Project
For every project, we want the installer to understand what each component does and how all of the materials work together.
In the project shown in our video, we prepared the Quartz Primer, Microcement Base, Microcement Finish, and Protective Varnish, custom tinted the microcement to HC-81 Manchester Tan, and prepared the complete kit for the customer.
From the first layer to the final protection, every component has a purpose.
That is what we mean when we talk about a complete microcement kit.
