Matte
The quietest of the three, and the most forgiving with footprints and dust. Our default for open-plan floors.
Sheen ~5-10
Microcement
A coat you can walk on, not a slab you have to break out.
Microcement is a cement-based coating laid by hand in thin layers. It bonds to what is already there — tile, screed, plaster, plywood — so a renovation stops being a demolition. Below is exactly what goes down, in what order, and what it does once it is dry.
The build-up
Seven layers, about the thickness of two credit cards.
Read it from the bottom up: that is the order it goes down in. The base coats carry a fibre mesh, which is what stops hairline movement in the substrate reaching the surface. The sealer is the part that decides how it behaves with water and cleaning.
Figures marked with a dotted line are still to be confirmed by RBM.
Sealer, second coat
matte, satin or gloss
Sealer, first coat
penetrating
Finish coat, second
~0.5 mm
Finish coat, first
~0.5 mm
Base coat, second
~1 mm
Base coat, first, with fibre mesh
~1 mm
Primer
keyed to the substrate
Your existing floor, wall or worktop
stays where it is
Finishes
Same colour, three different rooms.
The sealer changes how much light the surface gives back. It also changes how much it shows — a matte floor hides more, a gloss floor looks wetter and deeper.
Satin
A soft return of light. Slightly easier to wipe than matte, and the usual choice for bathrooms.
Sheen ~20-35
Gloss
Deepens the colour and reflects the room. Best on walls, vanities and worktops rather than large floors.
Sheen ~60+
Where it works
- Sound, well-bonded tile and stone
- Cement screed and power-floated concrete
- Plaster and plasterboard walls
- Showers, over an intact waterproof membrane
- Underfloor heating, brought up to temperature slowly
- Stairs, worktops and vanities
Where we will say no
We would rather lose the job than lay over something that will fail. On the free visit we look for all of these, and we tell you what we find.
- — Drummy or lifting tiles that cannot be re-fixed
- — Substrates that move: floating timber, thin ply, unsupported boards
- — A shower with no waterproof layer under the existing tile
- — Rising damp, or a floor that has never been allowed to dry out
- — Structural or expansion joints someone wants us to bridge over
- — Uncovered outdoor areas in full UAE sun and standing water
Specification
The numbers.
Anything with a dotted line is a placeholder while RBM confirms the figures for the systems it actually stocks. Ask us for the manufacturer's technical data sheet at the visit — we bring it.
| Total thickness | 2 to 3 mm |
|---|---|
| Added weight | about 4 kg per m2 |
| Coats applied | 7, including primer and two sealer coats |
| Light foot traffic | 24 hours after the final coat |
| Full cure, water contact | 7 days |
| Slip rating | R10 to R11, depending on finish |
| Underfloor heating | suitable, with a slow first heat-up |
| Colours | 12 standard, custom tint on request |
| Warranty | 0 years on the applied system |
Living with it
Looking after a sealed surface.
Day to day
Sweep or vacuum, then a damp mop with a pH-neutral cleaner. That is genuinely all of it. No sealing sprays, no polish, nothing that promises a shine.
What to avoid
Bleach, descalers, acidic bathroom cleaners and steam mops. They attack the sealer rather than the colour, which is why the damage shows up as dull patches.
Over the years
High-traffic floors can be re-sealed rather than re-laid, and a scratch in the sealer can be repaired in place. Ask us when you next see us.
Bring us the floor you already have.
We will tell you whether microcement is right for it, in person and for free.