Detailed Application Video for Microcement Wall and Shower System 5 Star Finishes
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- This is an educational video that visually shows with voice overs exactly how to apply Microcement in a shower and surrounding walls. We have tried to not miss any steps and this should be a great learning tool for anyone wanting to use our Microcement on their own projects.
The latest global trend in floor and bathroom design is Microcement, which is thinner than a polished concrete overlay, and significantly lighter than most other options. Microcement appeared and became very popular in France when Dimitri Koubi began applying it in 2008 under the name “Beton Cire”, meaning waxed concrete.
Microcement is laid 2-4 mm thick, is waterproof, impact resistant, and easy to clean. As a continuous coating, there are no joint lines that can harbor debris (dirt, bacteria) like a tile grout line. A non-slip aggregate on the sealer coat may also be applied. This plaster can overlay tiles, so long as they are secured to their substrate. This provides an easy method of changing flooring or a bathroom area without demolition. The overlays are designed to be used on horizontal and vertical areas, both inside and outside, and can adhere to most existing substrates, as well as new wood, cement board, terrazzo, marble, concrete, stone, etc. Strong and versatile, we have used it in on floors, columns, feature walls, bathroom stalls, fireplaces, backsplashes, and other special features in businesses and homes. Using design patterns (tape, custom stencils, etc.) we can create an impressive, durable and unique brand image in a floor or on a feature wall.
Here's a link to our product: shop.5starfini...
Our Microcement Wall and Shower plaster is developed with the latest in polymer admixture technologies all blended with high quality white cement, marble flour and graded silicas. This line of plaster comes in a white basecoat and a fine and x-fine topcoat grade that are useful in creating polished or medium texture finishes. These also come in a light gray meant to mimic the natural look of light concrete, and a white base that can be colored with our powder tints.
This line of plaster is more easy to work with and is applied more like our venetian plasters and does not have a liquid or more fluid consistency. In order to achieve this the plaster psi strength is decreased and should not be used on floors or countertops etc. Our Microcement wall can be used on interior walls and exterior walls and especially shower stalls or ceilings where a more workable plaster is required. Microcement should be applied in a minimum of 3 coats over our interior or exterior supplied quartz stone primer, ardex p82, or epoxy primers for exteriors etc. This product is strong, highly modified, and comes in a dry bag mix that does not require any additives other than water. Do not use on horizontal surfaces, only for vertical areas.
Recommended for areas that are stable, sound and not flexible with moving joints.
Recommended for commercial and residential shower walls, ceilings, fireplaces, backsplashes etc. This product replaces the need for tiles.
We look forward to answering any questions you may have on our microcement, Venetian Plaster, intonachino and Conrete-look products. We are a Vancouver, BC, Canada-based shop and started out doing Venetian finishes, then evolved to design and manufacture our own line of products so we could achieve the looks we wanted. Check out our line of products at www.5starfinis... (USA) or shop.5starfini... - call anytime as we love answering questions for customers! #microcement #venetianplaster #diy #interiordesign #intonachino #concreteshowers
Finally I was looking for a tutorial like this for such a long time! Thanks so much this is amazing stuff!
Hi Maxim. Thank you so much for your kind comments and I am happy that this may help you in the future. I to spent many years trying to find knowledge and it's hard to find and most videos and guides don't actually tell you how to do things.
We will be making more content with all our products soon.
@@5starfinishesltd693thank you so much. Please 🙏
Really great video dude, about to my own bathroom. Complete newbie, but confident once I have gained enough know how. Thank you for the vid.
You can do it!
Woohoo glad to see this video! I bought your microcement earlier this year to do a shower floor and sink. Only finished the shower part so far but I love it. Looking forward to more videos.
I'm finally up to the sealing stage for my bathroom. Looks amazing but has definitely taken me more than the 30hrs it did for you two. I love the imperfections.
Which brand of microcement did you use ? thank you
any videos showing how you did the shower pan ?
The Microcement spa video which is our latest one doesn’t snow the shower pan install with speed slope mortar but it does show the shower pan and us waterproofing it etc and how the drain is built into the mortar bed. If you look up mortar bed installations they will show the technique for a handmade shower pan. Another super simple way is to install tile first and then Microcement over them. Please ensure to use tiles that are not mosaic if using kerdi base as the flex will crack the Microcement. A last tip is to use Ardex feather edge over the speedslope prior to the micro and I would dilute our quartz primer by 100% for two layers prior to the feather edge. The feather edge can be primed with quartz primer diluted 50 % and then full strength prior to install of the Ardex 8 9.
More videos will be coming we have been too busy to edit but have many videos of footage ready.
Very helpful video, but do you have one on how you applied the sealer? That is the step I am struggling with and it's very difficult to find information on this.
Yes the Microcement synergy video on our channel I feel shows every detail very well and is extremely long to ensure all the details are not lost
Nice! I’m looking to do my bathroom vanity countertop but can’t find microcement anywhere. I’m in Az.
Yep! Thdre is one place in AZ 😅 found that has been here for 30 years but they do not deal with any water areas..... i have go pay to ship in products which doubles ur costs.
USA is slower then rest of world on this. PIA! Unless u want to become a distributor for companies and pay for their training... I spent months of research on this! Annoying
Some great tips thanks! When I asked Ardex if their 8+9 product was compatible with microcement they said "no" (not surprising in many ways) but you seem comfortable using these two products together? I have heard people using Mapei with their primer instead of this Ardex product. Cheers!
Hi There. Did you speak with the Canadian rep here? I cannot remember her name at the moment. The past rep for many years has moved on and the system was designed through him and she may not be familiar with what we do particularly. Also if it’s in the USA again they may not be familiar. Many components of systems are tested and implemented when as stand alone components they may not be recommended together or even used the way we use them. This is a common occurrence and most companies are unaware of other uses for sealers, waterproofing agents, additives etc etc.
I can say I’ve tested the mapei single component and would not recommend it for use under micro and especially for crack suppression and all the other ways we use Ardex 8 9. The only time Ardex 8 9 isn’t recommend is under thick self leveling due to undue stress as it dries and has a risk of delaminating. Microcement’s layers are thin and do not run the same risk. Many people recommend Kerdi membrane and it also delaminates and may have the highest risk of all. It’s hard to know sometimes but this has been used and tested for years as a waterproofing.
Side note: Always use our leplex primer under Ardex 8 9 as it does not adhere great to raw surfaces especially if they have proset 60 or fast set. That’s the only issue I’ve ever seen with the product.
I also have no affiliation whatsoever with Ardex or their waterproofing and receive no money to promote them.
@@5starfinishesltd693 Wow, this is insanely valuable, thank you! I spoke with the american technical side so that would explain that. I trust your tried and tested process works. I actually live in Portugal where they sell Ardex 8+9, in many other countries it is simply unavailable. I would never use Kerdi and will now avoid Mapei too. I’ll be installing cement boards (for strength), compatible primer/bonding agent, Ardex 8+9 and then microcement. I want peace of mind when taking a shower! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us. Have a great day :) Subscribed!
Thank you for the video! Question for you if you don't mind - if you were doing this process and the floor was going to be tiled, would you complete this first and then tile the floors? Or would it be better to tile the floors and use a profile edge or something to land the microcement on? Thank you!
I'm now seeing this floor was tiled! Going to rewatch a zoom in and see what I can see :)
Hi there. Thank you for your thoughtful question. In all circumstances I am always an advocate for installing all stone, tile, benches, niches and counters etc so that the Microcement can cap down and over all these areas. This creates a seal without silicone that can last a lot longer than doing it the other way and relying on only silicone to prevent leakage and risking water drawing up the raw micro behind the sealer etc. We silicone these areas as well but that’s more for aesthetic and an added layer of protection.
It’s best to always have the waterproofing down under all tile areas etc and wrapped up or over to your micro portions and then tie into them with Ardex 8 9 as we recommend.
Hello! This video is awesome! We are planning to microcement the shower and wanting to install a hinging glass door at the end but since the shower entry is small it would need to screw into the micro cement at one side. Would this mean cracking? Is there anything we could do otherwise?
Many Microcement showers we have done have had the small hinges installed after and we have never seen an issue. The product should have mesh installed near those areas in the base coat and as long as there is proper backing and they pre drill the Microcement prior to installing there shouldn’t be an issue. If the wall itself is not reinforced properly and bends then certainly issues can arise but we have not seen any so far.
What microcement products and waterproofing did u use?
I’m sorry I missed this comment before. We used Ardex 8 9 for the waterproofing and then used our Microcement wall and shower system sold at shop.5starfinishes.ca. We manufacture our own plasters and systems.
After applying the sealer XS-327 as a prime coat and it dried in 12 hours, I noticed the concrete change color. The concrete was darker in some areas while normal in the other, creating a patchy look. Any suggestions on how to fix this so it's not blotchy?
Hi there, the sealer says its minimally color enhancing which means it can certainly change the color and if it absorbs more in areas than others it will create blotches etc. The only way to make it more even is potentially flooding it again with more product to try and obtain a more even color enhancement although not likely to help. I would check with them and see if this sealer is compatible with colorants and tint it slightly to help create a more even look.
Hi. Nice work!
How many man hours did the project above take?
Hi Keith probably around 30 hrs for two people
Do you have a product list for this project or a place where someone could buy these products.
Hi Daniel
Shop.5starfinishes.ca and if you send the total sq ft inside and outside the shower as well as floor etc broken up with images I can prepare a draft order detailing all the products in Shopify for you. We also do Color matches and have waterproofing and tools that you will require. We ship to Canada and USA currently.
So you don’t mask the inside corners and instead do all the walls at once? Is this unique to microcement?
I don’t think it’s unique to Microcement. If I were doing any of our finishes I would complete all the walls at the same time. Usually whatever plaster you are finishing on one wall will harden enough after burnishing and smoothing etc that the inside corner is firm and you can continue on to the next wall without damage.
Can this microcement be dyed using concrete dye?
Can this be applied over foam waterproof backer board shower walls?
In some circumstances it is fine especially for smaller walls that flex less etc. Foam is not good for curbs, seats or floors and we still recommend using the Ardex system if possible over the foam instead of the Kerdi band. You can see why at the start of our synergy micro video. If care is taken and is a diy you can have more luck with Kerdi but the Ardex is a better system for Microcement.
Great work 👏. No sending required for this product?
Hi Roman. I honestly have never understood why people sand not only does it require expensive equipment it also takes time and leads to dust that isn't easily removed and can act as a bond breaker. If you have a good product and apply each coat nicely there is absolutely no reason to sand.
I usually see installers leave massive ridges and then sand them back. Easier to just apply with a skilled hand and not sand.
The sanding is not necessary, but it can give a different look more popular in Europe. Sanding combined with high end micro cements gives a more mottled/aged look with more variations in the coloring. The burnishing while wet followed by sanding while no more than 60-70% dry cause alignment in mineral particles to create a look that makes the walls look 100s of years old. If you have to squint to see the mottling it’s not it. A mix that doesn’t have the right combination of mineral powders and binders won’t do it. It’s also very labor intensive, so of you like the plain surface look, definitely don’t bother with the extra steps!
What is the ratio of water to the power that we buy from the website?
All the info is provided in the application guide for download on the shop under Microcement wall and shower and also under the Microcement floor. They each have their own mixing ratios although the floor product in particular has exact ratios to follow in the guide. The wall product I usually just mix by eye to an easy applying consistency. The second basecoat is always mixed little more wet and the synergy is applied by roller in a paint consistency. The Synergy is quite variable for water ratios and just needs to be paintable. It will thicken more and more as it rests and can be remixed without adding water afterwards to maintain the same color.
Where can I purchase this product. We are located in Mississippi in USA
Hi Kimberly sorry for the late reply. You can purchase the system at shop.5starfinishes.ca. You can also email info@5starfinishes.ca for more info or help with your order
Where can I buy the micro cement?
you can purchase at shop.5starfinishes.ca or email info@5starfinishes.ca for more info or help with your order