Coating application
Microbond® coating can be used both indoors and outdoors. It is a modern alternative to, for example, floor tiles, wall tiles or other easily washable and stress-exposed surfaces. It is a versatile material applied in a 2-3 mm layer. The coating's colour and texture may vary and depend on your pigment choice and the subsequent application procedure. It is possible to achieve almost completely smooth surfaces up to a significantly structured surface. Combining these two properties (colour and texture) creates the desired style and is suitable for specific purposes and spaces. You can achieve warm tones with delicate surface nuances and cold shades, such as shades of grey, as an imitation of raw concrete and its forms. The surfaces overlayed by the Microbond coating are suitable for rustically tuned spaces and projects conceived in a modern or minimal spirit. In short, there are no limits to imagination, and the Microbond coating can have many faces. Everything depends only on your design or the design of the project manager of your choice.
Important information before the start of the application
Before applying the Microbond coating, it is important to remember the following:
Providing enough material for the application
Before each application, it is essential to stock up on enough material for a given area. There is nothing worse than not having enough product for the whole job.
It's challenging to connect two different applications seamlessly, so if you run into a product shortage, a good chance is that you will have to reapply the coating to the entire surface. Therefore, a lack of product may ultimately result in higher application costs.
Ensuring quality tools for the application
It is advisable to obtain a broad set of suitable tools before application, such as trowels of various sizes, shapes, and hardness. A softer trowel is ideal for initial layoff and a harder one for subsequent smoothing of the overlay. If you are working in hard-to-reach places, it is good to use the same tool both for preparing and smoothing.
Preparation of the support
Probably the essential factor of a successful application is the excellent preparation of the surface. The surface should be flat, smooth, homogenous, and uniform in texture, material and absorbency. It is important to note that the base layer is part of the decorative application. Its quality fundamentally affects the entire result. Quite often, we are faced with the fact that although the customer claims that the support is perfectly prepared, in our assessment, we find that it would be more appropriate to prepare the substrate better. Therefore, if the substrate is not well prepared, we prefer to re-apply the base coat to the entire surface to meet our requirements. The base support coat should be laid down in one continuous layer without any signs of connection, from the same mixture and after drying, sanded and primed.
Apply on a test area
If you are working with a microcement overlay for the first time, we recommend first trying out the material and the entire application system on a sample area. During this application, you will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the material and find out how and with what consistency the coating will be best applied. We offer to send a sample of products for the test application on approx. 1m2.
If you are interested in a sample, please contact us at: [email protected]
Basic principles of coating application
When applying coatings, it is important to bear in mind the following basic principles. Here we will list them individually:
- application into a moistened support and to a uniform support;
- seamless application in a continuous area without joints;
- uniform application over the whole area;
- avoiding additional repairs in the defective coating;
- ensuring stable conditions for drying in terms of temperature and air flow;
Recommended trowels for the application of the Microbond coating
You can apply the Microbond overlay with different tools. Each tool (trowel) is suitable for a different type of processing. In this chapter, we will discuss each trowel so that you know which to choose for a given type of application.
Classic Stainless Steel Square Trowel
A relatively widespread type of trowel. Its primary use is to overlay a staircase due to its rectangular corners. Theoretically, it allows for a good drawing up of the Microbond coating; however, a perfectly levelled surface is required when applying the layer with this trowel.
Ecobeton trowel
The Ecobeton trowel is a professional trowel of the highest quality suitable for application using the smoothing technique or where a tighter structure is preferred. The rounded corners ensure smooth spreading without trowel lines. Ideal for both initial spreading and surface finishing.
Pool trowel
The Marshalltown's Pool Trowels come in a range of choices to give you the best option to create smooth, flat microcement surfaces. Tey are suitable for the application of decorative cement overlays Ercole and Microbond. Available in different sizes. Medium hardness allows for tightening of the coating and is optimal for initial spreading. The trowel is suitable for surface finishing.
Parfait Liss
This trowel from a French manufacturer is very often used by applicators of microcement coatings. The advantage of this trowel lies mainly in its soft edge, which allows for the spreading of the coating into a thin continuous area. The rounded and raised ends ensure that the trowel does not leave lines. Another area where you will use this trowel is on smooth surfaces, where thanks to the almost zero angle during spreading, it is possible to apply a continuous layer without any problems. It is also used for basic spreading of the white coating.
Preparation and mixing of the coating
Preparation of the mixture is essential for the entire application of the microcement coating.
Microbond is a product supplied in a dry powdery state. It is ready to use after mixing with water. You can mix Microbond to obtain various consistencies.
You can use from 5 to 7 litres of water per 25 kg bucket. It is, therefore, possible to obtain either a dense mix or one with a very fluid consistency. The ideal mixing ratio is between 6-6.5 litres per bucket. So per kilogram of product, it is approximately 250 ml per 1 kilogram of powder.
If we were to specify the ideal consistency more precisely, the perfect workability should be a paste-like or creamy consistency. Said in layman's terms, comparable to hot pudding or honey.
The pot life of the mixed product is about 60 minutes. However, it also depends on more aspects such as the temperature and initial consistency of the material, air humidity, etc. We suggest using up the mixed material within 30 minutes of mixing.
Mixing is to be carried out with an electric mixer at approx. 600 rpm. You can mix a small amount of product with an ACU drill with a mixing whisk or even manually.
In the following chapters, we will present the basic techniques for processing the Microbond overlay. However, this is not a list of all possible methods; it is only an overview of the most commonly used forms of applying decorative coatings. You can combine techniques and individual steps with each other.
Technique No. 1 - Basic technique, the so-called simple lay down
Microcement coating is applied in two layers in white or grey without additional re-painting.
This overlay application is the most common. Microbond is produced in two colour variants: Microbond white, versatile and neutral for many surfaces, and Microbond grey, which resembles raw concrete. To obtain nuances, it is good to sand the second layer. This procedure makes the coating more dynamic and gives a more natural feeling. Finally, we will install the selected (matte or glossy) sealer.
Technique No. 2 - Combination of two tones
You can use this technique to achieve a realistic, natural concrete-like appearance. The idea is to dry mix Microbond White and Microbond Grey to achieve a grey colour of the desired shade.
Mix the two products to obtain two different shades, for example, one dark grey and the other lighter, then lay down the overlay and embed one mixture with the other. You thus achieve a very cloudy cement-like feeling. By combining two distinctly different shades of grey, you will get a more pronounced effect. While using two similar shades, you achieve only light natural nuances so that the floor does not appear monotonous.
Technique No. 3 - Smooth finish
In recent years, the imitation of raw concrete is still a desirable decoration. Today, we will describe the smoothing technique, which is one of the recommended methods for concrete reproductions.
Imitation of raw concrete using the smoothing technique is especially suitable for application on walls. The application is also possible on floors, but it will largely depend on the specific requirement of the job. In applying to the floor, the procedure is similar - after the coating has dried up, the smoothing process begins. If the trowel damages the coating (tear-off), you can fix the surface by smoothing.
Procedure for application of the smooth finish
- Lay down the first layer of the Microbond coating – we want to lay down this layer as flat as possible. The first layer does not need to be smoothed; however, you can test your smoothing technique already on this layer. For the application of the first layer, it is better to use a fluid viscosity of the coating.
- Lay down the second layer of Microbond – for the application of this layer, it is advisable to use a grey Microbond coating with a "creamy" consistency. Again, it is desirable to spread the overlay as flat as possible.
- Drying – let the coating dry for approx. 30 minutes.
- Smoothing – after drying (the coating should be damp but already firm to the touch), moisten the layer again and smooth it with a Ecobeton trowel. The coating will start to release a white cement slurry during smoothing, creating subtle nuances on the surface. By exerting more pressure on the trowel, you may obtain darker, smoothed areas on the surface.
- Sanding – although smoothing can replace sanding to a certain extent, we recommend sanding the surface slightly – this topic is discussed in more detail in the chapter Sanding of the coating
- Impregnation – complete the application by impregnation, where you can select the sealer according to the destination of use of the surface.
You can find the instructional video here:
tutorial on smooth finish (czech)
Technique No. 4 - Structured texture
A structured texture is such a surface that is not homogeneously smooth over the entire area but contains various surface changes in the form of grooves, cavities, rough spots, etc.
Microbond's structured texture decorations have a plethora of forms. Their design is determined by the applicator's imagination, creativity, and technique. Decors with distinctive textures are generally suitable for smaller areas where a more pronounced effect is needed and where there is no requirement for 100% easy washability. Convenient places for the application of structured textures can be, for example, decorative walls, fireplaces, furniture, etc.
Structured texture application procedure
Techniques for achieving this decorative effect vary, and their use has almost no limits.
In general, you can obtain structured decorations during the laydown of Microbond.
With the help of a stainless-steel trowel or other suitable tools, you can impress, stamp, and scratch the layer thank to the thixotropic property of Microbond. You can play with density; a lower water ratio usually comes in handy and holds the shape better. After creating the required textures, you can let the coating dry slightly and then smooth out, or let the coating fully cure and then sandpaper it to the required "smoothness". As with other decorations, it is advisable to first try out the technique on a smaller area and create a sample.
Technique No. 5 – Coloured coating
Another technique used for applying coatings is based on the method of pigmentation. If we need to create a different colour surface, we can add the pigment directly to the water used for the mixture of Microbond. This technique is suitable for creating a colour uniform surface.
You can colour Microbond microcement obtaining more than 300 shades. However, as it is a natural material that contains fine mineral particles, the colour of the overlay will always have an earthy hue.
From the colour chart, you can choose the shade that will be the closest to your ideas. We recommend that you take the colour sampler into account for reference only! We recommend testing the desired shade directly in a sample area and preferably near the project's location (the resulting look is significantly influenced by light conditions and exposure to the surface of the application).
The colour map in electronic form can be found here: Microbond Gallery Colours
How to use a colour map?
The colour map contains about 300 colour shades, and each has its unique code. To obtain the recipe of a given shade, it is necessary to use the web application available at https://www.ecobeton.com/colors, which will show you the exact recipe after entering the shade number and quantity of the coating.
Our tip – pigmented mixed water:
When you plan to use the same shade in large areas or across multiple smaller rooms, you can prepare all the water forecast for the job and add the pigment to it.
You will then use this pigmented water to mix and lay down the coating. This trick will allow you to obtain the exact shade across different batches, even the next day. Remember to mix or shake the mixture before each use of the pigmented mixing water, as the pigments tend to settle rapidly at the bottom. It is good to mix enough pigmented mixed water to have enough left for any corrections or repairs.
When using pigmented mixing water, it is recommended to create a sample to verify whether the shade meets your requirements. If you find that the desired shade is unsatisfactory, you can further fine-tune this water with pigments.
Technique No. 6 - Shades by sanding
During the microcement application, you can use your creativity to draw the surface with the trowel while laying down the product. After curing, you can sand the surface to create nuances and different tones. You will obtain a smooth texture and an attractive decor that reflects light unevenly, creating movement.
Technique No. 7 - Colour stain
This technique allows you to achieve a broad set of final effects and fine-tune your job. It's easy to do and depends only on your taste and skills to obtain an excellent aesthetic result.
The application consists of using Microbond white or grey and then colouring after curing.
You can apply the diluted dye to a mature coating using brushes, sponges, rollers, airbrushes and other tools. Using multiple tones lets you achieve a stunning result. First, we recommend that you test this technique on a smaller surface (e.g. a wooden board) and then apply it directly to the whole area. You can also invite a designer to this stage of dyeing, who, based on consultation with you, will design or provide you with different variants of the targeted look and then create it for you if you do not want to take over this task yourself. After drying, the final treatment with a sealer takes place, which preserves the pigment in the coating.
Colour stain refers to the colour fine-tuning of the decor, where the intention is to highlight the texture of the coating. With careful application, the colour stained surface provides a very natural feel. It does not serve for a significant change of colour of the overlay.
Method of colour stain application
Lay down Microbond and let it cure. Sandpaper the surface. Prepare the coloured liquid, which consists of water and sealer in a ratio of 1:1 and dye in a selected amount and shade.
Carefully apply the colour stain mixture with a sponge or a cloth, and then wipe it with a microfiber cloth. During the application, the colour stain will impregnate the surface, let a deeper colour effect in coarser and low spot areas and a less pronounced effect in smooth zones.
Suppose we accidentally apply more pigment than we want. In that case, it is advisable to have a sprayer with water with which we can moisten the zone as soon as possible and wipe the colour stain mixture away from the surface before drying.
It is good to gradually apply the colour stain and always let the surface dry before further staining. After we are satisfied with the result, we should let the surface dry and apply additional layers of sealer.
Colour stain of areas with pronounced texture by means of a sealer
The technique is worth mentioning, which again includes laying down the base Microbond overlay in white or grey. After sanding the second layer, the laydown marks and structural unevenness are emphasized. You highlight them by applying a diluted Cerbero Base sealer (1:1 with water) and adding pigment in a darker tone than the base coating. On smooth and elevated surfaces, the sealer film will remain thinner and lighter, and the thicker and darker layer will flow into porous surfaces and depressions. Together, this creates a relatively natural and dynamic appearance of the coating.
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