Microcement for Canal Side Apartments in Birmingham

Short answer. Microcement is a thin cement based coating, usually only a few millimetres thick in total, that gives floors, walls and showers one surface with no grout lines. That makes it a practical fit for the converted warehouses and newer apartment blocks along Birmingham's canals, where rooms are compact and floor height matters. Zavoré supplies and installs it from its own Birmingham studio.

For every decorative finish we install in Birmingham, from Venetian plaster to limewash, gilding and murals, see our decorative finishes specialist in Birmingham page.

Zavoré lays this for you too. Our own team provides microcement installation across the UK, including Venetian plastering in Birmingham.

Apartments beside the water

Birmingham sits on a large network of canals that once carried goods to and from its workshops and factories. Around Gas Street Basin and Brindleyplace, old canal side warehouses have been turned into flats, and new apartment blocks have gone up beside them. More homes are appearing near the water in areas such as Digbeth and the edge of the Jewellery Quarter too.

These flats often share a few features. Concrete or timber floors, plasterboard walls, a compact bathroom or two, and one open plan room with the kitchen at one end. Those are exactly the spaces where a joint free surface helps.

Why microcement suits a flat

• One surface throughout. The same finish can run across the bathroom floor, up the shower walls and into the living space, so a small flat feels less broken up.
• Very little build up. Because the layers are so thin, doors rarely need trimming and thresholds rarely need raising.
• No grout lines. There are fewer joints to clean, which helps in a busy kitchen or a shower used every day.
• Over existing tiles. Firmly fixed tiles can often stay in place as the base. Our guide to microcement over tiles explains when they can stay and when they must come off.

You can read more about the material itself on our microcement page.

What to check in an apartment building

Work in a flat comes with a few extra steps that a house does not have.

• The lease. Many leases ask you to get permission from the freeholder or managing agent before changing floors, often because of rules on noise between flats. Ask early.
• Building rules. Most blocks set working hours, lift booking and where materials and tools can be kept. The applicators need to know these before the first day.
• Underfloor heating. If the floor is heated, it is turned down before work starts and brought back up slowly afterwards. Our article on microcement floors covers this.
• Showers. A waterproof layer goes on before the microcement, and the finished surface is sealed. Microcement on its own is not the waterproofing.

How a job runs from our Birmingham studio

Because the studio is in the same city, a canal side flat is a short trip for us. You can visit the showroom by appointment to see microcement and other finishes in person, then order a sample board in your chosen colour to look at in the flat itself.

Once you approve the colour, the material is tinted so every batch matches. On site, the base is cleaned and primed, a mesh is set in where needed, and the microcement goes on in several thin coats, each left to dry before the next. A sealer finishes the job. The surface then needs time to cure before heavy use, and how long depends on the system and the room, so we agree that before work starts.

If you live in a canal side flat in Birmingham, start with a sample board in your colour, or call 07592 929191 or email sales@zavore.co.uk to talk it through. Our Birmingham area page has more on local work.

Questions we get asked

Can microcement go on a shower floor without being slippery?

Shower floors can be given a finish and sealer chosen for grip. Ask us which system suits your shower before you decide on the colour.

Do I need the managing agent's permission?

Often, yes, especially for floors. Check your lease and ask the freeholder or managing agent before you book any work.

Can it go on a kitchen splashback?

Yes. It is sealed so it can be wiped clean, though hot pans and sharp knives should never go straight onto it. Our article on microcement in kitchens has more.