Which is better, microcement or tiles?
Neither, everywhere. Choose microcement for a seamless, mineral look that runs across the floor, the walls and the stairs, for a dry room where the old tiles can stay underneath, and for a bathroom where grout lines are the thing you want rid of. Choose tiles where you want to replace a single damaged piece, where a pattern or texture is the look, and on outdoor terraces and pool surrounds in sun and standing water.
In a bathroom or shower the choice changes nothing underneath: both go over SealForce WB20 after its ponding test. The rest of this guide takes the questions one at a time, and the applicator confirms the base on site and the finish on a sample board.
Is microcement waterproof?
No, and neither are tiles. Microcement is a decorative finish; in a bathroom or shower the waterproofing is the membrane underneath. SealForce WB20 goes on in two coats over concrete, render or screed and passes a ponding test 24 hours after the final coat, before any finish goes on.
That is the same whichever finish you choose. In a condo with a neighbour below, the membrane matters more than the finish, and the floor must fall to the drain so water does not stand.
Can microcement go over my old tiles?
In dry rooms, over firmly bonded tiles, usually yes: the applicator taps every tile, takes out hollow ones, fills the grout lines and primes, so there is no hacking, and far less noise and debris. In a bathroom or shower, no: the membrane comes first, and SealForce WB20 does not go on glazed tiles.
In a wet area, then, the old tiles come up or a new screed bonded with SealForce RW1 goes over them, and the applicator says which before it quotes. New tiles go on the same membrane, so in a wet area the choice is between finishes, not between doing and skipping the waterproofing.
Which is easier to keep clean?
Microcement has no grout lines, which is where dirt and mould usually settle in a tiled bathroom. It needs a mild, pH-neutral cleaner and a sealer renewed as the IFS system advises; harsh acids and bleach wear the sealer first. Glazed tiles tolerate most cleaners, but the grout darkens and in time needs cleaning or regrouting.
Either way, a fan or a window matters as much as the finish: mould grows where water stands and air does not move.
Which is less slippery?
It depends on the finish, not the material. A smooth, sealed microcement and a polished tile are both slippery when wet. For shower floors the applicator chooses a microcement finish with more grip on the sample board; with tiles, choose one rated for wet floors.
Either way the floor falls to the drain so water does not stand, and the falls are corrected in the screed before any finish.
What happens if it cracks or gets damaged?
A cracked tile can be replaced on its own, if a matching tile can still be found. Microcement is one continuous surface: it follows what is underneath, so a crack in the screed or a hollow tile below can show through, and a repair is patched and resealed rather than swapped.
That is why the base is checked first: hollow tiles out, cracks and hollow render repaired, and the build-up confirmed on a sample board. Movement joints in the building stay as joints in either finish.
What are the disadvantages of microcement?
Five, and each is managed rather than removed. It follows what is underneath, so a hollow tile or a moving crack can show through. A repair is patched and resealed, not swapped, and the patch can show. Its sealer wears under harsh cleaners and is renewed as IFS advises. It is a skilled, multi-layer finish, so the applicator matters more than with tiles. And it is quoted as a premium finish: more layers and hand work than a tiled floor of the same size.
None of these is a reason to skip it where the seamless look is the point; they are the reasons the base is checked, the build-up is confirmed on a sample board and the finish is left to a Rayson-authorised applicator.
What decides the cost of microcement?
Four things, quoted per square foot after inspection: what is underneath (sound tiles that stay, hollow tiles that come out, or a new screed), how much runs onto walls and stairs against open floor, the waterproofing in a wet area, and the sample board and sealer the IFS system calls for. Rayson publishes no price list.
In a dry room over sound tiles, skipping the hacking and the new screed changes the comparison with new tiles; in a bathroom both finishes carry the same membrane. Send three photos and the area for a first idea; the quotation follows the inspection. The microcement cost guide goes further.
How long does each take, and how much noise in a condo?
Hacking old tiles is the noisy, dusty part of any bathroom job, and it usually takes the first days. Microcement over sound tiles in dry rooms skips it; in a bathroom the old tiles usually come up for the membrane, whichever finish follows.
Microcement then goes on in thin layers that each cure before the next, with the sealer last, over several working days; tiling waits for the adhesive and grout to set. In a strata building, the applicator plans the working hours, the lift and corridor protection and the renovation permit with the management first.
When are tiles the better choice?
Where you want to replace a single damaged piece, where a patterned or textured tile is the look you want, and on outdoor terraces and pool surrounds, where a microcement build-up must first be checked for sun and standing water. Microcement suits rooms where one seamless, mineral surface across floors, walls and stairs is the point.
Commercial kitchens and wet process floors take neither: they take a PU-cement screed such as PurScreed PC70.
