Large textured microcement wall running the full height of a room

Microcement walls · Yorkshire

Microcement Wallsin Leeds, Bradford& Harrogate

Continuous, hand-worked wall finishes for feature walls, fireplaces and media walls, the depth of polished plaster or raw concrete with no joints, no wallpaper seams and one fixed price agreed before we start.

Request a Free Quote 07722 927058

Rated 5.0 on Google · Manufacturer-certified with IDEAL WORK UK · One-year workmanship guarantee

IDEAL WORK UK & OX RESIN certified
Three years specialising in seamless surfaces
£10m public liability cover
Free, fixed-price quotes
Rated 5.0 on Google

The service

What microcement walls are, and where they belong

Microcement on a wall is the same family of cement-based coatings we use on floors, applied by hand in thin layers over a prepared wall surface. Because it is trowelled rather than printed or hung, the finish carries movement and depth that changes with the light through the day, and it runs from corner to corner with no seams, sheets or panel joints anywhere in it.

It is chosen where a wall is meant to do more than hold paint: a fireplace chimney breast, a media wall around a television, the wall behind a freestanding bath, a kitchen splashback and return, a stairwell, a hallway that needs presence, or a reception area, bar front and retail interior on the commercial side. It also works as a wrap, floor, wall and worktop in the same tone, which is where seamless surfaces look most deliberate rather than decorative.

The right moment to specify it is while first-fix is still open. Media walls in particular need cable routes, back boxes, recesses and any fire or television fixings sorted before a seamless finish goes on, because cutting into a continuous surface afterwards means a repair to an area rather than a patch you can hide. Plaster also has to be sound, dry and flat; we tell you at survey stage exactly what the wall needs to be.

This is skilled hand application, not a product you buy. The tone, the direction of the trowel marks, how tight or open the texture reads and the way the finish stops at an edge or an external corner all come from the installer. We only apply systems we are certified in through IDEAL WORK UK, we sample tones in the room before committing, and we say so honestly when a wall is not right for the finish.

What it costs to get wrong

On a wall at eye level, every shortcut is visible

A floor is walked on; a feature wall is looked at, from a sofa, every evening, under lamps that rake across it. That makes wall work less forgiving than floor work. Movement in the plaster behind it, a wall that is not flat, filler shrinking back, or a background that was never properly primed will all read through a thin hand-applied finish as a line, a hollow or a change in tone exactly where the eye lands.

The other common failure is sequencing. If the electrics, brackets, cable routes, recessed lighting or fire aperture are finalised after the finish is on, the wall has to be opened and repaired. Colour-matching a repair into a hand-trowelled surface is possible, but it is never as clean as a wall that was finished once, properly, in the right order, and that repair usually happens with the room already decorated and furnished.

There is a cost to hesitating too, which is subtler: rooms that stay dated and boxy because a fireplace, media wall or stairwell was papered or painted again rather than resolved. A seamless wall changes the way the whole room reads, and it is far cheaper to do while the room is already open than to revisit once new joinery, flooring and decoration are finished around it.

The mistakes we are called in to correct

Leaving cable routes, back boxes, brackets and fire apertures until after the finish is applied, then cutting into a continuous surface.
Assuming a wall is flat. Plaster repairs, levelling and making good are completed by other trades before we start.
Choosing tone from a screen or a sample board in another room, when microcement shifts noticeably under the actual lighting.
Applying a wall finish behind a wood burner or over a heat source without confirming what the wall build-up and clearances need to be first.
Treating a wall finish as waterproofing in a shower. Tanking is completed beforehand by others, and only then is the finish applied and sealed.

Our process

From first visit to a finished wall

Site visit and inspection

We look at the wall, check the plaster for soundness, flatness and moisture, discuss what is being fixed to it and where the finish should start and stop.

Fixed written quote

One price for the whole job in writing, with the system named and any making good other trades need to complete listed. Quotes are free and there is no obligation.

Tone, texture and sheen samples

We sample in the room under its own lighting so the tone and the amount of movement are chosen deliberately. A 45% deposit covers materials and secures your dates.

Protection and hand application

The room is protected, the background primed, and the finish built in thin layers by hand, with the texture worked consistently across the full run of the wall.

Sealing, checks and handover

We seal appropriately for the location, including wet or high-traffic areas, check the finish with you and cover aftercare. Workmanship is guaranteed for one year.

What you get

What a seamless wall gives you that paint and paper cannot

No seams, no joints, no repeats

Nothing to line up and nothing to peel at an edge. The finish runs continuously across the wall and around returns, so the surface reads as one plane.

Depth that changes with the light

Hand-trowelled texture gives a wall genuine movement through the day instead of the flat, printed look of paper or the dead finish of matt paint.

Millimetres, not inches

A thin bonded finish keeps the room's dimensions, so architraves, sockets, skirtings and recesses stay workable rather than being buried behind cladding or panelling.

Wipeable and hard-wearing

Sealed for its location, a microcement wall takes hallway knocks, kitchen splashes and family traffic far better than emulsion, and cleans with a damp cloth.

One tone through the room

Walls can be matched to a microcement floor, worktop or staircase so the whole space is coherent rather than a set of separate finishes butted together.

Certified, insured, guaranteed

IDEAL WORK UK certified application, £10 million public liability cover and a one-year workmanship guarantee, confirmed in writing with your fixed-price quote.

In detail

Backgrounds, locations and finishes in detail

Wall work lives and dies on the background behind it and the order the trades work in. This is what we check, and what we recommend where.

Backgrounds we can work over

The usual background is sound, dry plaster or plasterboard that has been taped, filled and left flat. Cement render, tile backer board and existing sound tiling can also take a finish depending on condition. What matters is that the wall is stable, properly fixed and not moving, since a thin bonded coating follows whatever sits behind it.

Plaster repairs, filling, levelling and making good are carried out by other trades before we arrive, and fresh plaster has to be fully dry. We list what is needed at the survey so it can be programmed, then we prime the background with the manufacturer's system before any finish goes on, priming is not an optional step on a wall, it is what stops suction and adhesion problems later.

Feature walls, fireplaces and media walls

Media walls are the most detail-heavy version of this work. Television positions, cable routes, back boxes, sound bars, floating shelves, recesses and any fire aperture all need to be resolved in first-fix, because the whole point of the finish is that there are no joints to hide a later alteration. Fixings for heavy items go into the structure behind, not into the coating.

Around fireplaces and wood burners, the build-up and clearances have to be right for the appliance before a decorative finish is considered, and that specification comes from the appliance and the installer rather than from us. Where a chimney breast is sound and correctly built out, a seamless finish is one of the calmest ways to turn a boxy breast into a deliberate feature.

Kitchens, bathrooms and wet areas

In kitchens, microcement works well as a splashback and return, or as a wall run that carries the same tone as an island or worktop. Behind a hob it is sealed for heat and cleaning, and we will tell you where a glass or stone splashback is the more sensible answer.

In bathrooms and shower areas, sequence is everything: waterproofing and tanking are not part of our service and are completed beforehand by others, and we then apply and seal the finish over that prepared, watertight build-up. For a full wet room treatment across floor, walls and shower area, see our wet rooms and bathrooms service.

Residential and commercial walls

In homes, wall work usually means one considered surface per room, a chimney breast, a media wall, a stairwell, a bath surround, rather than every wall in the house. Used sparingly against plaster and joinery, it reads as architecture; used everywhere, it reads as a treatment.

In commercial interiors, we finish reception walls, bar and counter fronts, retail display walls and hospitality interiors, where the brief is usually a surface that photographs well, survives public traffic and can be cleaned nightly. Those get a harder sealer and, where possible, programming around trading hours to keep the space earning.

Common questions

Answers before
you commit

Anything not covered here, ask us directly on 07722 927058. Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm.

How much do microcement walls cost?+

We quote a fixed price for the job rather than a day rate or a square-metre figure, because the cost depends on the area, the number of corners and returns, the background condition and access. Quotes are free, and a 45% deposit covers materials and secures your dates once you go ahead.

How long does a feature wall take?+

Wall finishes are built in layers with curing time between coats, so even a single feature wall is a multi-day job rather than an afternoon. We confirm the number of days and the dates in writing with your quote.

Can microcement go straight onto plasterboard or existing tiles?+

Usually yes, provided the background is sound, flat, dry and properly fixed. Plasterboard needs to be taped and filled, fresh plaster needs to be fully dry, and existing tiles need to be well bonded. We check all of this at the survey before quoting.

Can you put it behind a wood burner or on a fireplace?+

We finish chimney breasts and fireplace surrounds regularly, but the wall build-up and the clearances around the appliance have to be right first, and that specification comes from the appliance manufacturer and its installer. Tell us what is going in and we will work to it.

Will it crack?+

The finish follows the wall behind it, so a stable, sound, properly prepared background is what keeps it sound. That is why we inspect plaster before quoting and list any making good that other trades need to complete before we start, rather than applying over a background that is still moving or drying.

Is it waterproof enough for a shower?+

Microcement is a finish, not a waterproofing system. Waterproofing and tanking are completed beforehand by others, and we then apply and seal the finish appropriately for a wet environment over that prepared build-up.

How do I clean a microcement wall?+

A damp cloth and a pH-neutral cleaner. Avoid bleach and abrasive or strongly alkaline products, which attack the sealer. We cover aftercare at handover so the finish keeps the tone it had on day one.

Can you match the wall to my floor or worktop?+

Yes, matching tone across floors, walls, stairs and worktops is one of the main reasons clients choose seamless surfaces. We sample the combination in the room before committing, because the same pigment reads differently on a horizontal and a vertical surface.

Which areas do you cover for wall finishes?+

Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate, York, Ripon, Sheffield, Manchester, Windermere and Kendal, from our base in Menston near Ilkley. Larger projects further afield are welcome, call and ask.

Are you insured, and is the work guaranteed?+

Yes: £10 million public liability cover, manufacturer certification with IDEAL WORK UK for microcement and OX RESIN for resin flooring, and a one-year workmanship guarantee, with the scope confirmed in writing alongside your quote.

Examples of our work

A selection of completed projects

Open-plan kitchen and dining room with a seamless grey microcement floor

Microcement landing floor on a glazed barn conversion walkway

Microcement hallway floor and walls finished as one continuous surface

Puro Metallio fireplace surround finished in decorative liquid metal

Metallic decorative wall finish applied to a bathroom in West Yorkshire

White microcement shower room with a seamless floor and linear drain

See more completed work

Related services

All services

Where we install it

We are based in Menston, near Ilkley, and also install across Sheffield, Ripon, Windermere and Kendal. See all service areas or read more about what we do.

Get a fixed price for your feature or media wall

Send us the room, the wall and what is going on it. We will tell you what the background needs to be, which system suits the space and exactly what the work will cost.