We fit microcement floors for restaurants, bars and cafés across London, and we hear the same worry from most owners: the floor wears out faster than anything else, and fixing it means closing a room that should be earning. If that sounds familiar, microcement flooring is worth a look.
The problem with most restaurant floors
A busy venue is hard on the floor. Chairs drag across it, staff walk the same paths for hours, and spills hit it every night. Tiles are the usual weak point: every grout line traps grease, then lifts or cracks. Timber swells and vinyl peels at the edges. Sooner or later the whole floor comes up, and that means downtime you can’t afford.
What microcement flooring is
Microcement is a thin coating of cement, resins and pigments, usually 2 to 3mm thick. We trowel it on by hand over your existing tiles, screed or concrete, and it sets into one smooth surface with no joints. Because it goes on top, we rarely rip the old floor out, which saves you time, mess and money.
How it compares to polished concrete
People often ask if it’s the same as polished concrete. It isn’t. Polished concrete is the slab itself, ground down and sealed. Microcement gives the same raw, stone-like look at a few millimetres thick, which makes it a smart polished concrete alternative for upper floors and refits where a full slab isn’t practical.
Why microcement flooring suits busy venues
A hospitality floor has three jobs: take heavy use, wipe clean fast, and look good for guests. Microcement does all three, which is why we install it for commercial and hospitality spaces across Essex and London.
For high-traffic rooms we build it over a reinforced belt brace system, so there’s nothing to chip, lift or work loose. Sealed, it shrugs off wine, oil, coffee and citrus without staining. We recently laid 120 square metres of microcement flooring in one run, plus a diamond-polished finish in Olive Brown for a client who wanted extra shine.
Microcement is tough, not magic: it needs a solid base and a proper multi-layer build, and with the prep right it lasts for years.
Cleaning is where it wins. Seamless commercial flooring has no grout lines for grease and bacteria to sit in, so you mop it like one flat sheet. That helps with hygiene checks as much as looks. We match the grip to each zone, since kitchens need more slip resistance than a dining room, following HSE flooring guidance. Tell us about your venue and we’ll suggest the right seamless commercial flooring build.
The industrial-chic look you’re after
Microcement suits the raw, honest style modern venues want. The matt, concrete-like finish has gentle colour movement that makes brick, brass and warm wood feel planned. You’re not stuck with grey, either: we colour it to your scheme and carry the same durable surface design up walls and across bar fronts, so the space reads as one design.
How much does microcement flooring cost?
As a rough guide, a fitted floor in the UK runs around £100 to £180 per square metre, supplied and laid. The real microcement floor cost depends on the area, the state of the base, the finish and site access, so ask us for a quote and we’ll price your actual space.
Restaurant flooring in London, from our Essex base
We’re based in Saffron Walden, and much of our work runs into London, so we know how city jobs go: tight hours, phased areas, and keeping part of a venue trading while we work on the rest. For restaurant flooring London operators can rely on, see our microcement and belt brace floors in London, or get in touch and we’ll arrange a site visit.