Micro cement and accent walls in Sarasota

Micro cement, also written microcement, is a thin cement-based coating that Creative Edge Outdoor Living trowels on by hand in several coats over a surface that is already there, then seals. It goes on thin, so it adds almost no depth to a wall, and it has no grout lines. The look is a cloudy, hand-troweled surface, like the pale gray wet room in our photos. It is not poured concrete and it is not paint.

Creative Edge Outdoor Living has put micro cement on shower walls, a built-in tub, a shower bench and its niches, an indoor media wall, an outdoor wall and bench beside a fireplace, and the base and bar of an outdoor kitchen; all of them are in the photos on this page. The material itself goes on walls, floors, showers, tubs and counters, indoors and out, over most solid surfaces once they are prepared. Send a photo of your surface and we will tell you if it is a fit.

Yes. Creative Edge Outdoor Living finished the wet room in our photos in micro cement from floor to ceiling: the shower walls, the bench, the step, the niches and a built-in soaking tub, all in one pale gray. In a wet area the finish is sealed after the last coat, and the sealer is what resists the water, so the sealing matters as much as the coats under it. The brass fixtures went in after the micro cement was done.

It can, with a product and a sealer made for outdoors. Creative Edge Outdoor Living has finished an outdoor kitchen base inside a pool cage and a wall and bench on a covered patio in micro cement; both are in our photos. Makers of the material sell systems "specially designed to be used as outdoor microcement" and say to "Seal the coating of exterior microcement with a good varnish" (Topciment). The sealers we use outdoors are made for salt air. Both of our outdoor jobs sit under a roof or a screen; if you want micro cement in the open, tell us where, and we will say what we recommend.

Often, yes, and Creative Edge Outdoor Living checks the surface first. Micro cement is sold as a way to cover old tile without tearing it out: the joints are filled, a primer bonds the coats to the tile, and the micro cement goes on over it, so "the microcement is applied directly onto the tiles without the need to remove them" (Topciment). Tile that is loose, hollow or cracked has to come off before anything goes over it, and that decides whether your bathroom is a cover job or a tear-out. Send photos of the tile and Jason will tell you which.

It depends on the job. Creative Edge Outdoor Living's jobs run from two days to four weeks or more, and a micro cement job falls inside that range: one accent wall is at the short end, a full wet room with a built-in tub is longer. The coats go on one at a time, each has to dry before the next, and the sealer goes on last, so even a small shower takes more than one day. Your start date is locked in when the deposit is received, and from then on we work on it every day until it is finished.

Creative Edge Outdoor Living prices micro cement by the job, so the cost depends on the area to be covered, what the surface is now, and how many corners and niches there are. A flat accent wall over sound drywall is a smaller job than a shower with a tub, a bench and niches, and tile that has to come out adds to it. Estimates are free. Call 941-879-4777 or send the form with photos of the space and a rough size, and we will give you a number for your job.

Lime plaster is a wall plaster troweled on in coats, lime paint is a thin wash of lime brushed on, and Creative Edge Outdoor Living does both. The National Park Service describes traditional lime plaster as made from "lime, aggregate, fiber, and water", with a thin finish coat that "gave the wall a smooth white surface finish" (Preservation Brief 21). Lime paint, also called limewash, is thinner: the Park Service's own limewash "shall consist of hydrated lime and water" (National Park Service), brushed on for a soft, matte, slightly uneven color. Neither is micro cement; they are softer and lighter finishes for walls. Tell us the look you are after and we will say which one fits your wall.

Insurance: Insured.

We take jobs in Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Anna Maria Island, Parrish and Venice. Tell us where your home is when you call 941-879-4777 or send the form.

Estimates are free.

We warranty our work, and most appliances carry their own warranties.