MICROCEMENT USA

Topcret USA / Microcement in New York

Microcement in New York.

Seamless microcement walls, floors and stairs installed across New York — from pre-war co-ops and Brooklyn brownstones to Westchester, Long Island and the Hamptons. Topcret USA is Official U.S. Distributor of Topcret, with over twenty years specializing in microcement.

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What you are actually comparing

Not every quote called microcement is the same product.

If you have collected quotes in New York, you have probably seen a spread of nearly two to one. That gap is not negotiation room. It is a different product, installed a different way.

A large share of what is sold as microcement here is a thin decorative coating: two or three passes, a general-purpose sealer, and a crew that was finishing drywall the week before. It photographs well on handover day. What it does over the following two years — at the thresholds, along the hallway, where afternoon light tracks across the floor — is a different conversation, and in an occupied apartment there is no quiet way to redo it.

The Topcret systems are installed in roughly seven to nine hand-troweled layers over a primer selected for that specific substrate, then sealed with a protective coat specified for the exposure that surface will actually face. Different material, different number of days on site, different result.

We are not the lowest bid and we do not compete for it. If price is the deciding factor, the honest answer is that someone will beat us, and we would rather say so now than after a walkthrough.

Buildings & conditions

Specified for New York buildings.

New York is less about weather than about buildings — and the two together create conditions most installers underestimate.

Pre-war apartments have uneven slabs and layers of previous finishes. New high-rises have movement and deflection that a rigid surface has to accommodate. Terraces face freeze-thaw cycles that will find any weakness in a sealer. Interior heating strips humidity out of the air in winter, then summer brings it back.

Each of these changes the specification: the primer, the number of layers, the reinforcement mesh where movement is expected, and the protective sealer selected for the exposure that surface will actually face. Substrate preparation is where a New York project is won or lost, long before the first finish coat.

New York considerations

What New York projects require.

Microcement is installed in thin layers — roughly 1/8 inch total — over an existing, properly prepared substrate. In New York, that thinness is often the reason the project is possible at all.

Co-op & condo boardsMost buildings require board approval and defined work hours. Because nothing is demolished, the scope presented to a board is far simpler than a conventional renovation. We plan the schedule around building rules rather than assuming access.
Working in an occupied homeNo demolition means no dumpsters, no tile removal and no weeks of noise. Work is phased so rooms come back into use in sequence and the apartment stays livable throughout.
Building logisticsService elevator windows, protected access routes, common-area protection and coordination with the super and building management are planned before the crew arrives, not improvised on day one.
Weight and buildupAt roughly 1/8 inch, microcement adds minimal load and almost no floor height, which matters where door clearances and thresholds are fixed and cannot be raised.
Pre-war floorsUneven or previously patched slabs are leveled first. Microcement follows the geometry underneath it — it does not hide it.
Terraces & setbacksExterior terraces face freeze-thaw and standing water. Drainage must work and waterproofing membranes are mandatory before any microcement goes down.

Applications

Where the finish gives the most.

Microcement is marketed as a floor product. Our own experience points elsewhere: in a New York apartment, the walls usually change the space more than the floor does.

Interior walls & ceilingsFull-height walls, feature walls and ceilings over drywall, cement board or existing plaster. No floor height lost, no demolition, and a hand-troweled depth that paint cannot reach. The finish we recommend first.
Floors over existing tileContinuous floors across entries, hallways and open living areas, installed straight over sound bonded tile, terrazzo or concrete. No grout lines, no transition strips between rooms.
Stairs & landingsTreads, risers and landings finished continuously with the floor they meet — a natural fit in brownstones and duplex apartments, provided the structure underneath is rigid.
Bathrooms & showersSeamless wet areas with no grout to clean or discolor, which makes a compact New York bathroom read considerably larger. Waterproofing membranes are mandatory beneath the system.
KitchensFloors, backsplashes and cabinetry faces in one continuous finish. Countertops are installed as part of a larger interior scope rather than as a standalone job.
Terraces & roof decksExterior floors specified for freeze-thaw, UV and thermal movement, over functional drainage and approved waterproofing.

Where we work

Across New York.

Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, plus Westchester County, Nassau and Suffolk, Long Island's North Shore including Sands Point, and the Hamptons.

We work directly with private owners, interior designers, architects and general contractors — mostly on renovations of existing apartments and homes rather than new construction, and on restaurants, hotels, retail and office interiors where the surface is part of the design.

Scope & cost

The projects we are the right fit for.

New York projects are scoped before they are priced, and deliberately kept few. That is what allows each one to be specified properly rather than quoted from a photograph.

The work that suits us is a full floor plate, a complete set of interior walls, a staircase finished with the floor it meets, or several of those combined across an apartment or a house. Owners planning a whole-home or whole-floor interior renovation are who we do our best work for. A single small isolated surface is usually better served by a local trade, and we will say so rather than quote something we are not the right fit for.

There is no honest price per square foot before we understand what is underneath. What moves it:

Substrate condition. The largest variable and, in New York, the least predictable — pre-war slabs, old patch repairs, uneven planes and layers of adhesive all add preparation before a single layer goes down.

Layout, not just area. One open 2,000 sq ft floor costs less per foot than five small rooms totaling the same area. Edges, corners and transitions are where the labor goes.

System and finish. Baxab®Eco for heavy traffic, EcoCemento® for a more textured look, Real Metals® or Clay® for specific effects — each with a different material and labor profile.

Building access and schedule. Service elevator windows, restricted work hours, occupied apartments and phased handover affect a New York project more than almost any other market.

Recent work

New York projects.

Seamless microcement floor in a waterfront kitchen and dining area in Sands Point, Long Island, New York
Sands Point · Waterfront kitchen & dining
Microcement bathroom with seamless walls and floor in a Manhattan apartment, New York
Manhattan · Microcement bathroom
Continuous microcement floor in a gallery corridor in Sands Point, Long Island
Sands Point · Gallery corridor
Microcement walk-in shower with seamless walls, niches and shower tray in a Manhattan apartment
Manhattan · Walk-in shower

Specification & installation

Specified before it is priced.

Microcement is only as good as the system behind it, the substrate underneath it and the hands that install it. Get any one of those wrong and the finish fails — usually months later, and usually in an occupied apartment.

That is why no New York project is quoted from a photograph. Substrate, moisture, exposure, traffic and finish are established first, and the system and sealer are specified for the conditions that surface will actually face. See our Substrate Preparation Guide and Technical Resources.

Installations are carried out by qualified professionals with technical support from Topcret USA. Substrate evaluation and preparation and the execution of the work are the responsibility of the installing professional.

You speak directly with our specialists about the specification — not a sales rep.

FAQ

Common questions.

Why is your quote higher?Because the products being compared are rarely the same. Much of what is sold as microcement is a thin coating in two or three passes with a general-purpose sealer. The Topcret systems go on in roughly 7 to 9 hand-troweled layers over a specified primer, with a sealer chosen for the actual exposure.
Do I need board approval?Most New York buildings require it, along with agreed work hours. Because nothing is demolished, the scope presented to a board is far simpler than a conventional renovation — no tile removal, no dumpsters, no structural work.
Can it go over existing tile?Yes, in most cases, and it is often why the project is viable at all. Tiles must be clean, degreased and fully bonded; hollow tiles are removed and voids filled. Deep grout joints are leveled first so they don't telegraph through.
Does it add height or weight?No. Roughly 1/8 inch in total, so minimal load and almost no floor height — which matters where door clearances and thresholds are fixed.
Will it crack?Microcement follows the substrate underneath it. Cracks come from substrate movement or poor preparation, not from the finish. Existing cracks are treated at the preparation stage and mesh is specified where movement is expected.
Can it be used on a terrace?Yes, with the correct specification. Freeze-thaw and standing water mean drainage slopes must be functional and waterproofing membranes are mandatory beneath the system.

Start your New York project.

Tell us the rooms involved, roughly how many square feet, and what is on the floor or walls today — we'll reply with clear next steps, usually within one business day. Topcret USA — Official U.S. Distributor of Topcret.

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Residential projects are contracted under a separate written agreement, provided and signed before any work begins. Submitting this form is a request for information and does not create a contract.