Hire a microcement specialist who applies the finish with their own trained crew, surveys your existing floor before quoting, names the product and layer system in writing, and can show you finished floors in real homes. A general contractor or painter can subcontract it, but floors are where poor preparation shows first, so you want the people holding the trowel to be the ones you are talking to.
Here is how to sort a good fit from a risky one when you are redoing floors in an HDB flat, condo or landed home.
Specialist, ID or main contractor?
There are three common ways homeowners in Singapore end up with microcement floors:
- Directly with a microcement specialist. Usually the simplest if the floor is the main job. You deal with the people doing the work.
- Through your interior designer. Common in a full renovation. Ask your ID which applicator they will use and whether you can see that applicator’s work.
- Through a main contractor. Fine, as long as the floor work is not passed down a chain you cannot see.
Whichever route you take, the questions below still apply to whoever is actually laying the floor.
What floors need that walls do not
Floors take shoes, chairs, spills and sometimes water, so the detail matters more:
- Substrate check. Existing tiles must be firmly bonded and level. Hollow tiles should be fixed before anything goes over them.
- Thickness. Ask for the total build-up. A thin overlay keeps door clearances and thresholds where they are. See how thick a microcement overlay is.
- Top coats. The top coat carries the scratch and stain resistance. Ask how many coats go on and what the finish will be.
- Wet areas. In bathrooms and balconies, ask about an anti-slip additive and what waterproofing sits underneath.
- Protection. Ask how the floor is protected if other trades are still working in the home.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Which microcement product do you use, and where is it made?
- How many layers, is there a primer, and what is the total thickness?
- Will you inspect my floor before quoting? What would make you decline it?
- How long will my floor take, and when can we walk on it and move furniture back?
- What cleaning products should we use, and what should we avoid?
- Can I see real samples and finished floors, not renders?
Signs you have the wrong installer
- They will lay over any floor without looking at it
- They cannot name the product or the layers
- The quote is a single line with no scope
- They say it will never crack or never need care
Our buyer’s guide on how to choose a microcement contractor covers red flags in more depth.
What timing to expect
Timing depends on the area and the system. As a guide from our own work with the Natural Surface M Series, a whole unit usually takes 4 to 6 working days, and a bathroom 3 to 4 working days. Any applicator should confirm timing for your home in the quote, including when furniture can go back.
How Jiu Ding Sheng handles floors
We are a microcement specialist, and our own craftsmen lay every floor by hand. We use the Natural Surface M Series from Australia, which we carry exclusively for Asia, at 1 to 1.5mm in four layers with no primer: base coat, face coat and two top coats. We survey the floor before quoting and only lay over a sound, level, well-bonded surface. That is how existing tiles can stay where they are without hacking. You can see floors and full homes on our Projects page, and compare our two finishes, Raw and Cloudy and Oxidestuc, on the Finishes page.
We work across Singapore, and also with interior designers and contractors on trade projects.
Quick answers
Can a normal painter install microcement flooring?
Microcement is a specialist, hand-trowelled system. Some general trades offer it, but ask who will actually apply it and whether they can show finished floors and name the product they use.
Do I need to hack my existing floor tiles?
Usually not, if the tiles are sound, level and firmly bonded. Loose or hollow tiles need to be fixed first, which is why a site survey matters.
How long before I can use the floor?
It depends on the system and the conditions. Your applicator should tell you when you can walk on it and when furniture can go back, and put it in the quote.
Can I hire a microcement specialist while my ID handles the rest?
Yes. Many homeowners do. Agree the sequence with your ID so the floor goes on after messy work and is protected afterwards.
Next step
Send us your floor plan or the rough area plus a photo of the current floor. WhatsApp +65 8049 1188, or see real samples at our Tampines showroom by appointment via the contact page.
