ᐅ Is a Smooth and Uniform Wall Possible with Microcement?

Hello,
I’m not a fan of grout lines in the bathroom and was looking for a solution for seamless walls around the shower and bathtub area.
That’s how I came across microcement (e.g., Beton Ciré). However, I would prefer a smooth wall with a uniform color appearance.
From the images you usually find on the internet through a quick search, the walls almost always have some texture or a rough look.

So my question is: Is it possible to achieve a uniform color and relatively smooth wall with microcement? According to my builder, yes, but you rarely find images showing this. Does the material have a different name in that case?

Best regards

JaiBee07 schrieb:

Is it possible to create a uniformly colored and relatively smooth wall using microcement?

By uniformly colored, do you mean that it looks like it has been painted? That won't work. However, you can achieve a very homogeneous and consistent color. The wall will be smooth anyway—smooth as a baby’s bottom.

Alternatively, you could use oversized tiles. They are available in very large formats.

Both options, however, come with significant additional costs.

Yes, I actually meant a uniformly colored surface, not the "patchy" look you sometimes see with exposed concrete, for example.

I asked about a smooth finish because, as I understand it, it is applied in several layers of filler. In some photos, it looks like you can still see the application marks from the filler, and the wall is not completely smooth.

Overall, the appearance would then be quite similar to a painted wall. Since you denied that, it would be great if you could explain this a bit more.

Best regards

JaiBee07 schrieb:

I asked about smoothness because, as I understand it, the filler is applied in several layers. In some pictures, it looks like you can still see the trowel marks and the wall is not smooth.

It’s true that the trowel marks are visible. However, this is only visually noticeable, not to the touch.

JaiBee07 schrieb:

Overall, the appearance would then be close to that of a painted wall.

Close, yes, but you will always see some variation in the surface, and it won’t look fully painted.

Is there any way to control during the application process whether the finish will be uniform or more varied? Possibly through the application technique, number of layers, drying times, or similar factors?

The effect shown in the lower picture would actually be too much for me.

JaiBee07 schrieb:

Is there any way to control during the process whether the finish will be uniform or more variable?

Of course, which is why I gave my example of what a uniform appearance looks like. It doesn’t get any “better,” at most it becomes more uneven. You will ALWAYS be able to tell that it’s not a paint layer.

JaiBee07 schrieb:

The lower image actually shows more than I would want.

Then your only option is to switch to tiles if that’s too much for you. Unfortunately, you have to accept one downside or the other.