Not an approved system for showers. Not waterproof.

The product that I purchased is called TruTop from SureCrete. With the appropriate sealing I am being told that it is a waterproof system.

No.

Sealing is required. Pages 3 & 4., but that doesn't necessarily make it waterproof. I'd forget this stuff and install Schluter Kerdi; it's foolproof.

What part of no don’t you understand.

No way. Cement of any kind absorbs moisture.

And it will be a bear to clean. You want the smoothest surface possible--glass smooth--that's why everyone uses tile, polished stone, or acrylic/fiberglass.

Thank you everyone for the feedback. I want to make sure I’m understanding correctly. We’ve applied a membrane that will make the shower surface waterproof (Redgard). The micro topping goes on top of this and then the sealer is applied. I’ve attached a photo of what it will look like with the concrete walls. Micro topping is very popular overseas and now in California but we don’t see too much of it on the east coast. It’s my understanding that concrete showers are much less expensive and much easier to clean and maintain.

It will probably be fine. If it isn't, you haven't lost much.

Have you talked to Redguard about the issues of bonding to it? And whether or not that is an approved cladding material over it?

Yes that was actually the product they recommended I use for the waterproofing membrane. Thank you for your feedback. With all of the comments I still have some considering to do.

Not the microtopping manufacturer. Custom Building Products. The company that makes Redguard. . They provide the warranty for the waterproofing, if it is installed correctly, and they say what you can and cannot use on top of it. The topping people just want to sell you anything whether it is appropriate or not. And it’s not.

dont listen it looks great and your doing it right

"Raymond Foster", sorry, what do you mean?

Hi Tina, I love this look compared to tile. Did you end up using a concrete micro topping in your shower? If so could you share with me what product you used and if you've found it to be waterproof? Thanks!

Hi Tina, thank you so much for sharing! It looks incredible, and exactly like the Pinterest inspo I've been pining over. Redgaurd + surecrete are the products I've seen most commonly recommended when looking into this, so it's really helpful to hear that you've had no issues. Did you then seal it with one of surecrete's waterproofing sealers? And lastly, did you add a color or is this just the base mix? Thanks again!

Yes sealed it with a product recommended by Surecrete. I don’t recall what it was but it’s on their website.

I did add color to it. It comes white and you just mix in powder color to your desired shade.

Thank you!! Very helpful

how many coats did you apply and how long did you wait in between coats?

did you just use a regular pool trowel?

I am looking to do the same thing and get the same look: we ourchased the natuesl white color additive.

Our contractor applied two coats of the surecrete microcement and one coat of the sealer. He waited a few days in between each but I think you can do it sooner as long as the first is completely dry. He used a basic trowel, same as he'd use for a plaster wall. Thanks to Tina for her input. We absolutely love the way it turned out. Our contractor said it was easier and f

aster than tile. We also used the white color additive.

Looks great… did he do yhe tile after the walls

Lauren!!! That looks amazing!!! Awesome job!!!

Lauren - that looks great! I have been following this thread for a few months as I am getting ready to do this exact process in a shower. I'll be using the Surecrete Microtek over cement board waterproofed with Redguard. I will then be sealing with Surecrete XS327 Sealer as recommended by the Surecrete customer support person I spoke with. Customer support confirmed this method is good for showers.

Just about to seal and grout!

Omg I’m so jealous!! Looks amazing!!

This seems to be a bit of a trend as an alternative to tile. I wonder how different these Surecrete products are from traditional lime and veneer plasters. I have veneer plaster on my shower ceiling and bathroom walls outside the shower and it's a great hardwearing surface...far more durable than just painted drywall. I wonder if with the right bonding agent you could just put veneer plaster on a shower wall?

@Tina Werking did you use the Gray TruTop or the White TruTop to get the color gray you posted photos of. Im mid project and just did a test run of our Grey Surecrecte Microtek and it's a very dark gray/green which looks much different than your photos. Thanks in advance!

I used white and purchased their color additive. Since I wasn’t sure their gray product was going to be what I wanted and I figured I’d have more ability to customize the color by mixing it myself.

As far as the veneer goes I’m not familiar with that so I wouldn’t be able to say how it would work. I’m sure someone can/will comment.

Good luck!!

@Tina Werking Thanks for the quick reply! Do you remember which color additive you did for that specific gray? Here is a link to the color packs for ease: http://www.bdcsupply.com/product/1-qt-concrete-color-additive/

I’m almost certain it was Concrete Gray. The only other gray is charcoal and that would have been too dark.

I know I added a little at a time until I got it to the color I wanted.

Hi Tina! Great job. Your pictures are beautiful. I plan on doing something similar. What did you add to the shower niche to get the Microcement to stick?

Micro cements can be applied to both fleece applied membranes as well as liquid applied waterproofing as well as traditional Cement board with a poly or 30# felt type build in wet areas.. Depending on the substrate you want to add full sheet embedded mesh on the first coat. I typically do a 3 coat process and then seal.

Look into Ardex SD-M which can be tinted w colors. Or I-buteon as a system .

Plenty of Misinformation on these forums and this thread! . tread lightly.

Hi everyone! I’m about to embark on this for one of my bathrooms… but one thing i cant seem to find info on is-can you do this to a shower floor too or does it have to be tile?

yes you can. Just not on a prefab foam or similar shower tray. You want a solid concrete pan and curb.

To those who applied microcement to shower walls, can you recommend a cleaning product that wont strip away the sealer? i used surecrete products and hot water and soap worked well for awhile but now some grime is accumulating on the base of the walls and i need something stronger. thanks in advance!

@Tina WerkingThank you for your posts. I spent 4 hours trying to find tile that worked and ugh. This is the way to go. We are now a few months later, are you still happy with everything?

i just used Surecrete “wall spray” (applyed by hand) and then a second coat of Microtek in a bathroom. I was advised that the “wall spray“ has a compound in it to prevent slumping so as a newbie to this finish I thought I’d go with that as a base coat. However, I found that Microtek was far easier to work with so I wish I’d gone with that for the whole project. Coverage was better too. i applied directly over kerdi board per Surecrete’s recommendation. Next I need to sand a little to clean it up then apply the recommended countertop sealer. Good luck to other DIYers taking on this project!

Is everyone doing the whole bathroom or how do you transition from shower to drywall?