A micro-topping turns a tired, scratched, patched or otherwise unsightly concrete slab into a smooth, finished surface, all in a thin overlay measured in millimetres. Boston Concrete preps the substrate, primes it, and trowels the polymer-modified topping in lifts to create a seamless new surface ready for polish, stain, sealer or any finish above. Every project starts with a free written estimate.
Some concrete slabs cannot be polished. The surface is too damaged, patched in the wrong places, or simply too inconsistent to take a finish that depends on the slab itself. A micro-topping solves that without tearing out the slab.
It is a polymer-modified, ultra-thin overlay (a few millimetres at most) trowelled onto a prepared substrate. The new surface is smooth, sound and seamless. From there, anything the slab below could not take, polishing, staining, or a sealed finish, can go on top.
Where a micro-topping is not the answer is when the slab itself has structural problems, heaving, deep cracks that move, base failure. That is tear-out territory. The micro-topping fixes a cosmetic-grade problem, not a structural one.
Recent work
How it works
How We Micro-Top a Concrete Floor in Boston
Walk and assess existing surface
We confirm the slab is structurally sound but cosmetically unfit, identify what the substrate needs (crack repair, profile prep, moisture testing) and confirm the finish that will go on top.
Profile and prime substrate
The slab is mechanically profiled to give the micro-topping something to bond to, repaired where needed, and primed with the manufacturer-specified primer for the topping system.
Apply micro-topping in lifts
The polymer-modified topping is trowelled on in thin lifts, building to the finished thickness with each pass tight to the substrate, leaving a smooth, sound new surface.
Burnish, seal and cure
The surface is burnished to the right finish, ready to take a polish, stain or sealed top, then cured to schedule before the finish above goes on.
What goes on top
Polish, Stain or Sealed Finish Above the Topping
A micro-topping is a base for a finish, not the finish itself. Most often we polish the topping (it takes polishing beautifully) for a hard, bright, finished floor.
Other times we stain the topping for layered colour, then seal it for protection. Or just seal it for a clean, smooth, satin look. The topping handles whatever finish the room calls for, and pairs cleanly with heated floor underlayment below if radiant heat is in the plan.
When micro-topping makes sense, thickness, finishes above and what it cannot fix in Boston.
A few millimetres total, applied in lifts. It is not a full overlay; it is a thin resurfacing that bonds to the substrate and gives the next finish a clean canvas.
When the slab has structural problems, heaving, deep cracks that move, base failure. The topping fixes a cosmetic-grade slab problem, not a structural one. We assess the slab and tell you straight which side of the line it is on.
Any of the interior finishes we install, polish, stain, or a clear sealer. The topping is engineered to take them all.
Done properly, no. The lifts blend together and the burnish produces a uniform surface. We pre-test on a sample area for tricky finishes to confirm the look before doing the whole floor.
Yes. Heated floor underlayment goes down first to encase the radiant heat tubing, then the micro-topping over it, then the finish above. The whole stack works as one heated floor system.
Homeowner reviews
What Boston Homeowners Say About Their Micro-Topping Floors
Old basement slab was patched and ugly. They micro-topped it then polished, and now it reads as a brand-new floor without the tear-out and mess of a replacement.
H. B.
Boston
★★★★★
Saved us a slab replacement on the main floor. Micro-topping plus stain plus seal gave us exactly the look we wanted, and the existing slab is hidden underneath.
M. L.
Cambridge
★★★★★
Knew the answer when they walked in, micro-topping was the move because of how patched our slab was. Done in less than a week and the new floor looks seamless.
P. O.
Quincy
★★★★★
Combined with heated floor underlayment underneath. The radiant heat warms the topping evenly and the finished floor is exactly the same look top to bottom.
U. E.
Somerville
From the blog
Concrete Guides & Articles
Practical reading on planning, finishes and caring for concrete in Boston.
Tired slab that you do not want to tear out, tell us the room and the finish you want above and we will assess the substrate, plan the topping, and put it in a written quote.
