Farmhouse Harmelen

The Challenge

The owners originally envisioned travertine or hewn natural stone for the kitchen island countertop. The island measures a full 4 metres wide. A natural stone slab of that size is too heavy, too fragile during transport and nearly impossible to install seamlessly.

Our Approach

Microcement as an alternative to natural stone. The same warm, natural character, without size limitations and without visible seams. Floor, kitchen island and sink as one continuous whole in Forcrete Quartz Coarse.

What is a scratch-resistant microcement floor? A microcement floor with enhanced wear resistance, built up in multiple layers and finished with a scratch-resistant top coat designed for daily use. No loose tiles, no grout lines trapping dirt. In this renovated farmhouse in Harmelen we showed what that means in practice. In Harmelen we chose the Forcrete Quartz Coarse finish. A concrete-look floor with a subtle, coarse texture that complements the warmth of the wooden beams and authentic plasterwork of the farmhouse. The colour palette leans towards warm beige-grey, a deliberate choice that complements the natural light through the steel window frames and enhances the rural atmosphere of the property. The floor runs from the living room into the open kitchen - 140 m2 without a single seam. That seamlessness is not only visually appealing, but also practical. In a farmhouse where children, pets and muddy boots are part of daily life, a joint-free floor is considerably easier to clean than tiles. The kitchen island is seamlessly integrated into the microcement floor. The island measures 4 metres wide, a dimension at which natural stone would be too heavy and too fragile for transport. The floor continues under and around the island, the upstanding edges connecting seamlessly to the worktop. The sink is also fully finished in microcement: same material, same colour, same texture. It looks like one whole because it is one whole. The owners originally envisioned travertine or hewn natural stone for the worktop. After a consultation they chose microcement for three reasons: weight (considerably lighter than stone), seamlessness (no visible joints across 4 metres) and maintenance (the sealer protects against stains from wine, oil and lemon juice). A real concrete floor requires a full concrete pour. A scratch-resistant microcement floor achieves the same look with a buildup of just 3 mm. Applicable over the existing substrate, without demolition. The floor is installed over underfloor heating - microcement conducts heat excellently thanks to the thin buildup, meaning the heating responds faster than with thick tiles or natural stone.