Surface Finishes & Protection in Dubai
Resin and microcement floors, waterproofing systems, and interior and exterior paintwork — the finishes that decide how a property looks and how well it holds up. Primo has been operating in Dubai since 2012.
- Residential and commercial
- Site visit before quotation
- One contractor across trades
Choose the Service That Matches Your Surface
Each page below covers the decisions, preparation and pricing variables specific to that finish. If you are not sure which applies, the comparison further down will narrow it.
Epoxy Flooring
A resin coating bonded to a prepared concrete slab. Built for floors that take vehicles, loads and chemical spills — garages, warehouses and commercial units.
Microcement
A thin cement-based finish applied over the surface you already have, with no grout lines and no need to demolish the existing floor.
Waterproofing
Membranes and coatings that keep water where it belongs — roofs, balconies, wet areas and below-ground structure.
Painting
Interior and exterior walls and ceilings, including the surface preparation and making good that determines how long the finish lasts.
Which Problem Are You Actually Solving?
These four services are often confused with each other. This is how we separate them, so the quotation you ask for is the one you need.
Where Each Finish Is Used
Floors
Epoxy and microcement both go onto floors but answer different briefs — epoxy for durability and chemical resistance, microcement for a seamless architectural finish over an existing substrate.
Wet Areas and Structure
Bathrooms, balconies, roofs, planters, water tanks and below-ground structure all depend on an intact waterproofing layer, applied before finishes go on top.
Walls and Ceilings
Paint is the most visible finish and the most dependent on what happens before it — filling, sanding, priming and making good after other trades.
How a Finishes Job Runs
Site visit
We inspect the existing surface and its condition. With finishes, the substrate decides the specification — this cannot be assessed from photographs alone.
Scope and quotation
You receive a written quotation itemised by area and by system, so you can see what preparation, materials and application each part involves.
Selections
Colours, sheen levels and finish textures are confirmed before work starts.
Preparation
Grinding, filling, sanding, priming or crack repair as the surface requires. This is the stage that determines whether the finish lasts.
Application
Coats are applied in sequence, with the curing and recoat intervals the system requires rather than the ones the calendar would prefer.
Inspection and handover
We walk the finished surface with you in good light, correct what needs correcting, and clean before handover.
What Affects Your Quotation
We do not publish prices for finishes work, because these are the things that actually move the number.
Condition of the existing surface
The single largest variable. A sound substrate needs little preparation; a cracked, damp or previously coated one may need more work to prepare than to finish.
Area and access
Cost follows the square metres, but also how easily the area can be reached, sheeted and ventilated while the work is going on.
System and finish level
Within each service there is a wide specification range. The system chosen has to match the use the surface will actually see.
Number of coats and drying time
Coating systems have required intervals between coats. A programme that cannot accommodate them produces a finish that fails early.
Occupied or empty property
Working around people in occupation means more protection, more phasing and shorter working windows.
What sits on top afterwards
Waterproofing is usually covered by screed, tiling or paving. The reinstatement above it belongs in the same quotation, not a later surprise.
Primo does not quote finishes work without seeing the surface. Anything priced from photographs alone will change once someone inspects it.
What to Send With Your Enquiry
The more of this you can send up front, the more useful the first conversation is.
- Photographs of the surface as it is now, including any damage
- Approximate area in square metres
- Whether it is an apartment, villa or commercial unit
- What the surface will be used for once finished
- Whether anything has been applied to it before, and what
- When you need it ready, and whether the property is occupied
Why Choose Primo
Finishes fail at the preparation stage far more often than at the material stage. The value is in a contractor who prices the preparation honestly rather than quoting the coating alone.
One contractor across trades
Where a finish depends on other work — waterproofing under tiling, making good after joinery — it is scheduled in the right order by us rather than coordinated by you.
Operating in Dubai since 2012
Primo has worked across apartments, villas and commercial properties in Dubai since 2012, on renovation, fit-out and maintenance contracts.
- Written, itemised quotations
- Site visit before pricing
- Surfaces prepared, not just coated
- Cleaned and walked at handover
Planning wider works? See Renovation & Fit-Out Services or Handyman Services.
Surface Finishes Questions
What is the difference between epoxy and microcement?
Epoxy is a resin coating chosen for durability, chemical resistance and heavy use — garages, warehouses and workshops. Microcement is a thin cement-based finish chosen for appearance, applied over an existing surface to give a seamless look without grout lines. They are not substitutes for one another.
Can microcement or epoxy go over my existing floor?
Often, yes — that is one of the main reasons clients choose them. Whether it is possible depends on what the existing surface is, how sound it is and how level it sits. We confirm that on the site visit before quoting.
Do I need waterproofing if the area is being tiled anyway?
Tiles and grout are not a waterproof layer. In wet areas the waterproofing sits underneath them, which is why it has to be decided before tiling starts rather than after a problem appears.
Can you just paint over damp or stained walls?
We would not recommend it. Paint over active damp will fail, usually within months, and the cost of redoing it lands on top of the original job. The source has to be dealt with first — which is often a waterproofing question rather than a painting one.
Do you handle the preparation, or only the finish?
Preparation is part of the scope and is itemised in the quotation. Grinding, filling, crack repair, priming and making good are what determine whether the finish lasts, so they are priced rather than assumed.
How do I get a quotation?
Send photographs and approximate areas on WhatsApp, or call us. We arrange a site visit, and the quotation comes back in writing, itemised by area and by system.
Planning Finishes or Protection Work in Dubai?
Send photographs and approximate areas and we will arrange a site visit. The quotation comes back in writing, itemised by area and by system.