MAPEI is supplying a number of high-end solution-based products to the Fujairah City Centre including screed, adhesives, sealants, grouts and waterproofing products that are helping in speed up work at the development while offering a range of installation benefits.

The various challenges faced during the construction of the centre have in turn dictated the contractor’s choice of materials, according to a spokesperson for Mapei.

“At a little over 12 months, the construction programme was particularly short for this size and nature of project. Considering that, the first product Mapei offered to the project was Topcem, a proprietary pre-bagged, polymer-modified hydraulic binder, for normal setting and fast drying and controlled shrinkage screed,” he says.

Topcem has a drying time of only four days, which enables subsequent moisture-sensitive finishes to be applied much faster than traditional sand-cement screeds. The tiling contractor was able to follow on with application after the screeding contractor, just days rather than weeks after, considerably speeding up the progress on site. On this project, this aspect was particularly important since the majority of the tiles are made from artificial stone, which can be particularly sensitive to moisture, according to Mapei.

Cleaning the grout after the application of Ulracolor Plus.

“A further advantage of Topcem is that lengthy, time-consuming curing processes are not required. Due to the high polymer content, Topcem screeds are shrinkage compensated. Even in high temperature conditions such as those here in the UAE, the curing process can be avoided. Traditional sand-cement screeds must be cured for several days, which can delay the drying process even further. Screeds that don’t require curing can also enable other trades and construction processes to commence work on top of the screed after a significantly shorter time,” the spokesman points out.

With regard to the sensitive nature of artificial stone, Mapei says it was able to add further value to the project as its Dubai laboratories have the only dimensional stability stone testing facility in the region. Its facility is able to classify stone material according to its sensitivity to moisture and humidity which, in turn, can save the client money, the company says. The machine is able to identify potentially unstable natural or artificial stone that may react negatively to certain types of adhesive and cause failures. For Fujairah City Centre in particular, Mapei was able to identify that the stone was neither dimensionally unstable nor sensitive to moisture. So it was able to confidently propose Keraflex Maxi – a high-performance deformable cementitious adhesive with extended open time and no vertical slip complying with GSO ISO 13007 as class C2TES1 – which is a more cost-effective adhesive for agglomerate tiling than resin-based bedding systems, the spokesman says.

Keraflex Maxi was used to install roughly 7,000 sq m of agglomerate tiles in all the main corridors and mall walkways.
For the grouting works, Mapei supplied Ultracolor Plus, a fast setting and drying, high-performance, polymer-modified, anti-efflorescence, water-repellant grout suitable for both large and small joints.

“Ultracolor Plus’ fast drying times enable quicker step on times, which may again improve schedules. The grout has a very high abrasion resistance so is ideal for high traffic areas such as at the mall, again in compliance with GSO ISO 13007 Part Four as a class CG2WA grout,” he says.

Keraflex, a C2TE classified, high-performance cementitious adhesive with extended open time and no vertical slip, was used for installing the large-format porcelain tiles in the food-court areas, and the grouting was again Ultracolor Plus.

“Ultracolor Plus grout features ‘Drop Effect’ technology, which makes the grout less absorbent and less likely to permanently stain due to the spillage of food and drink, so is ideal for this particular application,” the spokesman adds.
Furthermore, for glass mosaic tiling works in the common washroom areas, Adesilex P9 white (class C2TE) was used, while Kerabond T (class C1T) was used for the ceramic tiling. Meanwhile, Mapelastic Smart, a two-component, highly flexible cementitious mortar was used for the external water features; and Mapetex Sel, a polypropelyne reinforcement fabric, was used as the tanking system. After the application of Mapelastic Smart, a polymerised adhesive such as Keraflex will be used to install tiles directly, ensuring a seamless, water-tight application.