Where to Use

• Bonding all types and sizes of ceramic tiles (double-fired, single-fired, porcelain, klinker, terracotta, etc.) on uneven internal and external substrates, without having to even out the surface before fixing.
• Bonding all types of mosaic on internal and external surfaces even in swimming-pools.
• Bonding natural stone on internal and external surfaces (for stone which is stable and not sensitive to humidity).
• Bonding thin porcelain tiles on floors and walls, including external façades.

Some Application Examples

• Bonding ceramic tiles (double-fired, single-fired, porcelain, klinker, ceramic and glass mosaic, etc.), stone (if stable in damp environments) and thin porcelain tiles on conventional substrates, such as:
  • cementitious and anhydrite screeds (after preparation and applying a suitable primer);
  • heated screeds;
  • cementitious render or lime-mortar render;
  • gypsum-based plaster (after applying a suitable primer);
  • plasterboard, pre-fabricated panels, cement-fibre panels;
  • waterproofing membranes Mapelastic, Mapelastic Smart, Mapelastic Turbo, Mapelastic AquaDefense and Mapegum WPS.
• Laying ceramic and natural stone on old floors (in ceramic, marble, etc.).
• Laying on marine plywood, wooden agglomerates and old, stable wooden floors.
• Laying ceramic and natural stone on balconies and terraces and paving slabs exposed to direct sunlight and thermal gradients.
• Laying on prefabricated concrete walls and concrete substrates.

Technical Characteristics

Ultralite S1 is a grey or white powder made from cement, selected graded sand and a high amount of synthetic resin, with recycled silica micro-spheres which helps to make the mix lighter, according to a special formula developed in MAPEI's own Research & Development laboratories, as a contribution towards a sustainable building industry.

The special technology used to manufacture Ultralite S1 gives it a low density, a characteristic which offers two main advantages:

1. bags of Ultralite S1 have the same volume but weigh less (13.5 kg) than bags of conventional cementitious adhesive (20 kg). This makes for easier handling and savings in transport costs;
2. higher yield: yield is approximately 60% higher compared with conventional MAPEI cementitious adhesives.

Ultralite S1 mix has a low viscosity, which makes it easier and quicker to apply. Inspite of the above characteristics, the thixotropic nature of Ultralite S1 means there is no vertical slip when fixing on walls, even with large-sized tiles.

Its excellent back-buttering capability and thixotropic consistency make Ultralite S1 particularly suitable for laying thin porcelain tiles. In fact, the application of Ultralite S1 using the double-buttering technique on flat substrates ensures that there are absolutely no voids in the adhesive on the back of the tiles, thus avoiding the risk of fracture when subject to load.

Its excellent non-slip properties also make it particularly easy and safe to fix tiles on vertical surfaces.

When mixed with water, Ultralite S1 forms a mortar with the following characteristics:

• excellent capacity of absorbing deformation in the substrate;
• excellent back-buttering property of the tiles;
• bonds perfectly to all materials normally used in the building industry;
• particularly long open and adjustment times, to make installation easier.

Recommendations

Do not use Ultralite S1 in the following cases:

• on metal, rubber, PVC and linoleum;
• for slabs of marble and natural stone which are subject to efflorescence or staining;
• for natural agglomerate stone with high coefficients of moisture expansion.
• when the floored surface must be put quickly back into service.

Do not use Ultralite S1 for installing thin porcelain tiles with reinforcement mesh larger than 5000cm² on internal surfaces and heated screeds. Use an "S2" deformability class adhesive for this type of application such as Kerabond Plus mixed with Isolastic, or Keraquick S1 + Latex Plus.

When installing thin porcelain tiles on external facades and for further information on how to choose the correct adhesive, refer to the MAPEI technical manual "Selection Chart of Adhesives for Ceramic Tiles and Stone Material" available for download from our website www.mapei.com.au. Do not add water to the mix once it starts to set.