THE STANDARD IN 12.004: ADHESIVES FOR CERAMIC TILES
PURPOSE OF THE STANDARD:
This European standard is applicable to all adhesives for ceramic tiles and natural stone, for wall or floor fixing, indoors and outdoors.
DEFINITIONS:
Firstly, three different types of adhesives are envisaged:
- Cement-based adhesive type “C”: a mixture of hydraulic binders, mineral fillers and organic additives, which only needs to be mixed with water or liquid to be added just before use.
- Dispersion adhesive type “D”: a mixture of organic binders in the form of a polymer in aqueous dispersion, organic additives and mineral fillers, ready for use.
- Reactive resin adhesive “R”: a mixture of synthetic resins, organic additives and mineral fillers which cures as the result of a chemical reaction. They are available as one or more components.
Secondly, the characteristics that they must fulfil are defined, differentiated into:
- Fundamental characteristics: these are the mandatory requirements that adhesives must meet. In this section a distinction is made between normal-setting adhesives and fast-setting adhesives, which shall be identified by the letter “F“.
- Optional characteristics: these are extra requirements classified as additional features, for applications that require higher levels of performance. In addition, those introducing the concept of reduced slip, identified by the letter “T“, and the concept of extended open time, identified by the letter “E“, are specified as special features.
