Customer Case Study: How Redispersible Polymer Powder (RDP) Empowered a Thai Tile Adhesive Manufacturer
In the Thai construction market, persistent high temperatures, high humidity, and the rapid growth of high-rise buildings place stringent demands on dry-mix mortars. A tile adhesive manufacturer focused on major projects in Bangkok and coastal areas had long faced product instability challenges: tile adhesive water evaporating too quickly in high heat, leading to short open times, and insufficient bonding strength causing tile slippage. To ensure product quality and installation efficiency, the manufacturer sought a fundamental formula upgrade.
The Challenge: Heat, Slippage, and Coastal Durability
The manufacturer's key pain points were closely linked to the Thai construction environment:
Low Installation Efficiency: In hot weather, traditional tile adhesive dried out quickly. Installers had to finish tiling in a very short window, causing material waste and project delays.
Quality Risk: Insufficient bonding strength led to slippage when applying large-format tiles, resulting in high rework rates.
Environmental Stress: Products supplied to coastal projects required higher water resistance and flexural strength to cope with salt spray corrosion and minor building movements.
The Solution: Our VAE-RDP Product
Based on a deep understanding of the Thai construction climate and the manufacturer's production process, we recommended a high-performance Redispersible Polymer Powder (RDP). Its VAE content was specially optimized to suit high-temperature formulation systems.
Optimized Water Retention and Open Time: Our RDP product formed an efficient polymer network in the tile adhesive, significantly enhancing the mortar's water-retention capacity. This allowed the tile adhesive to maintain a longer open time even in hot weather, effectively easing installation pressure and reducing material waste.
Significantly Enhanced Bonding Strength: The RDP film acts as a "flexible bridge," not only strengthening the physical bond between the tile adhesive, the tile backing, and the substrate but also raising the bonding strength to a higher level that meets both Thai and international standards. This completely solved the tile slippage problem.
Improved Flexibility and Water Resistance: The formation of the polymer network gave the tile adhesive the necessary flexural strength and flexibility to better withstand substrate expansion/contraction or minor vibrations. Simultaneously, its excellent water resistance made it perfect for wet areas and critical coastal projects.
The Outcome: Performance Upgrade and Market Trust
By upgrading their formula, the manufacturer achieved a leap in product performance without a significant cost increase:
Zero Slippage Rate: The product demonstrated reliable bonding strength in all conditions, earning the trust of contractors.
Increased Productivity: The longer open time of the tile adhesive boosted installation efficiency by approximately 15%.
Market Competitiveness: The product passed more stringent water resistance tests, successfully opening the door to the higher-margin coastal and high-end project markets.
This case study proves that selecting the right Redispersible Polymer Powder (RDP) is the key for Thai construction enterprises to achieve product differentiation and gain market trust.
