Mortar, Grout & Shotcrete Admixtures

Holderchem supplies a wide selection of admixtures to enhance the specific properties of mortars and grouts. The products are divided into the following sections:

Water reducers, mid-range water reducers, and high-range water reducers, designed for hot, moderate, and cold weather climates. Water-reducing admixtures, which are often referred to as plasticizers, increase the workability of plastic and fresh concrete. They improve mortar workability and coverage rate. They are often used to reduce the water content of concrete mix designs while maintaining their workability, improving as a result, concrete strength and durability properties. High-range water reducers, which are also known as superplasticizers, allow for increased water reduction, beyond what is achievable with traditional plasticizers and with lesser deleterious effects. All types of water reducers can be supplied with retarding or accelerating effects to adjust concrete properties to meet seasonal and/or job requirements.

Air-entraining admixtures, designed to be used in conjunction with set control admixtures to produce trowel ready cohesive workable mortars with improved freeze-thaw durability.

Set-retarders, designed to delay mortar setting by slowing the mortar hydration mechanism. They are designed to produce cohesive workable mortars with good finishing characteristics and reduced-bleeding. They are used to keep mortars workable over long time periods to allow for wet mortars to be transported from batching plants to sites.

Set-accelerators, designed to reduce setting time by speeding mortar hydration. They are typically used in sprayed mortars to minimize rebounds. Products based on nitrates are often favored over chloride-based products as the latter may cause corrosion in steel reinforcements.

Specialty admixtures, such as integral water repellents for reduced absorption of moisture, thixotropic agents for enhanced viscosity and water retention, expansion agents to control volume stability and reduce surface cracks, shrinkage reducing admixtures to limit surface cracks, corrosion inhibitors for superior steel protection in repair works, antifreeze admixtures to favor cement hydration in very cold climates, concentrated pigments for colored architectural mortars and grouts, anti-efflorescence additives to maintain color integrity and uniformity, fibers to enhance toughness and mechanical properties, silica fume for denser and durable mortars.