What Are Building Additives?

‌Building additives‌ refer to products that can enhance the performance of building materials or improve construction conditions. They are widely used in all stages of modern construction, mainly including concrete admixtures, mortar additives and other types.

Concrete admixtures
Concrete admixtures refer to materials other than aggregates, water and cement added to concrete to improve the performance of concrete. Common concrete admixtures include:

‌Accelerators‌: such as calcium formate, sodium silicate and calcium chloride, used to reduce the initial setting time and make the concrete solidify quickly.
‌Retarder‌: such as gypsum, sugar and citric acid, used to extend the initial setting time of concrete and prevent premature solidification.
‌Water reducers‌: such as plasticizers and superplasticizers, used to improve the workability of concrete and reduce the amount of cement.
‌Volcanic ash admixtures‌: such as fly ash and blast furnace slag, used to improve the physical and chemical properties of concrete.
‌Air entraining agent‌: such as Vinsol resin and Darex, used to introduce air bubbles to improve the workability and durability of concrete‌.
Mortar additives
Mortar additives are mainly used to improve the performance of cement mortar. Common mortar additives include:

‌Lime King‌, ‌Moulder‌, ‌Rock Sand Essence‌, ‌Mortar King‌, ‌Mortar Treasure‌, etc. These additives can improve the construction performance and physical properties of cement mortar‌.
‌Cellulose ether‌: In premixed mortar, cellulose ether can significantly improve the performance of wet mortar, improve the bonding strength and structural strength of mortar‌.
‌Redispersible latex powder‌: This powdered thermoplastic resin made by spray drying of high molecular polymer emulsion is used to increase the cohesion and adhesion of mortar‌.
Application scenarios
Specific application scenarios of building additives in construction include:

‌In concrete‌: Adding water reducer can reduce water consumption, improve fluidity, reduce bleeding and segregation; adding high-efficiency slow-setting pumping agent can extend the setting time and meet the construction requirements of large-volume concrete‌.
‌Exterior wall insulation system‌: Such as polystyrene foam board (EPS), used in exterior wall insulation system, with good fire resistance and strength-to-weight ratio‌.
‌Architectural coatings‌: Waterproofing agents are used to improve the impermeability of coatings to prevent moisture from penetrating into the wall, especially suitable for humid environments such as basements‌.