Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose as Cement Thickener and Reinforcement of Building Structures

Have you ever experienced a cracked wall a few days after an earthquake? The cracks were certainly disturbing sights, right? On the next day, you want to fix them all, but this is not the right time to renovate the house. Meanwhile, there is another more terrible case where an apartment building with several floors collapsed as if it was swallowed by a sinkhole. 

Do you watch that viral video? After having research for months or years, it could be found some irregularities so that cracks and collapse occur. One factor that attacks the structure of the building in this condition is the lack of strengths or thinness of the cement thickener applied. 

One of the most commonly used cement thickeners in building structures is HPMC. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose is a cellulose ether produced from natural high molecular cellulose by particular chemical processing. This building structure reinforcement has many benefits to maintain the resilience of your building structure. 

HPMC Known as Construction Mortar

How well do you know about construction mortar? Mortar is the most important material in building construction. It’s a mixture that construction workers make to glue bricks and other materials together. The content in the mortar can be a mixture of cement, sand, lime, etc. 

You must have seen this mortar because it is synonymous with something solid that fills the gaps between the stones that are arranged into a building. The color of the mortar also serves to beautify the building design. 

HPMC Characteristics

HPMC in the construction industry is useful as construction mortar, waterproof putty, exterior wall adhesive putty, self-leveraging agent, plaster mortar, coating mortar and adhesive mortar for external insulation finishing systems, tile joint fillers decorative mortars, interface agent, ceramic tile adhesive, dry mix mortars, flashing compound, and skim coating wall putty. 

With the various benefits of HPMC, you only need that one type of cellulose ether. This odorless white powder has good water solubility, has the properties of adhesion, dispersing, emulsifier, adsorption, protective colloid from surface activity, gel, suspension, film, retain moisture function properties, and so on. 

The chemical characteristics of HPMC as cement thickener make this cellulose provide some qualities as follows:

· Increase the plasticity of the mortar. Mortar becomes easier to apply, and mortar sticks to the base material better so that coating efficiency in construction projects increases.

· Prevent slipping of mortar with base material in construction projects due to its thickening effect. 

· Increases water retention to hydrate cement or gypsum construction materials which often dry out too quickly, causing poor cracking.

Mix Cement Slurry

Construction work will always require cement with the right mix. A cement thickener is needed to obtain a suitable mix with the expected level of building strength for many years. HPMC should be added to the cement slurry dispersed underwater. Furthermore, your cement slurry will have high fluidity, water dispersibility, high strength, high frost resistance, and impermeability. It can effectively fill underwater cavity defects and small internal gaps of building structures. 

Cement thickener also ensures that the slurry you make is pressure-resistant, anti-freeze, and impermeable to water. 

Total Addition of HPMC 

You may wonder how much total HPMC can be added to the cement slurry. You don’t have to worry because in each package, the total addition of this cellulose ether will be included in the mixture you are making. If it is not stated in the package, you can ask the manufacturer directly through the website or hotline service. 

For putty or wall plaster and floor adhesive, it’s only about 0.1 to 1 percent of HPMC is added. Although the total addition is low, HPMC plays an important role in the construction of the building you’re working on.

Choose The Best HPMC

The best HPMC Cellulose ether can only be obtained from a top manufacturer. Many manufacturers of this cement thickener produce it, but very few manufacturers offer product quality and safety.