Sika SikaCeram-155 Wet Room
A polymer-modified C2TE cementitious adhesive built for bathrooms, balconies and continuously wet floors and walls, with a long open time and zero vertical slip.
What is it?
A single-component, polymer-modified cementitious tile adhesive (IS 15477 Type-2 ‘T’, EN 12004 C2TE) that only needs water added on site.
Where is it used?
Bathrooms, showers, toilets, kitchens, laundries, balconies, terraces and other wet areas, fixing vitrified, ceramic and earthenware tiles indoors and outdoors.
Why use it?
It gives a far stronger, water-resistant bond than site-batched cement-sand mortar, holds heavy tiles on walls without slip, and stays workable long enough for larger areas.
How is it applied?
Mixed with 5.2-5.6 L water per 20 kg bag, combed onto the substrate with a notched trowel at a 3-5 mm bed, and the tile pressed into the fresh, sticky adhesive within the open time.
About Sika SikaCeram-155 Wet Room
SikaCeram-155 Wet Room is Sika’s dedicated wet-area tile adhesive for the Indian market, formulated around Portland cement, graded aggregates, water-retention additives and re-dispersible polymer. That polymer content is what lifts it above ordinary cement-sand fixing: it holds water in the mix long enough for full hydration, wets out the back of the tile properly, and cures into a bond that survives permanent moisture. It carries a genuine dual classification, conforming to IS 15477-2019 as a Type-2 ‘T’ adhesive and to EN 12004-2:2017 as a C2TE-class adhesive, which tells a specifier the product delivers improved adhesion, no vertical slip and an extended open time.
For engineers and contractors, the practical value is confidence in areas where failures are expensive to put right. It bonds vitrified, ceramic and earthenware tiles to cementitious screed, concrete, plaster, cement-lime mortar, existing ceramic tiles, calcium sulphate screed and gypsum fibre boards, and works for tile-on-tile refurbishment. Delivered as a grey powder in 20 kg and 40 kg bags with a 12-month shelf life, it needs only clean water on site, which removes the batch-to-batch variability of hand-mixed mortar and gives repeatable results across a large project.
The technical insight
The performance comes from the balance between the re-dispersible polymer and the water-retention additives. In a plain cement-sand bed, an absorbent substrate or a porous tile pulls mixing water out before the cement can fully hydrate, leaving a weak, dusty interface. The water-retention additives in SikaCeram-155 slow that loss so hydration completes at the bond line, while the re-dispersible polymer film bridges the tile and substrate, adding flexibility and sealing the interface against water ingress. This is why the tested tensile adhesion stays at 1 N/mm-squared not just dry but after full water immersion and after heat ageing, and remains at 0.5 N/mm-squared even when the tile is placed after the 30-minute open time has elapsed. The same chemistry delivers the measured vertical slip of 0.33 mm against a 0.5 mm limit, so tiles stay put on walls without battens, and a long pot life of 180 minutes that lets a crew keep working from one mix.
Where it is used
- Bathroom, shower and toilet floors and walls in residential and commercial projects
- Kitchen and laundry areas exposed to frequent splashing and washdown
- Balconies and terraces where tiles sit over a waterproofed deck
- Fixing vitrified and ceramic tiles onto cured concrete and cementitious screeds
- Tile-on-tile refurbishment over sound existing ceramic tiles indoors
- Bonding to plaster, cement-lime mortar and gypsum fibre board backgrounds
- Fixing to calcium sulphate / anhydrite screeds after priming
- Prefilling and levelling minor substrate defects up to 5 mm before tiling
Key advantages
- Dual IS 15477 Type-2 and EN 12004 C2TE certification for wet-area duty
- Water-resistant cured bond that holds 1 N/mm-squared even after immersion and heat ageing
- Reduced vertical slip (0.33 mm measured) lets wall tiles be laid without support
- Extended open time over 30 minutes suits larger areas and hot Indian conditions
- Long 180-minute pot life keeps a full mix workable through the shift
- Factory-blended, water-only mixing gives consistent quality across a large project
- Bonds to a wide range of substrates including tile-on-tile and gypsum fibre board
- Self-curing and normal-setting, so no separate curing regime is required
Limitations & considerations
- Not suitable for fixing over metal, timber, or old ceramic tiles in outdoor exposure
- Grey powder only – no white version for use under translucent or light natural stone
- Calcium sulphate, gypsum and anhydrite substrates must be primed (SikaCeram-935 diluted 1:1) and kept below 0.5% moisture
- It is an adhesive, not a waterproofing membrane – a separate Sika waterproofing system must be applied beneath tiles where required
- Natural stone and non-absorbent tiles need a preliminary trial as staining or reduced grip can occur
- Working window shortens noticeably in hot weather, and skinned adhesive must be removed and reapplied
Selection & best practice
Substrates must be cured 2-6 weeks, structurally sound, clean and free of laitance, dust, oil or curing compound; smooth surfaces should be lightly roughened and a trial patch taken. Pour the minimum water first, add powder gradually and mix about 5 minutes with a low-speed paddle under 500 rpm to limit air entrainment, let the mix mature for 5 minutes, then remix 15 seconds. Apply with the flat side of the trowel, comb to the bed thickness with a square-notched trowel, and always back-butter tiles larger than 900 cm-squared to achieve 100% contact. Bed the tile into wet, sticky adhesive with a rubber mallet and adjust within the 25-minute adjustability time. In hot climates or on absorbent backgrounds, pre-dampen the substrate but avoid standing water. Do not grout floors until 24-36 hours (walls 4-6 hours), and allow around 21 days before full water immersion. Clean tools with water immediately after use.
Specifications
| Classification | IS 15477-2019 Type-2 ‘T’; EN 12004-2:2017 C2TE |
| Chemical base | Portland cement, graded aggregates, water-retention additives, re-dispersible polymer |
| Packaging / colour | 20 kg and 40 kg bags; grey powder; 12-month shelf life |
| Water : powder ratio | 0.26-0.28 by weight (5.2-5.6 L per 20 kg bag) |
| Open time | >30 minutes (adhesion still 0.5 N/mm-squared after) |
| Pot life / adjustability | Pot life 180 min; adjustability approx. 25 min (at +27 C) |
| Bed / layer thickness | 3 mm minimum, up to 10 mm |
| Consumption | 2.75-3.25 kg/m-squared (small/3 mm) to 4.00-4.50 kg/m-squared (large/5 mm) |
| Tensile adhesion strength | 1 N/mm-squared dry, after water immersion and after heat ageing |
Industry use cases
Residential bathrooms
Fixes wall and floor tiles in showers, toilets and washrooms with a water-resistant bond that resists daily wetting and detergent exposure.
Hotels & hospitality
Reliable, no-slip wall tiling in guest bathrooms and back-of-house wet areas where re-do costs and downtime are unacceptable.
Commercial kitchens & laundries
Bonds tiles in constantly damp, frequently washed-down floors and splashbacks that would fail with ordinary cement-sand beds.
Balconies & terraces
Fixes external tiling over a waterproofed deck, tolerating thermal movement and rain once cured for the recommended period.
Renovation / tile-on-tile
Overlays sound existing ceramic tiles indoors, avoiding costly demolition while keeping full C2TE adhesion.
Frequently asked questions
What does the C2TE classification actually mean for my project?
Can I use it to tile a bathroom or balcony directly, without waterproofing?
How much do I need per square metre?
What size tiles need back-buttering?
How long before I can grout and use the area?
Will it bond over old tiles or gypsum boards?
How we position Sika SikaCeram-155 Wet Room
SikaCeram-155 Wet Room sits in the middle-to-upper band of Sika’s tile-fixing range: a step up from the everyday SikaCeram-50 Tilofix and SikaCeram-125 Easy Fix (C1 general adhesives), and below the high-deformability S1/S2 grades needed for very large-format tiles, heated floors or heavy movement. It is the natural choice when wet-area durability and no-slip wall performance matter but a deforming adhesive is not required. Pair it with a Sika cement-based waterproofing membrane under the tiles, and finish the joints with a matching SikaCeram cementitious grout, or a Sikadur epoxy grout where chemical resistance or hygiene demand it; use a SikaLevel or SikaCeram floor leveller and the SikaCeram-935 primer where the substrate needs preparation. Within the Fosroc range that we also supply, the closest counterpart is Nitotile C1 Fix (and the tropical-grade Nitotile GPX for submerged conditions); a specifier tied to a Fosroc-based specification would look there, while SikaCeram-155 is the pick where the job calls specifically for Sika’s C2TE-rated wet-area system. Space Arc Engineering supplies and applies the full Sika tile-fixing system across Delhi NCR and Pan-India.
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