Sika SikaCeram-255 Large Tile
A high-performance C2TE cementitious adhesive engineered for large-format porcelain, vitrified and natural stone tiles, with extended open time and no vertical slip for confident wall and floor fixing.
What is it?
A polymer-modified, cement-based tile adhesive classified C2TE (Type-3 ‘T’) to EN 12004, formulated specifically for large-format and thin-body tiles.
Where is it used?
Interior and exterior floors and walls, bathrooms, kitchens, balconies, facades, swimming pools, terraces and high-traffic commercial floors.
Why use it?
Its extended open time and no-slip profile let a team lay 600×600 mm and larger slabs accurately, while the polymer content builds a durable, deformable bond that resists moisture and thermal movement.
How is it applied?
Mix one bag with clean water to a lump-free paste, comb onto the substrate with a notched trowel, back-butter large tiles, and bed within the open time before grouting after cure.
About Sika SikaCeram-255 Large Tile
SikaCeram-255 Large Tile is Sika’s answer to a problem every Indian site now faces: tiles have grown far bigger and thinner than the adhesives of a decade ago were designed to hold. Sizes of 600×600 mm, 800×1600 mm and full 1200×600 mm slabs are routine in hotels, airports, malls and premium homes, and a plain cement-sand mortar simply cannot key such low-porosity porcelain reliably. This product is a factory-blended, polymer-modified cementitious adhesive carrying the C2TE classification under EN 12004 and conforming to IS 15477-2019 as a Type-3 ‘T’ adhesive, meaning it is an improved adhesive with extended open time and reduced vertical slip.
For a contractor, that classification translates into real behaviour on the wall. The C2 rating guarantees a tensile bond of at least 1 N/mm2 both dry and after water immersion, so the tile stays put in wet zones. The ‘T’ rating means a heavy slab does not creep down a vertical face while the crew moves to the next one. The extended open time gives the crew a working window of more than 30 minutes, which matters when a single large slab takes several minutes to align. Supplied in grey and white powder, the white grade is chosen under translucent marble and light stone so no shadow bleeds through the joint.
The technical insight
The performance comes from re-dispersible polymer powder blended into a Portland-cement, graded-aggregate matrix. When the powder rehydrates, the polymer forms flexible bridges between the cement hydrates and the tile back, giving the film the deformability a rigid mortar lacks. This is what lets the bond absorb the thermal and structural movement that low-porosity porcelain would otherwise transmit as debonding or tenting. The same polymer keeps the fresh paste creamy and cohesive, which is why the adhesive wets out a slab back fully during back-buttering and resists slumping under the weight of a large tile, delivering the measured slip of 0.3 mm or less against the 0.5 mm C2TE ceiling. Water-retention additives hold mixing water in the film long enough for the cement to hydrate against dense, non-absorbent tile, so the bond develops full strength instead of drying out prematurely, the classic cause of hollow-sounding large-format installations.
Where it is used
- Fixing large-format porcelain and vitrified tiles 600×600 mm and above, including 1200×600 mm slabs
- Bedding thin-body porcelain and gauged porcelain panels that need full back contact
- Installing marble and natural stone on floors and walls, using the white grade under light stone
- Wet-area tiling in bathrooms, kitchens, balconies and terraces exposed to standing water
- Swimming pool and water-feature tiling requiring a moisture-durable C2 bond
- External facade and cladding tile fixing subject to thermal cycling
- High-traffic commercial floors in hotels, airports, malls and offices
- Both floor and wall applications indoors and outdoors up to 10 mm bed thickness
Key advantages
- C2TE classification to EN 12004 and IS 15477-2019 gives a verified minimum bond of 1 N/mm2 dry and wet
- Extended open time exceeding 30 minutes suits the slow, precise placement of large slabs
- No vertical slip (‘T’ class), so heavy tiles hold position on walls without props
- Polymer-modified, deformable film absorbs substrate and thermal movement
- Long pot life of at least 180 minutes at 27 C keeps a mixed batch workable through a laying run
- Available in grey and white, with the white grade preventing shadowing under translucent stone
- Smooth, creamy consistency that back-butters and combs cleanly
- Suitable for both interior and exterior wet and dry environments
Limitations & considerations
- It is a C2TE, not a highly deformable S1/S2 adhesive, so it is not the correct choice over heated screeds, deck movement joints or heavily deflecting substrates
- Not a rapid-set product; grouting must wait for normal cure, which slows fast-track handovers
- Being cement-based it needs sound, cured, dust-free substrates and will not bond over gypsum, paint or laitance without preparation
- Minimum bed thickness is around 3 mm and it is not a self-levelling or thick-bed levelling product; badly out-of-plane substrates must be levelled first
- Performance depends on correct water dosage and full back-coverage; over-watering or thin combing on non-porous tiles causes hollow spots
- Working and curing behaviour shifts in extreme heat or cold, so hot-weather laying needs shade and prompt placement
Selection & best practice
Start with a substrate that is structurally sound, cured, level and free of dust, oil, curing compound and laitance; prime highly absorbent or critical backgrounds as needed. Add powder to clean water, not the reverse, using roughly 0.26 to 0.28 litres per kg for grey and 0.28 to 0.30 for white, and mix with a slow-speed paddle to a lump-free paste. Let it stand for the maturing time, remix, then comb onto the substrate with a notched trowel sized to the tile. For large-format and low-porosity tiles, back-butter the tile as well as combing the bed to achieve near-full contact and avoid voids. Place and adjust within the open time, beat in with a rubber mallet, and check coverage by lifting an occasional tile. Keep to the pot life, do not re-temper stiffened material with extra water, and allow the adhesive to cure before grouting and foot traffic. In hot conditions, work in shade and place tiles promptly so the open time is not lost to skinning.
Specifications
| Type / Classification | C2TE (Type-3 ‘T’) to EN 12004; conforms to IS 15477-2019 |
| Chemical base | Portland cement, graded aggregates, re-dispersible polymer and water-retention additives |
| Colour | Grey or white powder |
| Open time | >30 minutes |
| Pot life | ≥180 minutes at +27 C |
| Tensile adhesion strength | ≥1 N/mm2 dry and after water immersion |
| Slip | ≤0.3 mm (limit 0.5 mm for T class) |
| Water demand | 0.26–0.28 L/kg (grey); 0.28–0.30 L/kg (white) |
| Coverage | Approx. 2.5–4.75 kg/m2 depending on tile size and trowel |
| Layer thickness | 3 mm minimum, up to 10 mm |
| Pack size | 20 kg, 25 kg and 40 kg bags |
Industry use cases
Hospitality & Airports
Beds large-format porcelain across lobbies, concourses and back-of-house floors where extended open time and a durable C2 bond keep heavy-traffic slabs from going hollow.
Premium Residential
Fixes 800×1600 mm feature walls and marble flooring, with the white grade preventing shadowing under translucent stone in luxury interiors.
Facades & Cladding
Holds external porcelain and stone cladding through thermal cycling, using the deformable polymer film and no-slip profile for vertical work.
Wet Areas & Pools
Provides a water-immersion-rated bond for bathrooms, terraces, balconies and swimming pools where wet-condition adhesion is verified at ≥1 N/mm2.
Retail & Commercial Fit-out
Speeds large-slab installation in malls and showrooms where crews need a long pot life and reliable no-slip fixing on both floors and walls.
Frequently asked questions
Is SikaCeram-255 Large Tile suitable for 600×600 mm and bigger slabs?
What does the C2TE classification actually guarantee?
Should I use the grey or white grade?
How much adhesive will I need per square metre?
Can it be used outdoors and in swimming pools?
Is it the right adhesive over underfloor heating or a movement-prone deck?
How we position Sika SikaCeram-255 Large Tile
Within the Sika tiling range, SikaCeram-255 Large Tile sits as the workhorse large-format adhesive; where a project demands genuine flexibility over heated screeds or deflecting decks, step up to a deformable S1/S2 SikaCeram grade, and pair the installation with a Sika cementitious or epoxy tile grout and SikaSil/Sikaflex sanitary sealants at movement and perimeter joints for a single-source system. Space Arc also stocks equivalent large-format adhesives from our other principals, so if a specification names a different brand we can match the C2TE class from Fosroc, Dr. Fixit or MYK Laticrete.
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