Master Builders Solutions MasterEmaco SBR 2
High-dispersion styrene-butadiene latex from Master Builders Solutions that turns ordinary site-batched cement mixes into bonded, watertight, crack-resistant repair systems.
What is it?
A milky-white styrene-butadiene (SBR) co-polymer latex with 37 ± 1% solids, used as a bonding agent, mortar modifier and waterproofing admixture for cement-based mixes.
Where is it used?
Bond coats between new and old concrete, patch repairs to spalled RCC, floor screeds and toppings, waterproof plaster, and two-coat slurries for basements, tanks, lift pits and sunken wet areas.
Why use it?
One drum handles five jobs. It pushes pull-off adhesion past 1.5 MPa, cuts mixing water, restrains shrinkage cracking and gives slurry coats nil water permeability at 5 bar.
How is it applied?
Mixed with cement as a brushable slurry (1:1.5 for bonding, 1:2 for waterproofing by weight) or gauged into mortar and screed at 10 litres per 50 kg bag of cement, then moist-cured for 24 hours.
About Master Builders Solutions MasterEmaco SBR 2
Every repair engineer in India has seen the same failure: a patch that was troweled on carefully, cured diligently, and still let go cleanly at the joint with the parent concrete six months later. Plain cement slurry simply cannot grip a mature substrate, and plain mortar shrinks away from it. MasterEmaco SBR 2 was developed to close that gap. It is a styrene-butadiene co-polymer latex made by high-pressure emulsion polymerisation, which gives it unusually fine, well-dispersed polymer particles — the reason it blends into cement faster and works at a lower water content than run-of-the-mill SBR liquids sold loose in the market.
Space Arc Engineering supplies MasterEmaco SBR 2 in 1, 5 and 20 litre packs across Delhi NCR and Pan-India, backed by current datasheets and applicator guidance. Note for specifiers: following Sika’s acquisition of the Master Builders MBCC business, the identical product is now also issued as SikaEmaco SBR 2 — both labels may appear in supply.
The technical insight
The mechanism is co-matrix formation. When the latex is gauged into a cement mix, its finely dispersed polymer particles spread through the paste almost immediately — shortening mixing time and letting the mix flow at a reduced water-cement ratio. As hydration consumes the mixing water, the latex particles coalesce into a continuous elastic polymer film interlaced with the growing hydrate structure. That film does three things: it bridges micro-cracks, lifting typical modified-mortar flexural strength to about 10 MPa and tensile to 5 MPa; it plugs capillary pores, which is why a two-coat slurry shows nil permeability at 5 bar in DIN 1048 testing; and it keys mechanically and chemically into old concrete, so pull-off tests (ASTM D4541) exceed 1.5 MPa — usually the parent concrete fails before the bond does. Quoted strengths are for the typical lab mix; run site trials.
Where it is used
- Bond coats for joining fresh concrete or mortar to old concrete, plaster and stone or brick masonry
- Polymer-modified repair mortar for spalled beams, columns, slab soffits, chajjas and precast elements
- Two-coat waterproofing slurry for basement side walls and rafts, lift pits, inspection pits and sunken portions of bathrooms and toilets
- Waterproofing of overhead and underground water tanks before the finishing screed
- Abrasion-resistant, non-dusting floor screeds and toppings laid 10 mm to 40 mm thick
- Waterproof plaster and plaster repair with better water resistance than a neat cement render
- Treatment of balconies, chajjas and exposed roofs ahead of the protective screed
- Gauging liquid for bedding tiles and fixing or re-fixing slip bricks
Key advantages
- Pull-off adhesion above 1.5 MPa (ASTM D4541) — in testing the parent concrete typically fails before the bond line
- Nil water permeability at 5 bar (DIN 1048) from a two-coat slurry, suitable for tanks and basements
- High-dispersion polymer shortens mixing time and lowers water demand, so site batching is faster and tighter
- Typical modified mortar reaches around 40 MPa compressive (ASTM C109) and 10 MPa flexural (ASTM C348) at 28 days
- Restrains plastic shrinkage and cracking through the reduced water-cement ratio and flexible polymer film
- Densified, less permeable matrix helps protect embedded reinforcement from corrosion
- One product covers bond coat, repair mortar, screed, waterproof plaster and slurry — simpler stores and fewer part-used drums
- Thermal behaviour close to concrete, so toppings and renders stay compatible through temperature cycles
Limitations & considerations
- Slurry coats are thin, positive-side treatments — they must be protected by a screed or plaster and are not a substitute for elastomeric membranes where structural movement or joint bridging is expected
- Published strength values are from the typical laboratory mix (50 kg cement, 150 kg Zone II quartz sand, 10 litres latex); local sand and cement vary, so site mix trials are strongly advised
- Vertical renders are limited to 5–25 mm per layer — heavier builds slump, and deep structural reinstatement calls for a purpose-designed repair mortar such as MasterEmaco S 348 instead
- Curing discipline matters: 24 hours of moist curing followed by slow drying; rapid drying or continuous ponding both compromise the polymer film
- The latex must be pre-mixed gently with water in a separate container — aggressive agitation entrains air into the mix
- Shelf life is 12 months out of direct sunlight; in tropical heat it requires air-conditioned storage
Selection & best practice
Preparation decides the result. Cut back all loose or spalled concrete, wire-brush grease, mould oil and curing compound off concrete and steel, and saw-cut repair edges square to at least 10 mm depth so the patch cannot feather out. Roughen, blow clean, saturate the substrate with water, then remove every trace of standing water — the surface should be damp, not wet. For bonding, brush a 1:1.5 latex-to-cement slurry hard into the surface and place the overlay while it is still tacky. For waterproofing, apply the 1:2 slurry in two coats at right angles, 3–4 hours apart. For mortar and screed, dry-blend cement and aggregates first, pre-mix 10 litres of SBR 2 with 10 litres of water separately for two minutes, then add the liquid to the mixer. Build vertical layers within 15–30 minutes of each other, moist-cure for 24 hours and let the work dry out slowly.
Specifications
| Chemical base | Styrene-butadiene co-polymer latex, milky-white liquid |
| Relative density | 1.02 ± 0.01 at 25°C |
| Solids content | 37 ± 1% |
| pH | 8 ± 1 |
| Bond coat coverage | 4–4.5 m² per litre (1 latex : 1.5 cement by weight) |
| Waterproofing slurry coverage | 2 m² per litre in two coats (1 latex : 2 cement by weight) |
| Repair mortar / screed dosage | 10 litres per 50 kg bag of cement |
| Pull-off adhesion (ASTM D4541) | >1.5 MPa or failure in parent concrete |
| Water permeability (DIN 1048) | Nil at 5 bar (two-coat waterproof slurry) |
Industry use cases
Housing societies & redevelopment
Bond coat plus modified mortar for spalled chajjas, balcony edges, beam bottoms and plaster repair in ageing RCC buildings across Delhi NCR — the bread-and-butter structural-repair combination.
Water storage & utilities
Two-coat slurry inside overhead and underground tanks and sump pits before the finishing screed, giving a potable-area-friendly cementitious barrier tested watertight at 5 bar.
Industrial units & warehouses
10–40 mm non-dusting, abrasion-resistant floor toppings and screeds over prepared slabs, laid onto a wet SBR 2 bond coat for monolithic behaviour.
Commercial basements & lift infrastructure
Waterproofing of basement side walls, rafts, lift pits and inspection pits where a brush-applied slurry is faster and cheaper than sheet systems in confined pits.
Hotels, hospitals & institutions
Sunken-slab treatment in bathrooms and toilets, waterproof plaster in wet risers, and gauging liquid for tile bedding during fit-out and refurbishment cycles.
Frequently asked questions
Is MasterEmaco SBR 2 the same as SikaEmaco SBR 2?
What is the dosage per 50 kg bag of cement?
How much area does one litre cover?
Can the slurry waterproof a water tank on its own?
Why choose this over loose SBR latex from the local market?
How should SBR-modified work be cured?
How we position Master Builders Solutions MasterEmaco SBR 2
MasterEmaco SBR 2 is the workhorse latex of the MasterEmaco repair family and the right choice when one liquid must serve bonding, mortar modification and slurry waterproofing on the same site. Within the same brand, step up to MasterEmaco S 340 or S 348 pre-bagged repair mortars when reinstatement is deep or structural, use MasterEmaco P 130 where a dedicated bonding primer is specified, and consider MasterEmaco SBR 3 where the specification calls for that grade. For engineered waterproofing beyond slurry coats, the MasterSeal range covers membranes and coatings. Space Arc also stocks equivalent SBR systems — Fosroc Nitobond SBR and Dr. Fixit Pidicrete URP — when a project BOQ names a different brand, and our team can map an approved equivalent either way.
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Authorised distribution, technical advice & professional application across Delhi NCR and Pan-India.