MAPEI provided complete systems including waterproofing chemicals for the installation of ceramic tiles in several areas of the Grande Hotel Thermas in São Pedro do Sul, Portugal. This project enhanced the hotel's spa and thermal baths, ensuring durable and aesthetically pleasing surfaces.

The town of São Pedro do Sul is located in the central part of Portugal in the Montanhas Mágicas territory, an area much loved by the Portuguese and tourists alike for its natural landscapes, cultural heritage, and, above all, its thermal water. This water, highly appreciated and used back in ancient Roman times because of its curative properties, flows naturally to the surface at a temperature of 68°C and is available for tourists and residents at several establishments.

One of these is the Grande Hotel Thermas which, since 1919, offers its guests comfortable, elegant, and relaxing surroundings, along with splendid views of the surrounding countryside. 

In 2020 the hotel decided to extend its thermal bath services by creating a structure next to the existing one featuring a system of interconnecting caves, baths, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools to create a wellbeing itinerary that also encompasses a spa area.

Mapei Portugal, the Portuguese subsidiary of the Group, also took part by supplying complete systems to treat the areas with waterproofing chemicals, in addition to installing ceramic and mosaic tiles in the swimming pools and on the floors and walls of the wellness and spa areas.

The substrates of the spas and swimming pools were waterproofed with MAPELASTIC SMART, before installing ceramic tiles or mosaic with KERAFLEX EXTRA S1. KERAPOXY DESIGN grout was chosen due to its aesthetic effect in many of the spa surfaces.

Safe installation for durable floor and wall coverings

In many of the swimming pools baths and caves, the surfaces were waterproofed with a system that included MAPELASTIC SMART two-component cementitious mortar, which ensures a high level of flexibility and is particularly suitable for waterproofing hydraulic structures such as channels, swimming pools, baths, and storage tanks. 

In the case of the Grande Hotel Thermas, the first layer of mortar was reinforced with MAPENET P fiberglass mesh. The corners between adjacent walls and between walls and floors were waterproofed with MAPEBAND EASY rubber tape. Both MAPENET P and MAPEBAND EASY are manufactured and distributed on the Portuguese market by Mapei Portugal.

Ceramic and mosaic tiles were installed in the swimming pools and baths using KERAFLEX EXTRA S1 (now available as KERAFLEX EXTRA S1 ZERO*), a deformable cementitious adhesive with high wetting capacity, no vertical slip, and extended open time. 

The joints were grouted with ULTRACOLOR PLUS* cementitious mortar with fully offset residual CO2 emissions or, where a more attractive aesthetic effect was required, with KERAPOXY EASY DESIGN acid-resistant, decorative epoxy mortar (available on the Portuguese market as KERAPOXY DESIGN). Thanks to innovative BioBlock technology, both types of grouts prevent the proliferation of bacteria and the formation of mold on the surface of joints, helping to keep surfaces more hygienic.

The adhesive used to install ceramic tiles on many of the walls of the well-being itinerary, on the other hand,  was KERAFLEX, a cementitious adhesive with extended open time, which was chosen to install the wall tiles because of its high thixotropy.

The ceramic floors, on the other hand, were installed with KERABOND PLUS cementitious adhesive with extended open time, which was chosen for its good workability and because it adheres perfectly to all types of materials normally used in building work.

The expansion joints in all the ceramic and mosaic surfaces were sealed with MAPESIL AC pure acetic sealant characterized by high elasticity, durability, and resistance to mold.

MAPETHERM SYSTEM was applied onto some of the façades of the new buildings, to ensure proper thermal insulation.

Ceramic and mosaic tiles were installed on many of the walls of the well-being itinerary, with KERAFLEX, a cementitious adhesive with extended open time, which was chosen due to its high thixotropy.