Projects / 8/29/2023

Hungarospa

A complete and safe system to install ceramic tiles and mosaics in the new Premium zone of the largest thermal center in Europe

Mapei products from the building line and solutions for the installation of ceramic tiles and stone were used in eight swimming pools and nine Jacuzzis

The city of Hajdúszoboszló in Hungary has a long tradition of thermal spa treatments: in 1927 a team of workmen looking for hydrocarbons discovered water at a temperature of 73 °C rising up from a depth of 1091 m. Their value in the medical field was acknowledged shortly afterwards, thanks also to the contribution of the renowned geologist, Ferenc Pávai Vajna. In the same year a wellbeing centre was constructed in the town, initially with mud baths and, soon after, more specific thermal treatments and aquatic attractions for the wider public were added.

Over the years, the structures dedicated to thermal treatments, the reception centre for guests and aquatic attractions were extended and renovated and, today, Hungarospa is the largest thermal centre in Europe with the capacity to host 1000 visitors. Over an area of 2.5 hectares, there is a structure dedicated to thermal treatments, an open-air spa with swimming pools and sports pitches and an indoor aquatic park with swimming pools, saunas, a solarium and a fitness centre.

The most recent addition to the park is the Premium Zone, an open-air area with four theme pools: the “Plitvice” with rocks and a large waterfall; the “Tahiti” with simulated waves and a tropical style bar; the “Amazonas” with Jacuzzis and tortuous water courses; a children’s pool with water features.

In this large thermal centre with such a long tradition, a new area called the Premium Zone has been built featuring four theme areas with swimming pools and water features.

Sound, long-lasting solutions for swimming pools and Jacuzzis

During the most recent extension and renovation work at Hungarospa, which was carried out between 2020 and 2021, Mapei products from the building line and solutions for the installation of ceramic tiles and stone were used in eight swimming pools and nine Jacuzzis in the new Premium Zone, for a total surface area of 15.000 m².

Once the concrete shells for the swimming pools had been completed, the deteriorated areas were repaired with MAPEGROUT 430, a fine-grained, fibre-reinforced, normal-setting thixotropic mortar, which is now available on the international market as MAPEGROUT 430 ZERO. Then, to make sure the concrete surfaces were sufficiently flat and even before installing the ceramic tiles, the side walls in the pools were levelled off with PLANITOP FAST 330 rapid-setting, fibre-reinforced levelling cementitious mortar, a product applied in layers 3 to 30 mm in interiors and exteriors.

The flatness of the bottom of the pools, on the other hand, was guaranteed by creating screeds made from TOPCEM hydraulic binder, which were bonded to the bottom with a bonding slurry made from PLANICRETE latex, TOPCEM and water.

In the eight swimming pools and nine new hydro-massage pools in the Premium Zone, Mapei products were used to prepare substrates on the bottom of the pools, as well as to bond and grout ceramic tiles and mosaics.

To guarantee the surfaces were well waterproofed they were treated with MAPELASTIC flexible membrane, which was also chosen for its resistance to UV rays and durability. MAPEBAND TPE tape was then bonded with ADESILEX PG1 epoxy adhesive in correspondence with the expansion joints. MAPEBAND EASY rubber tape, which is used to create elastic joints in waterproofing systems, was applied in the corners between the walls and bottom of the pool, between adjacent walls and around areas where pipework passes through.

The 12.5 x 25 cm ceramic tiles and the 5x5 cm and 2.5 x 2.5 cm mosaic tiles were bonded to the walls with KERAFLEX S1, an adhesive produced and distributed on the Hungarian market by Mapei Kft., and to the bottom of the pools with KERAFLEX EASY S1, a deformable, cementitious adhesive with extended open time.

To guarantee an aesthetic impact in line with the exclusivity of the new Premium Zone, it was decided to grout joints in the pools with KERAPOXY CQ epoxy mortar which, thanks to its particular chemical formulation, has the capacity to guarantee low water absorption, high durability and high resistance to the various temperatures of the water. In fact, this mortar with a bacteriostatic agent and BioBlock^®technology, is particularly suitable for “difficult” surroundings, where ceramic tiles and joints are put to the test by bacteria and aggressive substances. And lastly, the expansion joints in the pools were sealed with MAPESIL AC, mould-resistant, acetic-crosslinking silicone sealant after applying PRIMER FD as a bonding enhancer.

Ceramic tiles and mosaics were installed on the walls of the swimming pools and hydro-massage pools with KERAFLEX S1, and on the bottom of the pools with KERAFLEX EASY S1. KERAPOXY CQ epoxy mortar was used to grout the joints.