Culminal, Culminal Plus, and Combizell cellulose ethers Words: Dan Kamys www.ashland.com Thin-bed mortar is becoming a widely used, multi-functional approach to tiling, providing extended installation time, greater flexibility and strong adhesion. The popularity of large porcelain and stoneware tiles fixed on vertical substrates demands high-performance ceramic tile adhesive with outstanding sag resistance (high yield stress). Culminal and Combizell cellulose ethers help dry mortars to be applied more easily and to perform better, according to Ashland. All three products provide water retention and cohesiveness to mixtures. Key mortar benefits include the following: Controlled thickeningAdjusted water demand and improved workabilityGood open time and pot lifeReduced sag and increased strengthCompatibility with different electrolytes such as salts and alkali. Ashland also supplies a wide range of Jaypol acrylates for D1 and D2 categories of latex based tile adhesives.