The challenge
King Abdullah I Mosque, known as the blue-domed mosque, was built in the 1980s in downtown Amman. After years of environmental stress, the dome mosaic showed corrosion and deterioration, and the tiles were badly damaged. They had to be replaced with new blue glass mosaic tiles. The specification called for a high-performance tile adhesive and grout with high mechanical strength. The dome is exposed to rain, wind, snow and temperature changes, so durability was the main concern. Single component cementitious adhesives do not bond well to glass mosaic.
The DCP solution
Cemfix 2CS, a two-part cementitious tile adhesive, was selected. It bonds far better than single component cementitious adhesives and can fix glass mosaic tiles. It offers high mechanical and bond strength, long open time, slip resistance, tolerance of temperature changes and non-sag behaviour, which suits a curved dome. Epoxy grouts are often used with glass mosaic, but outdoors in sunlight they can become brittle and turn yellow. Cemafill 2CS, a two-part cementitious tile grout, was used instead. It gives abrasion resistance, uniform colour, strong bond to glass mosaic and low shrinkage, which limits cracking.
DCP products used
How it was applied
- Remove all old tiles from the dome.
- Prepare the surface and repair the concrete substrate where needed.
- Fix the new blue glass mosaic tiles in Cemfix 2CS.
- Once the tiles have set, grout the joints with Cemafill 2CS.
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