Where is plasticizer used?

In the construction industry, the plasticizer is used for: cement mortar (concrete) and underfloor heating (screed).
Let's start in order.

Application of plasticizer for cement mortar (concrete). What is it for?

When adding plasticizer to concrete, cement consumption is reduced, which significantly saves money. It is this additive that can increase the strength of concrete by up to 20%.  After pouring concrete, it is no longer necessary to carry out humidity or heat treatments. The fluidity of the concrete mixture becomes higher, which reduces the percentage of water addition. If a plasticizer with frost-resistant additives, this will allow you to perform work in the winter season.

Undoubtedly, there are insanely many advantages of using a plasticizer for cement mortar, but there is always some "but" in this case too. The only disadvantage of using a plasticizer is the slowing down of the hardening and setting time of the concrete mixture. Although for one it can be a big minus, and for others a big plus.

Let's move on to the use of plasticizer for underfloor heating. The use of a plasticizer is not mandatory, but in this area it is very, very desirable.

Why is this so important? The screed solution should fill the entire space so that the heating system is quickly and reliably "covered" by it. It is the plasticizer that will make the solution dense and durable, and the thermal conductivity of the screed depends on these indicators.

As mentioned above, it reduces the water-cement ratio of the screed solution, which allows you to achieve perfect fluidity, thereby reducing the time for laying. The screed will be much stronger, and the chances of its cracking will decrease. The screed with plasticizer will dry faster.

Let's sum up! Plasticizer is a very important and necessary additive, its cost is not very high, and the advantages of using it are very significant. In any case, the choice is yours.