Friday, June 6, 2014

Guide To Using Concrete Color Pigment

By Sally Delacruz


Concreted surfaces can be more than just floors these days. Versatility with coloring, texturing, and installation provides more options. People can choose this material for counter tops, table tops, bar tops, and even as a non-traditional flooring. Concrete color pigment helps with choices, but it is important to understand the proper use and types.

Pigments for this type of application will be in either a liquid or powder form. These pigments can be an integral or surface type, depending on how they should be applied. Each type will also have different requirements for how to mix them. For instance, a liquid may need to have water added before they are put into the mix. There may be specific usage instructions, such as applying a liquid coloring to a cured concreted surface similar to a stain.

The most common types of pigments are iron oxide versions. Out of the three main groups of pigments, these ones are the least expensive, often because they have limited colors and more detailed or difficult application instructions. They have very few colors to choose, but they are ideal if you are looking for earth tones in the brown and dark yellow range.

A second group of pigments are metal oxides. They are in the middle in relation to price when compared with the other two groups of pigments. Unlike iron oxide pigments, there are more colors available depending on the type of metal oxide used. Chromium oxide provides green colors and titanium oxide gives you a bright white. You can also choose from reds, purples, and blues in various shades and opacity levels.

The most expensive pigments are the synthetic versions. Although they do cost more, they also provide the largest amount of colors to choose from. They are also typically more potent which means you will use less when you mix them in or apply them to the surface. Colors range from vibrant canary yellow to bright violet, and almost everything in between.

Packaged in dissolving bags or cans, powdered pigments will be fine or granular form. The granulated types are generally used in cement trucks because the prolonged, hard mixing disintegrates the granules. Fine powder pigments are ideal for small mixers such as those that are used for household projects.

Versions in liquid form are actually solid pigments suspended in liquid to allow time to measure and mix. They must be mixed well frequently while you are measuring to keep the pigments from settling. Some are concentrated, while others are already diluted. Read the package instructions before you begin to determine what may need to be done in advance and during mixing.

The benefits of pigments for concreted surfaces are numerous. Many people seek protection for their concreted surfaces after they have been colored. Surfaces can be highly polished to resemble marble, but the pigments can help repel water. Liquid and synthetic pigments are generally the ones that provide this extra protection.




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