Pigments for concrete products. Features of work.

To personalize gray and dull concrete pieces , as well as to create a unique design on the backyard territory, concrete, even at the production stage, is made colored. Namely, colored dyes or pigments are added to the concrete mix.

Similar colored concrete is used for the production of paving slabs, mosaics, self-leveling floors, artificial stone, as well as curbs, fences and other decorative items. Modern technologies make it possible to embody any color fantasies of the customer into reality. And with the help of concrete pigments, truly masterpieces of design art are created.
quality finished product?

How to choose a pigment for concrete.

Before choosing a stain for concrete, consider the following parameters:

• Light fastness is the ability of a pigment not to fade when exposed to sunlight.
• Shine – determines the ability of the pigment to cover the original color of the product.
• Dispersion – the finer the dispersion (pigment particles), the better its coloring ability.
• Oil absorption or oil absorption – indicates the ability of pigment particles to retain oil on their surface.
• Coloring ability – helps the pigment to transfer its color to the coloring surface.
• Alkali resistance – the resistance of the dye to alkalis.

The values ​​of these indicators can be found in the quality certificate on the website of the Novokhim Company on the page of each of the pigments for concrete. For example here, novohim.com.ua.
It should be noted that, in all of the above parameters, mineral or oxide pigments showed the highest properties in practice , namely powdered metal oxides. For example, iron oxide pigments , < a href="https://novohim.com.ua/catalog/stroitelnaya-ximiya/pigmenty-neorganicheskie/xrom-3-oksid-zelenyj-pigment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">chromium oxide< /a>, titanium dioxide.

Today, there are three of the most well-known manufacturers of these stains for concrete products. Namely, the Czech Republic, the Precheza trademark, China – the Tong Chem factory, and Germany – the Lanxess Deuschland Gmbh enterprise.

FULL RANGE OF CONCRETE PIGMENTS CAN BE VIEWED HERE.

The benefits of such pigments are:

How to put it into practice and how much to add iron oxide pigments in concrete?

Pigment consumption is calculated as a percentage of the amount of cement that will be used to make the colored concrete mix. On average it is 1% – 3%, depending on the properties of the given pigment. This indicator reaches a maximum of 6%.

For example, if the mass of cement is 100 kg, then the pigment should add a maximum of 6kg. Excess pigment will not give the mixture a richer shade and will not be economically viable. The exact proportion must be derived empirically, based on the desired color and taking into account the manufacturer’s recommendations. Pigments from different manufacturers have different coloring power.

It is also necessary to take into account that the color of the finished product directly depends on the brand and color of the cement used. If gray cement is used, then you need to understand that you will not get a perfectly clean and bright color. The hue will be muted and not very bright. However, when using white cement, the output color will be more juicy and saturated.

Based on this, we conclude that in the manufacture of concrete products in black, brown or dark red colors, in order to save money, it is quite possible to use gray grades of cement. This will most likely have no effect on the final result. If you want to get a pure yellow, blue or green color, we recommend using white cement.

Compliance with the mixing water proportion plays an important role. excess mixing water also affects the resulting color of the product. The water absorption of pigments is also different. Preliminary samples will help you determine the exact proportion. The larger the dispersion and density of the dye, the less will be its water absorption.

There is one more feature, namely that Czech and German pigments of the same brand are always stable in their shade, which is impossible say about pigments made in China. You can buy Chinese iron oxide pigments of the same brand, but from different batches and they may have different shades.

In connection with the above, when making a large order of paving slabs or any other products, preliminary tests for color and water absorption should be done , take into account the cement and filler used. When using Chinese pigments, batches should be made from the same batch of dye.