Cobalt Blue Oxide (1Kg)

A concrete pigment is an iron oxide pigment used in integral concrete colouring. They can come in either powder or liquid form. With integral colouring, there are a wide variety of concrete colour options available.

Advantages of Integral Colour

With integrally coloured concrete, the entire batch of concrete is coloured all the way through, similar to adding food colouring to cake icing. Integral colours are available in powdered, granular and liquid forms. All types are generally a blend of synthetic or natural iron-oxide pigments that are formulated to disperse evenly when mixed into fresh concrete, either at the ready-mix plant or at the job-site. The palette for integral pigments consists primarily of soft earth tones that integrate well with most landscapes and architectural elements.

The chief advantage of integral pigments is that the colour extends throughout the entire concrete slab, so even if surface abrasion occurs, the colour will not wear away. The pigments in integral colouring admixtures also are chemically stable and won’t fade over time from exposure to the weather or ultraviolet light.

Another big advantage is convenience and labor savings. Because the integral colour is mixed into the concrete, you can simply place and finish the concrete as usual. There’s no need to dust the colour onto the surface and float it in during finishing, as is the case with shake-on hardeners.

Where to use Concrete Pigments

Integral pigments can be added to just about any type of new concrete. Popular applications include exterior flatwork, floors, walls and countertops. Integral colour is ideal for achieving uniform tones with no variations. It also works well as a contrasting base shade for creating layers of colour. For example, stamped concrete contractors often start out with integrally coloured concrete and then enhance it with colour hardeners, stains and other surface-applied treatments. Indoors, integral colour is a good alternative to shake-on colour hardeners if mess and cleanup are concerns.