DCI Concrete Pigments

[Bexley]

I keep meaning to post this... I've looked into concrete pigments for tinting plaster a number of times in the past. The liquid ones you can get at home improvement stores for concrete or grout never seem to work- they either take days to fully dry, never dry at all, or leave the castings really brittle. The problem with dry pigments, though, is that most places seem to only sell in 25 or 50 lb. quantities. Last time I looked, however, I found DCI, which sells 4 oz. and 8 oz. samples for $10 and $15, respectively. I bought a 4oz packet of the reddish color for making bricks, and a little goes a long long way. The pigments are really strong, and they are completely inert (I called and asked before ordering) so they don't inhibit the plaster from setting. (One of these days, I need to try using them as weathering pigments, just to see if they'll work for that.)

Even better, they now sell a sample kit for $30 which contains 10 4-oz. samples. The kit has probably all the colors you'd ever want for modelling bricks/pavement/tile for a pretty good price. Plus free shipping on orders of $25 or more, so the kit is an even better deal.

There's only two real problems:

1. They don't ship outside the US. You may be able to call them and make arrangements. They seemed pretty happy to help me out when I called, even knowing I was unlikely to buy any large quantities of their product, and may work something out with you.

2. Their color charts are a bit odd. They don't show the actual colors of the pigments, but the colors you get when mixing X amount of pigment and Y amount of concrete. Which makes sense if you're buying for masonry and such, I suppose. But it's a bit weird, because several color swatches are the same pigment, in different ratios. So it's tough to just pick the color you want from the swatches. For example, the #230 is black. But the chart shows "Weathered Tin", "Battleship Gray", and "Smokestack" using varying ratios of #230 and concrete. If I hadn't ordered the sample pack, I'd have never known that #230 is black pigment.

[shropshire lad]

I buy my pigments for colouring plaster from my local builders merchant . They are sold as mortar dyes and can be bought in 1kg tubs . I only use three colours , red , buff and black . By mixing the red and buff in different proportions I can make different shades of terracotta for when I am casting bricks and tiles . The black dye is very intense and only a small amount is needed to make the plaster turn grey , which is what I usually need .

  Nick

[Bexley]

Right, but my local places probably don't sell the same brands as yours, and I've never found ones around here that work without causing setting problems. For those of us that can't find what we need at Home Depot, this is a good alternative.

[shropshire lad]

Right, but my local places probably don't sell the same brands as yours, and I've never found ones around here that work without causing setting problems. For those of us that can't find what we need at Home Depot, this is a good alternative.

  I'm willing to put money on them not selling the same brands , seeing as you are in the US and I'm in the UK . My point was , similar to yours , is that it is worth looking locally first to see if they are available off the shelf . Giving business to local people , and all that . I know they sell similar products in Oz because I saw them  when I was there , so I'm sure that " In the Land where you can get anything" they will be available .

  Nick