Tints & Pigments

There are two ways to put color on a concrete floor and they are not variations of each other. A pigment goes into the coating, so the color sits in the film. A dye goes into the concrete, so the color sits in the slab and the coating over it stays clear. The look, the process and the failure modes are all different.

Pigment packs are the straightforward path. A measured pack of colorant is mixed into a specific resin to produce a solid color body coat or a tinted overlay. Two things decide whether it works. The first is compatibility, since a pigment formulated for one chemistry can affect cure or gloss in another. The second is mixing. Pigment has to be dispersed completely, and streaks from under-mixing only reveal themselves once the coating has flowed out on the floor, which is far too late.

Acetone dyes work differently. The dye is carried in solvent, penetrates the surface, and the acetone flashes off, leaving color in the concrete. Because it penetrates rather than covers, a dye follows the slab's own variation, which is what people want on a polished or decorative floor and what surprises them on a patchy one. Dye also shows every mark from preparation, so the grind has to be finished before the dye goes down.

Dose rate governs intensity for both. More pigment is not automatically better, since heavy loading can affect the resin's performance. Sample the exact combination of colorant, resin and substrate you plan to use, and get the sample approved before ordering the floor.