Natural oxides are used to tint the Rockcote Natural Materials range. These oxides are available in earthy tones and thus colour options for the Natural Materials range are limited. It is also possible to tint Rockcote Smooth Set to the Natural Materials colour range using oxides (please note Smooth Set is not a product in the Natural Materials range and is a concrete based patching compound).
Either oxides (in powder form) or liquid tint (oxides in liquid form) can be used depending on the product selected. Powdered oxides are used to tint dry Natural Materials products (sold in bags) and liquid tints are used for the wet Natural Materials products. Refer to the tint table below for a guide. Please note that micro oxides should be used to tint wet Natural Material products, but need to be soaked overnight before they are added slowly to the product. Liquid tints are recommended for wet products to reduce the likelihood of oxide bursts occurring in the finished product.
| Product |
Oxides |
Liquid Tint |
| Marrakesh |
|
|
| Lime Plaster Basecote |
|
|
| Clay Plaster Décor |
|
|
| Earthen Render Medium |
|
|
| Earthen Render Coarse |
|
|
| Venetian Plaster |
|
|
| Otsumigaki |
|
|
| Lime Wash |
|
|
| Smooth Set |
|
*Micro oxides should be used in Smooth Set to reduce the likelihood of oxide bursts in the tinted product.
When tinting products in the Rockcote Natural Materials range, it is important to note that the maximum oxides or liquid tint that should be added to the product is 40g per kilogram of product, or up to 4% of the total product weight/volume. If a higher proportion of oxides or liquid tint is added to the product, it will change the composition of the product and affect the finish. It should be noted that it may be difficult to achieve dark tints with the Natural Materials range due to this oxide limitation. Use of the maximum, or near maximum, recommended oxides or liquid tint within a product may also increase the required drying time for that product.
Due to the nature of natural materials, each batch may have very slight variations in natural colouring and possibly texture. Even though these variations may not be noticeable in the colour of the product, they may cause variation in colour to the finished product when oxides or liquid tints are added. It is recommended that products from the Natural Materials range be purchased from the same batch for each project, and for these products to be tinted together, to minimise the likelihood of colour variations within the same project.
The beauty of the Natural Materials range results from the combination of natural materials in each product. These differing combinations mean that tints take differently within each product. The different finishes used for each product also have an impact on the shade of the finished product as light reflects differently off of each finish. For example, if 10g of the same colour oxide was used per kilogram of each product, the products would produce a different shade. This is illustrated perfectly in the picture above: all of these Natural Material products and Smooth Set were tinted with the exact same weight/volume of oxides/liquid tint, yet you can clearly see the different shades of the finished products. Products from left to right: Earthen Render Medium, Lime Plaster Basecote, Lime Wash, Smooth Set, Marrakesh, and Otsumigaki.
Advice for tinting using oxides
When tinting dry product with oxides, the below process is recommended to reduce the likelihood of oxide bursts occurring in the finish:
- Soak the oxide in water overnight.
- Mix the soaked oxide with the rest of the water required for the product.
- Slowly add the product to the water, mix it in slowly. This should take at least 10-15 minutes.
- Leave the mixed product to sit for 20 minutes.
- Stir the product well for a further 10-15 minutes.
More mixing may be required depending on the product.
For more information on how to tint and apply the Natural Materials range, please contact Rockcote online or call 1300 736 668.
