Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering colouring the
concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.

Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant with
ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with e.g.
Portland cement etc.?

Thanks in advance!

Harry

On Sunday, September 30, 2012 1:00:15 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering colouring the

concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.



Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant with

ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with e.g.

Portland cement etc.?



Thanks in advance!



Harry

I thought portland was ordinary cement, OPC. Colouring pigment works with all cements, but if you want pale yellow or cream you'd need to start with white cement.


NT

In article ,
writes:
On Sunday, September 30, 2012 1:00:15 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering colouring the

concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.



Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant with

ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with e.g.

Portland cement etc.?



Thanks in advance!



Harry

I thought portland was ordinary cement, OPC. Colouring pigment works with all cements, but if you want pale yellow or cream you'd need to start with white cement.

White cement and building sand gives you yellow, without colouring.
Some building sand has quite a lot of (natural) surpless pigment.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Sep 30, 1:25*pm, (Andrew Gabriel)
wrote:
White cement and building sand gives you yellow, without colouring.
Some building sand has quite a lot of (natural) surpless pigment.

I had a holiday job in the 60s, with a chap who was pointing the
stones on historic buildings. My job was to wash the sand to remove
bright colours. barrow, hose in bottom, getting wet all day long.
Fantastic job. I loved it.

Any that did not go grey we returned to the builders merchants, and
they brought us something else.

wrote in
:

On Sunday, September 30, 2012 1:00:15 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering
colouring the concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.


Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant
with ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with
e.g. Portland cement etc.?

I thought portland was ordinary cement, OPC. Colouring pigment works
with all cements, but if you want pale yellow or cream you'd need to
start with white cement.

Thanks for this. My cement bags say Lafarge general purpose, which I
thought was different from Portland, but clearly you are right.

I'm not sure whether it's 'wholly' Portland, though:

http://tinyurl.com/cement701

So this is the wrong stuff? If I used some yellow colourant with it, would
the result be greyish yellow (which would probably be OK), or would
something else go on (as it might for example with some art paints, where
chemical properties can prevent application of standard colour-mixing
rules)?

Thanks again!

Harry

On 30/09/2012 13:36, Harry Davis wrote:
wrote in
:

On Sunday, September 30, 2012 1:00:15 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering
colouring the concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.


Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant
with ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with
e.g. Portland cement etc.?

I thought portland was ordinary cement, OPC. Colouring pigment works
with all cements, but if you want pale yellow or cream you'd need to
start with white cement.

Thanks for this. My cement bags say Lafarge general purpose, which I
thought was different from Portland, but clearly you are right.

I'm not sure whether it's 'wholly' Portland, though:

http://tinyurl.com/cement701

So this is the wrong stuff? If I used some yellow colourant with it, would
the result be greyish yellow (which would probably be OK), or would
something else go on (as it might for example with some art paints, where
chemical properties can prevent application of standard colour-mixing
rules)?

Thanks again!

Harry

Cement dyes are normally iron oxides, which are pretty much chemically
inert I would have thought. A little goes a long way and can look
garishly bright

On Sep 30, 1:00*pm, Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering colouring the
concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.

Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant with
ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with e.g.
Portland cement etc.?

Thanks in advance!

Harry

All cement is made to a standard unless you sneak some in from furrin
parts.
The only thing you might watch out for is some has additives that make
it much darker than the traditional stuff.

Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering colouring the
concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.

Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant with
ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with e.g.
Portland cement etc.?

Ordinary cement IS Portland cement. And white cement is only tad more
than grey..
Thanks in advance!

Harry


--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
writes:
On Sunday, September 30, 2012 1:00:15 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering colouring the

concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.



Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant with

ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with e.g.

Portland cement etc.?



Thanks in advance!



Harry
I thought portland was ordinary cement, OPC. Colouring pigment works with all cements, but if you want pale yellow or cream you'd need to start with white cement.

White cement and building sand gives you yellow, without colouring.
Some building sand has quite a lot of (natural) surpless pigment.

Iron oxide mainly

--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering
colouring the concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement
colourant.

Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant with
ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with e.g.
Portland cement etc.?

Yellow dye won't have any efect on dark green/grey cement, you'd have to use
white cement, which is about a tenner a bag.
Also you'd need white or very pale sand for the dye to have the desired
effect.
And you'll need a hell of a lot of dye to achive any kind of colour per mix,
that is, if you are adding it to the mix rather than adding it to the laid
concrete, at least a kilo per 25kg of cement.

Red's a different kettle of fish, it goes a lot further and you can get red
sand which sort of meets you half way.

On 30/09/2012 20:44, Phil L wrote:
Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering
colouring the concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement
colourant.

Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant with
ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with e.g.
Portland cement etc.?

Yellow dye won't have any efect on dark green/grey cement, you'd have to use
white cement, which is about a tenner a bag.
Also you'd need white or very pale sand for the dye to have the desired
effect.
And you'll need a hell of a lot of dye to achive any kind of colour per mix,
that is, if you are adding it to the mix rather than adding it to the laid
concrete, at least a kilo per 25kg of cement.

Red's a different kettle of fish, it goes a lot further and you can get red
sand which sort of meets you half way.



As with all pigments, a lot depends on the quality of the dispersion. I
went overboard with the yellow when patching round a manhole cover.
Bright yellow :-)

On Sunday, September 30, 2012 1:36:58 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:
meow2222 wrote in

:



On Sunday, September 30, 2012 1:00:15 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:

Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering

colouring the concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.





Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant

with ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with

e.g. Portland cement etc.?



I thought portland was ordinary cement, OPC. Colouring pigment works

with all cements, but if you want pale yellow or cream you'd need to

start with white cement.



Thanks for this. My cement bags say Lafarge general purpose, which I

thought was different from Portland, but clearly you are right.



I'm not sure whether it's 'wholly' Portland, though:



http://tinyurl.com/cement701



So this is the wrong stuff? If I used some yellow colourant with it, would

the result be greyish yellow (which would probably be OK), or would

something else go on (as it might for example with some art paints, where

chemical properties can prevent application of standard colour-mixing

rules)?



Thanks again!



Harry

yellow + grey = a warmer tint of grey


NT

On 01/10/2012 11:34, wrote:
On Sunday, September 30, 2012 1:36:58 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:
meow2222 wrote in

:



On Sunday, September 30, 2012 1:00:15 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:

Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering

colouring the concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement colourant.





Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant

with ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with

e.g. Portland cement etc.?



I thought portland was ordinary cement, OPC. Colouring pigment works

with all cements, but if you want pale yellow or cream you'd need to

start with white cement.



Thanks for this. My cement bags say Lafarge general purpose, which I

thought was different from Portland, but clearly you are right.



I'm not sure whether it's 'wholly' Portland, though:



http://tinyurl.com/cement701



So this is the wrong stuff? If I used some yellow colourant with it, would

the result be greyish yellow (which would probably be OK), or would

something else go on (as it might for example with some art paints, where

chemical properties can prevent application of standard colour-mixing

rules)?



Thanks again!



Harry

yellow + grey = a warmer tint of grey


NT

in theory yellow adds brightness, red adds warmth

"Phil L" wrote in
:

Harry Davis wrote:
Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering
colouring the concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement
colourant.

Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant
with ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with
e.g. Portland cement etc.?

Yellow dye won't have any efect on dark green/grey cement, you'd have
to use white cement, which is about a tenner a bag.
Also you'd need white or very pale sand for the dye to have the
desired effect.
And you'll need a hell of a lot of dye to achive any kind of colour
per mix, that is, if you are adding it to the mix rather than adding
it to the laid concrete, at least a kilo per 25kg of cement.

Thanks for this. I've already bought the standard cement.

Do you think I could get away with buying a bag of white cement, mixing it
with a lot of water and some yellow colourant, and then doing a cement
wash?

Or can you only do cement washes on walls?

The area I'm doing is in a front garden and only gets occasional foot
traffic.

Harry

On Monday, October 1, 2012 12:15:11 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:
"Phil L" wrote in

:



Harry Davis wrote:

Hello, I'm reconcreting a small front garden and considering

colouring the concrete, probably a pale yellow, using cement

colourant.



Can someone tell me whether it's sensible to use cement colourant

with ordinary cheap cement, or does it really only do a good job with

e.g. Portland cement etc.?



Yellow dye won't have any efect on dark green/grey cement, you'd have

to use white cement, which is about a tenner a bag.

Also you'd need white or very pale sand for the dye to have the

desired effect.

And you'll need a hell of a lot of dye to achive any kind of colour

per mix, that is, if you are adding it to the mix rather than adding

it to the laid concrete, at least a kilo per 25kg of cement.



Thanks for this. I've already bought the standard cement.



Do you think I could get away with buying a bag of white cement, mixing it

with a lot of water and some yellow colourant, and then doing a cement

wash?



Or can you only do cement washes on walls?



The area I'm doing is in a front garden and only gets occasional foot

traffic.



Harry

It would work. Temporarily. I'd lay the bulk in grey, and a top layer with white. Lay the 2nd before the 1st is fully set and they'll bond as one.


NT

On 01 Oct 2012, you wrote in uk.d-i-y:

On Monday, October 1, 2012 12:15:11 PM UTC+1, Harry Davis wrote:
"Phil L" wrote in

:


Do you think I could get away with buying a bag of white cement,
mixing it

with a lot of water and some yellow colourant, and then doing a
cement wash?

Or can you only do cement washes on walls?
The area I'm doing is in a front garden and only gets occasional foot
traffic.

It would work. Temporarily. I'd lay the bulk in grey, and a top layer
with white. Lay the 2nd before the 1st is fully set and they'll bond
as one.

Thanks for this. What thickness would I need for the top layer?

Harry