Colorants User Guide
Watch the Video For Karen’s Tips, Tricks and Tactics
For Your New Colorants!
The most popular question in my Mosaic Mentoring Facebook group of 40k members is “What color grout?”
There was a need for an easy way to purchase quality colorants so when I found out one of the world’s leading color concrete pigment experts was my neighbor from 40 years ago, I had to reach out.
With over 42 years of experience and a passion for color, he knows color! He also produces the world’s strongest black pigment BK 555 (triple five) We have teamed up to bring you an exciting new collection of fine-quality powder pigments in an inspiring array of beautiful colors.
General Colorants
Mixing Guide
(((((((9.46ml) (When mixing colorants it’s important to first decide how saturated you want your color to be. There is a maximum load to each colorant listed on the bottle. The maximum load is the highest percentage of pigment you can add to a powder cement product (grout, thin set or concrete) to obtain the most saturated color.
DO NOT ADD MORE THAN THE MAXIMUM LOAD or your product will not harden. If you add less colorant, you will get a lighter value.
YOU MUST MIX YOUR DRY CEMENT-BASED PRODUCTS AND COLORANT TOGETHER FIRST BEFORE ADDING WATER
What you will need
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- Scale to measure in grams (Amazon)
- Measuring spoons and cups (I recommend metal)
- Large container for mixing
- Small container for testing color (I recommend silicone)
- Large and small spatula (I recommend silicone for large and Italian metal for small)
- Ziplock baggies
- Dropper or syringe for water
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Mixing suggestions
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- Shake powdered colorant and cement base in a ziplock baggie until very well mixed.
- Scoop out a small amount into a small silicone cup, add drops of water and mix to determine color. (Remember it will always dry lighter)
- If you are satisfied, then transfer the amount you need from the baggie into a mixing bowl and add water slowly until it is peanut butter consistency.
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Approximate Measurements:
1C (237ml) concrete base = 1.44 teaspoons (7.09ml) of colorant for 3%,
1.92 teaspoons (9.46ml) of colorant for 4%,
4.8 teaspoons of (23.66ml) colorant for 10%
Color mixing
When mixing colorants together to create new color combinations,
mix the colorants dry before adding to your concrete base and liquid.
I recommend you create a small sample board to ensure you get the color you want.
Safety and clean up
Particulate (N95) mask is recommended. Avoid contact with skin and clothes. Wash with water.
Play, create, have fun and
Meet Rainbow Colorants Founder, Karen
Karen Sasine has always been an artist. Her passion for color and pattern started very early with a love of textiles and design, which led her to earn a BA degree in art.
Mosaics found her in 2002 and has proven to be a perfect medium with its variety of materials and styles. Over the past 18 years, as she has honed her mosaic art skills, sharing her knowledge through teaching and mentoring has brought her immense joy.
In 2015, in the interest of spreading her love of mosaics, Karen created the Facebook group Mosaic Mentoring. Today that group’s membership has over 46,000 people, beginners and professionals alike, exploring, learning, and sharing their mosaics knowledge freely.
A Little Love For Our Colorants
I recently purchased some grout colorants from Karen Sasine. These colorants are a life changer. They are intense and come in 24 different colors with possiblity of getting even more color variants by mixing 2 or more colors together. Experimenting and creating color samples for future reference is convenient and lots of fun. They come with instructions of how to mix colors to grout. Karen is also always ready to answer questions and help via chat or messenger. I would highly recomend these colorants to fellow mosaic artists.