How are colors made?
Our colors for concrete are not dye's, stains or paints. We color our concrete curbing with pure, concentrated pigments made of metal oxides recycled from iron or refined from the earth and specially processed for mixing into concrete. They are lightfast, alkali-resistant, weather-resistant, durable and, like concrete, they are long-lasting. A Better Edge is available in a wide spectrum of colors and those colors can be custom formulated to match design requirements.
These concentrated pigments are added to the batch of cement during the mixing cycle. They are measured for batch-to-batch consistency. Our colors comply with ASTM C979* Pigments for Integrally Colored Concrete.
We are able to purchase pigments from a variety of manufacturers. If you are working with someone on a sidewalk or patio and would like to use the same color scheme, ask them what supplier they are using and the color name. Be sure however to check with your installers warranty information. Pure iron oxide pigments will not fade. If the warranty mentions the possibility of fade, tell them you'll gladly pay more to use the good stuff.
*ASTM C 979-05 Standard Specification for Pigments for Integrally Colored Concrete