← Back to Blog

ACGI Blog: Pigments

1) “Pigments are granular solids incorporated into the paint to contribute color, toughness, texture or simply to reduce the cost of the paint.” “Pigments can be classified as either natural or synthetic types. Natural pigments include various clays, calcium carbonate, mica, silicas, and talcs. Synthetics would include engineered molecules, calcined clays, blanc fix, precipitated calcium carbonate, and synthetic pyrogenic silicas.” “Hiding pigments, in making paint opaque, also protect the substrate from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light. Hiding pigments include titanium dioxide, phthalo blue, red iron oxide, and many others.” (1) The opacity of paint greatly depends on the hiding pigments included in the makeup of the paint.

This is precisely the reason why paint applicators prime and paint bare substrates in the first place because we want to protect the investment of the owner from degradation under alternating weather patterns. The contractor has the option of offering a warranty on top of the paint manufacturer’s warranty to ensure that the homeowner is satisfied with the application of the paint onto the substrate that is painted.

When the chemical makeup of the paint fails you want to consider the following as probable causes for paint failure: opaque not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through.

“Fillers are a special type of pigment that serve to thicken the film, support its structure and simply increase the volume of the paint. Fillers are usually made of cheap and inert materials, such as diatomaceous earth, talc, lime, barytes, clay, etc.”

Written by ACGI Homes