My grot is changing color. It was sort of a brownish red when I made it and it's turning grey,looks like cement. Can anyone tell me why???

Rick - I don't know the answer but I sure would like to know it ! How about trying a big sample real quick and leaving it out all winter and that should be a decent test.

My guess with what I have done (not enough to feel confident) is that black universal tint (the stuff they put in the black paint to make it black) would do a great job of making the dark black color and it would be thin and not create the "layer" of enamel that might flake off..... Adding the sealer sounds like it would give the shine and the protection. What do you think??
Laura

Ijust read the side of a can of enamel that we used in our kitchen finishing.It reads as if it can be used on concrete,but I'll check with the store today and advise!
Cheers from here

Rick --- Most paints will not last long on concrete and an awful lot of it falls off within a couple of weeks. There are a few, new, high-tech (high-price) industrial paints that work better than most, but all paints have a problem getting along with concrete and will do their dead-level best to get away from any they are applied to. In spite of the claims made on a lot of paint labels, very few are actually engineered to meet the task. That said...here's a couple of questions & considerations...

---What will the bowls be used for (do they need a "food-grade" finish for example, or will they need to hold water...???...both?...)

---How will they be made? Cast...or laid-up in or on a form?

---Remember that all concrete has to "breathe". Internal moisture must have a way to get out.

---Never put paint on concrete that is less than a full 28 days old (fully cured) and as dry as possible on the surface.

Note...If all you want to accomplish is a rich black, you can use a high content of standard, dry cement color in the mix (in black of course), let cure for a week and then etch with a black acid stain. Finish off with a good solvent based penetrating sealer (which can also be tinted with black, then a final topcoat of wax. Carnuba for outdoors, beeswax for indoors. And beeswax is available in "food-grade". That's what is used on properly finished concrete counter tops. You can indeed attain a jet black, it just takes a little practice and a few extra steps than most colors.

PS...I hear lots of tales about someone putting one paint or another (usually "cheap" in the story) on some gnome or whatever and having it last for "years & years". Well, if true, it's a fluke that defies some basic principals of chemistry and certainly not a predictable result or there would be a heck of a lot more "painted" concrete around than there currently is. Concrete is pretty complicated stuff, chemically speaking, and for way more a hundred years now, some mighty powerful minds have applied themselves to nothing but the problem of how to get paint to stay on concrete...without any real breakthroughs. That in itself oughta' give you something to think about.

This black brick spent the summer in full sun and it's still coal black.
This is simply, black pigment and copper slag in regular portland unsealed.
Sealed it gets blacker. High gloss sealer makes it just about as black as black can get.
The white spots are actually metalic glitter off the black slag. In the sun this brick appears to be black metalic paint.

{{gwi:75061}}

Spoke to the Benny Moore people and they DO have a food grade epoxy finish,high gloss,and its black!Jet black.Reading the specs,this is formulated to work with concrete,high wear resistance,waterproof,and is(apparently)food grade.It ain't cheap as this IS industrial,cost about 120 bucks for the two parts,but,I figure I can get about 60 bowls,two coated,with these amounts.Because I also have another 2 part epoxy for the natural look,I'm set!
Cheers from here

And,we've had good luck to date with the Modern Masters series of metallic paints;one responder to a thread about this paint had had it in her yard for a couple of years with little effect on the copper(some deterioration of the patina was noted).We've had a copper covered face in our yard for 3 months with NO loss of patina or the basecoat of copper.And,it has rained HARD for a fair number of those days.Appreciate what you say about some of the"cheap"paints and totally agree.You can't get quality without paying for it!!I've done the slag and colouring but it isn't what I want.The finish I envision is like a fine Japanese lacquer on bento boxes.Smooth and,after polishing ,deep,if you know what I mean.I'm picky-and I hope my clients appreciate it!!
Cheers from here

What I have learned ........

-acrylic exterior latex house paint works great on concrete - and after 2+ years outside, the color is true and good......I buy the mistake gallons of paint at the paint stores, so we are not talking expensive.

-metallic craft paints hold up well outside - no loss here, either

.......none of my stuff is intended for food stuffs, however....can't even imagine that.

Vicki

I believe L&L use latex as well,diluted 2:1(Martha Stewart Living piece,thanks BillieAnn!).
As to food stuffs:indoor serenity pools(fountains)seem to attract our cats for their ration of water.I've extrapolated and figure EVERYONE'S cat slurps from the fountain bowl,so,I want the coatings to be safe.And,they do look good with that epoxy finish!And,talk about a great sealer...
For those of you south of the border(down Bellingham way)Look up Paverpro for their epoxy sealers.Benny Moore apparently has clear as well.
Like I"ve said in the past,I want uncompromised quality to my finishing.This appears to be the way!!
cheers from here

A last thought(at least,until I try it!).The codes for Benny Moore are:Moorespec Industrial Coatings M36/M37.The specific code for the colour is M36-82(black).The catalyst remains M37.
cheers from here!

I think paint is fine for concrete and tufa crafts sold reasonably cheap to add a little temporary color to the garden. But if I paid hundreds of dollars for a fountain or statuary for instance I would be more than a little upset if it started looking like crap even 5-10 years from now.
That's why fine concrete products are not painted.

As said before,David,each to their own!!!

I agree that for those who are selling in the marketplace for mega $$s, that the quality and costs are of prime concern. For those of us who only live in the here and now w/ the household budget, there are cheaper, easier ways -

I was given a gift of a cherub statue from a well named source - and it is cracking and chipping and crumbling ....it never was painted, but obviously its matrix is of a lower grade than what even the humblest of us at the HT forum would approve.

So yes - those of you who leave the porch to play w/ the big dogs are right to pursue excellence as you can. I apologize for any toes on which I have stepped or any psyches I have offended.

I remember when I was new here, and how much I appreciated learning that even I could make things .........I was not interested in a money making career - only in satisfying the creative bent that was new to my aged bones. I still am grateful for all that down to the earth information.

Vicki

Hi,Vicki-no nose out of joint here.Like I said,the quality has to be there.One of the reasons?Our B&B guests see the pieces up close and personal when they're on the property;in the woods,on the bluff,in the foyer to the breakfast room.We've sold pieces on that basis.I just sold a finished(copper) face to one of Canada's most influential women at an art auction.For this kind of client,the best IS needed.Plus,I kinda like doing them that way!!
Cheers from here