Asked on Apr 23, 2019

Has anyone mixed acrylic paint & concrete to make colored flower pots?

Ruth
by Ruth

Has anyone mixed acrylic paint with concrete to make colored flower potsi know you can mix latex, but can I used acrylic?

  3 answers
  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 23, 2019

    Acrylic and latex paints are each actually made from acrylic resins. ... Latex paintsare water-based, while acrylic paints are chemical-based.Well, first of all, cement is mixed with water to create concrete. As you already know, water and oil don't mix, so oil paint would not be a good option. They do make water soluble oil paints, but these are only meant to be cleaned up with water, not to be thinned for use with water, as water will make the paint cloudy. So, for this project, it would be okay for you to use water soluble oil paint, since the paint would end up being cloudy anyway, when mixed into the cement. I wouldn't recommend this though, because it seems like a waste to buy something like this just to color cement, when there so many better options for this project.There are two primary methods used to color cement. One is a dry pigment that is swept across the surface of freshly finished concrete, and the other is uses powder or liquid pigments that are mixed into the wet concrete before it is poured. Since you are making pots not laying some massive floor,patio you can use clothing dye or food coloring too.....Add clothes dye to a bucket of warm water and stir. Mix it in proportionately with the concrete. The lime in the concrete is the fixative here, no need to add either salt or vinegar. Start with one teaspoon of dye to one quart of water, but this is variable and depends completely on how dark or light you want the color to be. As an example, for 1 square foot of blue concrete, add a full teaspoon of dye to the required water. This will create a dark blue. Add half of a teaspoon to the water for a lighter color blue. Adjust the dye color in this way to achieve the concrete color that you desire.

    Add food coloring in the same way as a clothes dye pigment. Food coloring is not as concentrated as clothes dye, so it is best used for smaller projects. Food coloring can be added straight into the concrete without mixing it into water first.

    • See 1 previous
    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 23, 2019

      lots more colors than the actual cement dye--don't forget some good gloves--speaking of experimenting,  ing about layering different colored cement for ombre or rainbow colored pots.i'm going to experiment too.rainbow would have to be dark to light incase colors bleed alittle probably need to let each color partially set then pour next.Have fun-----you've inspired my creative lobe

  • Mr ATC Mr ATC on Apr 28, 2019

    Hi there,

    it's possible but make sure the acrylic resist water


  • Janine Burke Janine Burke on Feb 12, 2020

    Hi Ruth, did you try it? I would like to know how the results were. Thank you!