It is a substance (pure pigment) or preparation (compound pigment) in the form of practically insoluble fine particles, unlike the dyes which are in liquid solution (dye for ink, for paint, for dyeing...) Mineral pigments, organic pigments and metallic pigments can be found.

We classify them on our website in two categories: natural or synthetic. Natural pigments (for example our ochre, earth, etc.), are found in the natural state and undergo only a process of calcination and/or mixtures.
Synthetic pigments, on the other hand, are produced by thermal and/or chemical reaction between several materials. We speak here of «green chemistry». Their shades are less term than those of natural mineral pigments which, in turn, have a much better resistance to UV over time. Unfortunately, we often read or hear the words “blue ochre”, “pink ochre”… These products do not exist, it is a shortcut that some uninitiated people take to talk about synthetic pigments. Moreover, not all natural pigments are ochre ! Just as there are synthetic pigments of a color similar to ochre and which are not! Ochre is not a colour but a material itself (kaolin + hydroxide/iron oxide) which has its own characteristics, such as its inalterability.

To adhere to a substrate, pigments need to be incorporated into a binder. These can be transparent (acrylic binder, gel, resin), white (lime, casein, cement), or even yellow (linseed oil). The binder will have a huge impact on the final color! Not surprisingly, the transparent binders will give you a color similar to that of the powder pigment. The white binders will lighten the shade by about 50% (so watch out for reds that can turn pink with lime!). Finally, linseed oil in particular will darken the color. For this reason, we simplify your choice by offering you for each pigment in our catalog, a photo of plates presenting the rendering with linseed oil, as well as renderings of the pigment dosed 5 and 20% (maximal saturation) in lime. What to help you choose !

Here is the million-dollar question:-) But already… is it possible? The good news is that yes! To help you do this, you can count on your best ally : lime water. Lime water is the water used to extinguish quicklime. It is therefore still lime-laden but no longer has the white color that inevitably fades the dye. Its transparency makes possible to create very bright tones without blocking the support.
You can apply it in fresco (fresh in fresh), patina or fixative. More information here.

Very often, we see the mistake made by some customers : to put too much pigment by wanting to accentuate the coloring power of the pigment. However, the pigment has a saturation beyond which not only will your pigment not color more, but it will also risk disgorging and soiling your hands/furniture when rubbing.It can also «chalk» leaving unsightly white traces on your wall.
It can also «chalk» leaving unsightly white traces on your wall.It can also «chalk» leaving unsightly white traces on your wall. But then, what is the ideal dosage? First of all, it depends on the ingredients you are going to put in your mixture. If it is adjuvanted (as are our Badisof/Badisof Plus), the dosage is between 0.1 and 20% for natural pigments, and between 0.1 and 15% for synthetic pigments. Otherwise, we advise you not to exceed 15% for natural and 5-7% for synthetic. The percentage is calculated in relation to the total volume of your mixture. It is therefore necessary to know exactly what you are going to put in it and in what proportions before choosing your pigment and its dosage.

With the classic flour/Swedish paint recipe, it is not really possible to get a "beautiful" white hue because linseed oil yellows the mixture and iron sulphate browns it… This results in a slightly yellowish white, “dirty”… There is, however, an alternative to the traditional recipe, in which some ingredients are replaced by others, which Nathalie Boisseau presents in her book « La peinture suédoise » (writen in French).