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The Perfect White Pigment – Using Titanium Dioxide

06 August 2024 by TerraChrom Staff

 

The secret to making the "Perfect" White Pigment

 

Ever wondered how to use natural pigments to lighten or make the "perfect white" in your project? The secret is Titanium Dioxide!

 

Titanium dioxide occurs naturally in three forms: anatase, brookite, and rutile. Titanium white is produced from rutile or ilmenite. The largest deposits in the world are found in New Zealand, Norway, the United States, India, and Australia.

 

 Titanium Dioxide is a white, opaque and naturally- occurring mineral. It is then chemically processed to remove impurities. It is odorless and absorbent.

 

Titanium Dioxide is the pigment used to create the colour white. It is a pure white powder with no undertones. The more Titanium Dioxide is added, the crisper and opaque the white will be. Depending on the opacity or brightness of the white required, the amount of Titanium Dioxide you will want to use can vary from 20ml to 75ml Titanium Dioxide per litre. 

Our paints and coatings come untinted with the pigments separately; this way you can test out and make changes at home and create your perfect "white". It is recommended to do a small test patch (ex. with one litre of paint), letting the paint dry and assessing the colour before tinting the full amount. From there, you can add more pigment to make the white crisper, or completely change colours with different pigments/ratios. It is important to write down the ratios of paint & pigments you use so you can recreate the same colour later. If you add in smaller increments the water and pigments you can always adjust with more/different pigments, add more water for different consistency.