How to Mix & Whiten Concrete

Many appreciate the industrial durability of concrete but don't think the natural gray tone will fulfill their aesthetic goals for an interior or exterior space. Fortunately, an entire industry has grown around the need for concrete decorating solutions and many concrete product suppliers now provide a range of powdered concrete pigments. Lighten concrete to make it seem softer and more delicate, using white pigment powder. You can add the pigment powder directly to concrete during the mixing process.

Wheelbarrow, bucket or concrete mixer
Shovel (optional)
Drill with plaster-mixing bit (optional)
Crushed rock
Sand
Cement
White concrete pigment

Instructions

- 1
  Set up an appropriate concrete-mixing vessel. Options for smaller amounts of concrete include a wheelbarrow or a bucket. Mix concrete with a shovel or a drill with a plaster-mixing bit. For larger amounts, use an automatic concrete mixer with a large, spinning drum.
- 2
  Assess the dry ingredients needed. Proportions may vary depending on manufacturer recommendations, project specificity and natural conditions; however, a common recipe includes one part cement, two parts sand and three parts crushed rock. Assess the necessary amount of white pigment powder at the ratio indicated in the directions. Approximately 10 lb. of pigment per cubic yard of concrete is typical.
- 3
  Add the concrete, sand and pigment powder to the mixing container or mixer drum and blend them together.
- 4
  Add the cement to the container or mixer drum.
- 5
  Mix water bit by bit into the dry ingredients until you form a semi-thick but workable consistency. Create a consistency that is not so thick that it stands up but not so thin that it runs. For the above ratio, use approximately half-part water.

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