The “Pizza Box”: Our Solution to Masonry Color Matching in the Field [with demo video]
Whether you need to color match for a mortar repair or color match for the application of a paint/coating, our “pizza box” of color samples is the perfect solution.
Yes, you can get a custom color match, but there is a pretty good chance that the color you need is a color available in our Standard or Premium lines (or even a combination of Standard and Premium colors).
What’s the benefit of matching to Standard and Premium Colors?
Limestone Pizza Box
Choosing a Standard or Premium color is faster and less expensive. We stock our Standard and Premium colors, which means these will ship out in days rather than the weeks required for a laboratory custom color match. And cutting out the laboratory time in producing your color saves money.
The “pizza box" is simply a convenient means of packaging a collection of our Standard and Premium colors by substrate. Working on a limestone project? Order the limestone “pizza box.” There’s a “pizza box” for each substrate. And if you’re color matching for a potassium silicate coating, there’s a “pizza box” for that as well.
Inside of each box are a series of “pucks”—one puck for each available color. The pucks are made of the Jahn Repair Mortar specific to the target substrate, so the colors have cured within the mortar (or on the surface of the mortar in the case of potassium silicate coating). And so, limestone samples are made from Jahn M70 Limestone Repair Mortar, etc. This is ideal when matching colors. It gives a true representation of what you can expect to see when your work is finished.
Potassium Silicate Pizza Box
Once you have your pizza box on site, here’s how to get the best results:
1) ALWAYS clean the substrate area you plan to match—even if you are not intending to clean the entire structure later. In time, your repair or coating will get weathered like the rest of the facade, and the colors will naturally blend.
2) Select the pucks that appear to be the closest match. Place each against the surface and stand 12 to 20 feet away to really see the differences among them. If one clearly is not a match, cross it off your list and select another.
3) We encourage you to have two, three, or four matches selected for approval. Doing so will give the the architect, historical society, or the building owner choices, which will increase the likelihood of you getting an approval on this first review. BUT DON’T CALL THEM JUST YET!
Single puck.
4) Order sample sizes of the selected colors plus a neutral. Install mockups on an indiscreet section of the building; adjust your color with the neutral mortar if needed. Allow the mockups to cure for at least two weeks to allow for a true read.
5) At this point, invite the stakeholders to the site to make their selection. If the stone in different sections of the building varies in color, you may need to complete this process in more than one section.
Michael Liguori demos how to use the pizza box in the field.
The Results
We’ve found this color selection process to be very effective and efficient. Stakeholders have options, but the options have been narrowed down to a limited number of colors very likely to be a color-match success. Plus, they’ve seen firsthand how a color will look on the actual area to be restored.
Questions? Contact us any time at tech@cathederalstone.com.
