The base colorants available for use with Finale allow you to achieve a wide range of natural colors. Regardless of which color you choose, your countertop will have completely unique, one of a kind texture and shade variations. Creating with concrete is a naturally imperfect process, and therefore offers real beauty, not plastic perfection. It is not a precise or predictable process that will create exactly the color you see on the screen.
We recommend that you simply decide on an overall hue (white, black, cool gray, neutral gray) and saturation level (light, medium-light, medium-dark or dark) and then embark on your artistic adventure. If you are more the scientific type, you can create a range of color samples before you begin.
Color Options and Gradations for Finale
The color options for Finale are:
- Mist (warm gray)
- Iron (neutral gray)
- Ebony (can achieve a range from black to light cool gray)
- Ivory (white)
- Dune (tan)
- Dark
- Medium-Dark
- Medium-Light
- Light
Color Formulas for Finale
- Dark: Use 4 Tbsp of Color per 2 cups of dry Concrete mix. Buy 1 bottle of Color per 8 sq ft of countertop.
- Medium-Dark: Use 2 Tbsp of Color per 2 cups of dry Concrete mix. Buy 1 bottle of Color per 16 sq ft of countertop.
- Medium-Light: Use 1 Tbsp of Color per 2 cups of dry Concrete mix. Buy 1 bottle of Color per 32 sq ft of countertop.
- Light: Use 1/2 Tbsp of Color per 2 cups of dry Concrete mix. Buy 1 bottle of Color per 64 sq ft of countertop.
Color Sample Photos for Finale
Each of the color sample photos below shows the Color on Finale, sealed with Omega Concrete Countertop Sealer on the top and Ovation Concrete Countertop Sealer on the bottom. The thin line in the middle is unsealed concrete.
You will notice a substantial difference in the appearance when sealed with Omega versus when sealed with Ovation. This is because Omega is a highly color enhancing sealer, whereas Ovation offers very little color enhancement (much closer to the appearance of bare concrete).
Be aware also that different sealers have different sheens, from matte to satin to glossy, and this will also affect the appearance of your concrete countertops.
Mist (warm gray)
Iron (neutral gray)
Ebony (black to cool gray)
If you want to make blacker concrete, use Black Glaze before sealing.
Ivory (white)
Only one shade of Ivory makes sense, as color variations between 4 different shades would be barely visible.
The sample shows:
- “Medium-Dark” Ivory on the left (a medium-high loading of 2 Tbsp of Color per 2 cups dry Concrete)
- Uncolored Finale on the right so that you can see the off-white color.
It is also possible to make “Dark” (high loading of Color, the whitest possible) Ivory by using 4 Tbsp of Color.
If you want to make whiter concrete, use White Glaze before sealing.
Dune (tan)
Only two shades of Dune make sense, as color variations between 4 different shades would be barely visible.
