Color Matching

Advanced Architectural Stone has the capabilities to match color to the needs of the project with in-house lab. AAS color specialists working full time for the company. This staffing allows for consistency of samples and continuous oversight of color throughout the production cycle.

Higher Education Complex | Cast Stone as Primary Wall and Accent Material for Grand Foyer

Almost any color can be developed for the AAS product line. However, certain colors are more expensive to produce than other colors. Generally this has to do with the amount of pigment used to achieve the desired result.

Two extremes are good examples –

• A very white product has an admixture of titanium which is an expensive and sometimes scarce raw material.
• Charcoal and black on the other end of the color spectrum are also expensive due to the amount of the pigment needed and the fact that special production precautions must be taken to protect other products from being contaminated in the production room.

AAS Cast Stone | Precise Color Matching, & Color Customization Created Desired Visual Appeal and Design Intent of the Architect | Tarrant County Jail | Architect: Gideon Toal

There is a substantial amount of added labor in these processes.

In order to develop the right color of product, AAS will need a control sample that we are going to match. A paint color chip is not sufficient since texture is an important ingredient in the coloration of stone. We like to work with control samples that are at least 2 x 2 inches or larger. The customer needs to keep the same control sample as the process proceeds.

AAS Project: Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau | Cast Stone | Architect: ArchiTexas | General Contractor: Thomas S Byrne

AAS has a computerized liquid color system. The colors are developed from iron oxide pigments which become an integral part of the batch design; therefore keeping color consistency permanently. The main advantage of this system is that it is automated so that there is maximum consistency of product color.

How we see color is important. The perception of color comes when we think about three basic principles –

1. The light source which can be variable- sunlight, on a cloudy day, a sunny day and a day in different seasons of the year; florescent or incandescent light that may be used to light the structure at night; and reflection from other buildings or objects are all important considerations.
2. The object itself is static. In other words seeing the object in as close to the space as where the project will be constructed is helpful.
3. Lastly, the person viewing the object has a subjective perspective and each eye perceives color slightly differently.

Cast stone Adjusted around Dimensional Variability of European Stain Glass Windows, GFRC at Higher Elevations

See case study of custom colors for a number of projects…