Surface Aspects of VM ZINC®

PIGMENTO®: A different way to look at zinc

Preweathered VM ZINC® in Nature's Colours. Zinc is known for its elegant shade of grey.  Now just imagine what a subtle shade of blue, red or green can contribute to your creations. Zinc is naturally grey. Today, VM ZINC® is branching out with new colours. Facades and roofs are taking on red, green and blue shades, opening up new horizons for architectural creation. PIGMENTO® is constantly changing reflections, which play with light, the environment and volumes. Zinc blends perfectly with regional specificities and can be combined with other coloured materials (tiles, bricks, etc.). The textured aspect of the pre-weathered zinc shows through the colour, just as the grain in wood is visible through its coat of varnish. Thus, the zinc retains its essential character. Audacious and attractive, PIGMENTO® pre-weathered zinc combines quality and durability, aesthetics and the avant-garde. Emotion and tradition are expressed in contemporary, personalised architecture. With QUARTZ-ZINC® and ANTHRA-ZINC® and the new preweathered PIGMENTO® range in blue, red and green, you will discover a new way to look at zinc. (Please note:  At this time, PIGMENTO® is not a stock item here in the USA).

PIGMENTO® Information Sheets

Natural Zinc

NATURAL ZINC is what we call the zinc as it comes out of the rolling mill. It has that shiny silverish look to it.
 

This look will not remain, as further described under Weathering, the material will form a patina. With zinc this process is called weathering, which is why material that has a factory induced patina is called "preweathered".

Since there is little demand for NATURAL ZINC in roofing and wall cladding we don’t stock much of it.

ANTHRA ZINC®

ANTHRA ZINC® is also a brand of Umicore and refers to a black patina we form on the zinc. The result is a surface aspect that is quite unique, an artificial patina with a different color.

The matt black look with the visible grain structure gives the material a velvet look, which is very much liked by Architects all over the world.

The ANTHRA surface is more vulnerable to scratches than the surface of other zinc.  A scratch in ANTHRA would be much more visible than on matt grey zinc. We apply a Thin Organic Coat on the topside of the material that is water soluble but adds even more protection to the material in addition to applying a heavy duty protective film.  Standard construction practice is to use clean cotton gloves during installation. 

All this not withstanding, we do not recommend the use of ANTHRA-ZINC® within 1 mile from any seashore due to salt forming a white residue on zinc. On QUARTZ-ZINC® this white residue  is not as visible as it is on ANTHRA ZINC®.

QUARTZ-ZINC®

QUARTZ-ZINC® is the brand name for preweathered zinc made by Umicore. QUARTZ ZINC® is also the most popular. We achieve this look by putting the zinc through a phosphorous acid bath. That’s sounds worth than it is, phosphorus acid is also used in several caffeine containing sodas.

It does not matter how the pre-weathering is done. What matters is the end result; the end result is a dark gray look that is very true to the dull grey that all zincs eventually acquire after enough weathering. That is good for you for several reasons, not the least one being that if you need to replace a panel or want to extend the building the "new" material will not look that new.

The patina the zinc forms after the phosphorous bath is of course an artificial one, what it does is it protects the zinc below it very much like a sun blocker protects your skin. The real patina forms under the artificial one and once the artificial surface is eroded off, there is a surface of natural patina.

Phosphate crystals reflect and absorb light in a heterogeneous manner. Consequently two panels made from the same coil turned at 90 degrees or 180 degrees may look different and may resemble a checker board because of the light reflection. Panels used on a project must be fabricated and installed in a way that they all have the same direction.