Color laboratory

Properties such as opacity, intensity, gloss level and even texture, contribute in no uncertain manner how a coloring product will look and feel after application. And we have had ample opportunity to study this on the most diverse array of historic as well as modern objects. To always achieve the best results, we manufacture most of the colors we use ourselves in a meticulously artisan process. Over the years, this has become a veritably passion with us.

For us it is, again and again, fascinating to study how individual pigments and combinations of pigments interact with bonding agents. It is exciting to see how the colors then react to different lighting and different surfaces. Our expert knowledge of chemical compositions and pigment properties, as well as the usage of only high-quality materials components, results in exceptional surfaces with unique color effects.

The color effects of historical pigments such as French ochre, Bohemian green earth, Rügen chalk, Terra di Siena and ultramarine can never be attained by modern industrial products. The difference becomes even more obvious when using historical bonding agents and bonding supplements such as linseed oil, bees wax, carnauba, Dammar resin, shellac, casein and lime.

Aside from detailed knowledge of the composition of coloring agents, we also command vast experience of historically used colors, hues and combinations thereof. That includes both, historic and modern facades and interiors. In our work we not only pay heed to the exact coloring of a given structure/element, but also to their intended functionality and meaning within the context of the overarching design.

It is for this reason that the development of color concepts—and the manufacture of those colors—is one of our key competencies, next to restoration and reconstruction of historical surfaces.