How to apply ecological clay i-paint

Simple and easy to work with i-paint

 

Tierrafino Clay i-paint is easy to process yourself. It is ready for use in the bucket. And can be easily diluted with water. I-paint adheres well to most surfaces. Very smooth or highly absorbent surfaces require pre-treatment with Tierrafino Contact Fine. I-paint is applied using a brush or a roller. Application instructions, a substrate overview and technical information can be found in the Tierrafino i-paint Product datasheet (pdf) and in the datasheets for supporting products. In addition, the instruction video below provides ample information and inspiration. Don’t forget to turn on the subtitles; available in different languages!

Applying Tierrafino ecological clay paint

How to apply i-paint

Applying Clay paints

For an opaque coat of paint, apply Tierrafino i-paint on dry, well-absorbent, grease-free surfaces such as wallpaper, wood, plaster and common mineral surfaces.

Preparing surfaces for clay paints

Thoroughly remove old water-soluble paint, glue or lime layers. First brush off non-adhesive paint residues etc.. Pre-treat a highly absorbent surface with Tierrafino Contact Fine. Smooth and little absorbent surfaces, such as paint and oil layers, need to be roughened with sandpaper and / or pre-treated with Tierrafino Contact Fine.
Click here for technical information on Tierrafino Contact Fine. For Dosage see the information at the bottom of this page.

In these product datasheets you will find technical detail of Tierrafino i-paint including an overview of the covering and adhesion capacity of i-paint and any necessary pre-treatment of many applicable surfaces.

Applying Tierrafino Clay i-paint

One coat of i-paint is sufficient on a light, even surface. It is advisable to first apply a layer of Tierrafino Contact Fine on a highly absorbent surface (such as a new plaster layer, sand-lime brick, etc.). After complete drying of Tierrafino Contact Fine (at least 24 hours), apply the final coat undiluted. The individual clay paint layers must be dry before each subsequent layer!

Finishes – 1

Tierrafino clay paints are applying using a roller or a brush. A brush off when the paint has become a little dry on the wall will leave a fine, beautiful brush effect behind. Vertical or diagonal strokes will give a subtle variation in the incidence of light, which brings the wall to ‘life’!

Finishes – 2

To simulate structure, first pre-treat the wall with Tierrafino Contact. This is a quartz-sand-based primer that not only leaves a structure on the wall, but also fixes the surface in preparation for the layer of clay paint.

Finishes – 3

To obtain a coarse structure add approx. 5% Tierrafino FINISH to the clay paint. The clay finish should be carefully stirred into the clay paint.

Finishes – 4

When Tierrafino i-paint is applied to an existing layer of 4mm-thick Tierrafino Clay FINISH, the clay paint can be polished with a plastic trowel or with a polishing stone until it shines. This technique may also be used on other surfaces that are smooth. However, in order to obtain a nice even shine, a considerable amount of clay paint is needed.

Finishes – 5

Pigment pastes can also be added to Tierrafino i-paint clay paint. Pigment pastes that are used in wall paints are typically suitable for this. The maximum amount of pigment paste depends on which type is used and must be determined by experiment. Mix pigment pastes with Dover White to create pastel shades. Use Delphi White to make the colours a bit ‘fuller’. Using one of the other 6 standard colours of i-paint we do create a color range which is endless.

We do not recommend mixing Tierrafino i-paint with dry pigment powders! The risk that these pigments do not dissolve properly in the i-paint is quite high and can lead to small stripes of pigment and spots on the object painted.

Stenciling techniques

With Tierrafino clay paints, stenciling techniques can also be applied to Tierrafino Clay Plaster..

Drying time for clay paints and paintwork

Can be painted over after 6-12 hours, depending on room temperature and humidity.
Full drying time: approx. 10 days.

Tools

Paint roller, brush, paint sprayer, sponge, cleaning tools. See also Tierrafino Tools!
Clean tools immediately after use with warm water and soap.

Shelf life

Keep Tierrafino Clay i-paint in a cool place, well sealed and definitely frost-free. Unopened, i-paint can be kept for at least 24 months. Once opened, Tierrafino Clay i-paint has a shelf life of abt. 6 weeks. The decomposition process of clay paints can be slowed down by only using clean tools in the paint bucket. Tools contaminated with bacteria will contaminate the paint and then the decomposition process starts.

Composition of clay paints

Tierrafino Clay i-paint consist of: Clay, cellulose binder, starch, preservative, anti-foaming agent, water softener, (titanium dioxide: only in Dover white), and water. The use of earth pigments may cause slight colour deviations between different batches of the same colour.

Usage

0.125 liters per m2, approx. 4 m2 per liter with two layers. Tierrafino Clay i-paint is opaque on very even and little absorbent surfaces after one coat has been applied.

On the most common surfaces, such as plasterboard, stable old wall paints, non-detachable wallpaper, etc. Tierrafino Clay i-paint will be opaque after applying 2 layers.

Unprepared surfaces, or substrates that contrast strongly in colour with the paint, may need to be treated with a third and / or even fourth coat of clay paint. Priming the wall with Tierrafino Contact Fine is highly recommended. Tierrafino Contact Fine reduces the transparency of the surface preparing for the clay paint. It is advisable to first even the surface in colour before painting with Tierrafino Clay i-paint.

When the colour of the substrate contrasts strongly with the colour of the paint, the wall may need to be treated with an extra layer of Tierrafino Clay i-paint  for an opaque result.

Thinner

Water

The information in our product descriptions has been compiled with the greatest care. However, Tierrafino does not accept any responsibility for any direct or indirect damage that may occur when using the information provided. Each new release of the product information will invalidate the validity of the previous release.