Reactive Patinas™ is a groundbreaking, visually arresting, and deeply researched book on the art and science of coloring cement using reactive chemistry. Written by a master craftsman with over 20 years in decorative GFRC and 18 years prior in bronze foundry patination, the book bridges two worlds: the timeless mystery of natural aging and the precision of modern surface chemistry.

The book documents a multi-year research program that tested dozens of reactive salts, pH environments, dopants, sol-gel coatings, and mineral crusting agents. Every stain, every bloom, and every visual in this book is real — no digital tricks, no false color, just the true chemistry of transformation recorded in high-resolution photographic plates.

The layout is part scientific field guide, part philosophical manifesto, and part art object. With over 300 swatches, structured lab sheets, and poetic reflections, it offers a new visual language for patina-based surfaces. You’ll find Triplex swatches showing reaction progressions, Bloom Disk trials on reactive paper, and experimental techniques including CO₂ chambers, temperature paths, and crust-layer disruptions (what the author calls “Terraforming™”).

For professionals, it’s a laboratory-grade reference. For artists, it’s a library of possibility. For designers, it’s a material map for honest color.

“Some salts seek color. Others need a push. CO₂ is not a pigment — but a path.”

This book isn’t about copying results. It’s about understanding the forces at work, so you can grow your own. As the author says,
“Color is conditional. But beauty is not accidental.”

If you work with concrete — whether you’re a builder, sculptor, surface designer, or someone with a good eye and some glass fiber grit — this book will change how you think about color, surface, and time.

“This is not a paint catalog. It’s not a how-to Pinterest DIY. And it’s definitely not another concrete coffee table book with pretty photos and no soul.”