Tinting Plastibond or Tradies Bog

Can Tradie’s Bog or Plasti-Bond Heavy Duty be coloured black?

Yes, within limits. Selleys Tradie’s Bog can be coloured with cement oxides or paint tinters, and there is one condition that governs the whole job: the colour must be mixed in before you add the hardener.

Be aware of one thing before you plan a colour match. The hardener supplied with the product is red, and the red hardener may shift the colour you have mixed slightly. On a black tint that shift is usually tolerable; on a mid-tone or a pastel it can be significant.

Why the colour has to go in before the hardener

Both Tradie’s Bog and Plasti-Bond Heavy Duty are two-pack systems: a resin, supplied as part A, and a separate hardener, part B. The moment those two meet, the cure begins and the working time starts running out. Anything you need to disperse evenly through the filler — pigment included — has to be fully mixed into the resin first, while you still have unlimited time to do it properly.

Try to stir pigment in after the hardener and two things go wrong at once. You lose most of your working time to mixing, and you get streaks, because the material is already stiffening while you are still trying to disperse the colour.

How to tint it

1. Work out roughly how much filler you need for the job, and mix only that much. A tinted batch you cannot use is wasted twice over.
2. Take the resin (part A) alone into a clean mixing container.
3. Add the cement oxide or paint tinter and mix it through thoroughly until the colour is completely even, with no streaking. Take your time here — this is the only stage where time is free.
4. Make a small test batch first if colour accuracy matters. Add the hardener to a sample, let it cure, and see what the red hardener has done to your mix before you commit to the whole quantity.
5. Add the hardener to the tinted resin, mix quickly and thoroughly, and apply. From this point the working time is whatever the pack specifies.
6. Sand level once fully cured, and finish as required.

What we cannot tell you, and where to get it

Selleys does not publish a recommended pigment brand, a maximum tinting rate, or a colour chart for either bog. Adding too much pigment to a polyester filler can affect how it cures, so keep the addition modest, and test a small batch before you mix a large one.

Both products are supplied as a hazardous two-pack system — Tradie’s Bog comes in 550g, 900g and 2kg sizes, with the hardener supplied separately. For mix ratios, working time and cure time, read the instructions on the pack you have bought, and consult the safety data sheet on the Selleys website before you start. Selleys customer support is on 1300 555 205 in Australia and 0800 735 539 in New Zealand.

If the finished colour has to be exact

Tinting a two-pack bog is a reasonable approach when the filler will be partly visible and you want it to disappear into a dark surround. It is a poor approach when the colour has to match precisely, because the red hardener introduces a variable you cannot fully control.

Where an exact colour is the requirement, filling and then painting over the cured filler gives a far more predictable result. A cured, sanded bog takes paint readily, and you get the exact colour off the tin rather than an approximation you mixed yourself.

Common questions

What can I use to colour Tradie’s Bog?

Cement oxides or paint tinters.

When do I add the colour?

Before you add the hardener, into the resin alone. This is the key instruction.

Will the colour come out exactly as mixed?

Not necessarily. The red hardener may change the mixed colour slightly.

Can I tint Plasti-Bond Heavy Duty the same way?

The published guidance names Tradie’s Bog. Both are two-pack polyester fillers with a separate hardener, so the same before-the-hardener rule applies, but test a small batch first.

Is there a maximum amount of pigment?

Selleys does not publish one. Keep the addition modest and test a sample batch before committing.

Can I use liquid pigment or does it have to be powder?

Both cement oxides (powder) and paint tinters (liquid) are named. Whichever you use, disperse it fully into the resin before adding hardener.

Should I just paint it instead?

If the colour has to be exact, yes. Painting a cured, sanded filler gives a far more predictable colour than tinting the filler itself.

What sizes does Tradie’s Bog come in?

550g, 900g and 2kg, supplied with a separate hardener.

Is it hazardous?

Yes. Both Tradie’s Bog and Plasti-Bond Heavy Duty are classified as hazardous. Read the label and the safety data sheet, work in a ventilated area, and wear gloves.

Can I drill and screw into it once it is coloured?

Tinting does not change what the cured filler can do — both bogs can be sanded, drilled and screwed into once cured. See which filler can be drilled.

Is there a smaller product for a single repair?

Selleys Knead It Multipurpose is a hand-kneadable epoxy in 50g and 110g packs that can be painted after 60 minutes — often easier than mixing and tinting a batch of bog for one small fill.